Tears of the Ages

Chapter 17
Stay With Me

Silvia snickered at her glorious plan. Granted, it wasn't quite as elaborate as it had the potential to be, but it would amuse--immensely--and, really, that's all Silvia could ask for in a plan.

She had done a lot of research so that this would work out accordingly. She knew where she sat in the mornings, who was usually around her, and which owl usually delivered her mail. And she had even woken up early that morning in order to ensure that everything would work precisely right.

Her visit to the owlery was unnoticed, just the way she wanted, and her spells were carefully cast. It would be perfect. She could not wait to see the result of her hard labor.

Sitting at the Slytherin table, Silvia leisurely watched the happenings of her cousin's House. A few looked quite pale, due to the impending Quidditch game later that day. Others seemed to become more alive at the prospect, her cousin being one of them.

But her target looked to be neither, listening with half an ear to the ramblings of her housemates. Silvia checked her watch one last time before tearing apart a roll that remained on her plate. She popped a piece into her mouth to hide her anticipatory smile.

Evan noticed. He raised an eyebrow at the navy-haired girl next to him. "What're you planning, love?" he asked, leaning close so that his breath brushed against her ear lobe.

With a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous tilt to her lips, she leaned against his side. "You'll see."

No sooner had she said that had expectant eyes watched the graceful arch of several swirling birds descending from the ceiling. Silvia's grey eyes tracked their movement critically, watching as the birds flew down to the Gryffindor table.

The hand of one particular red-headed girl reached for the burden her owl carried. She was puzzled to find a letter along with her copy of the Daily Prophet. Settling the Prophet aside for the moment, she reached for the letter, her finger sliding under the seal.

At the same moment that the Head Girl was opening her letter, the Housemate next to her was puzzling over her own letter. The only thing written on Aurelia's note was, 'You'll need this'. Confused, she wondered what good the parchment was going to do to her.

No sooner had she completed the thought had it turned into a large, green umbrella that covered her completely, shielding her from the rest of the table. Therefore she didn't get the chance to see what made her Housemate, and best friend, shriek holy hell.

Struggling out from under the surprisingly accommodating umbrella, she found half of her friends to be in some degree of wetness, originating from a thoroughly soaked Lily. Her friends' face had turned a bright shade of red that matched her hair closely.

"COLTON!" she screeched, whirling from her standing position to look over at the Slytherin table.

The entire length of the table was either trying to hold in their laughter or openly expressing it. One in particular, was smirking in a confident, outright manner. From across the room, Silvia wiggled her fingers in greeting. Her grey eyes watched as the outraged Head Girl marched out of the Great Hall.

"Oh, you're in for it now, Via," Evan said nonchalantly from beside her.

"That's what I was going for, love," she replied, going back to her breakfast with a satisfied smirk on her lips.

- - - - -

Later that day, the stands of the pitch were filled to the brim with students and teachers. Quidditch was the most popular sport in the wizarding world since the eighteenth century and at Hogwarts, it was four times that in popularity. There was no such thing as a simple remark about the game; it had to elaborate into a full-fledged debate on the topic, often times interrupting lessons. Some teachers even joined in, especially when the festivities were just starting in November.

Aurelia had waited for Lily at the bottom of the stands since she had been required to change her robes and toss her old ones in the laundry. Lia couldn't believe--well, yes she could--that Silvia would do that to the Head Girl. She would have proceeded to confront her cousin about it, but the Great Hall just wasn't the place for public displays of affection. Especially because Professor Flitwick walked by the moment she'd made to get up. She cursed her teachers for having such good timing.

They went up the stairs together and found Emily and Remus sitting on one of the benches, saving the seats. They looked uncomfortable for some reason, but Aurelia passed it off as being crowd-crushed. Sirius waded his way through the crowd of screaming Gryffindors to get to them, Peter following him close behind.

Aurelia spotted James pass by their stand and jumped up, waving vigorously. She tried whistling, but only air came out. Frustrated, she tried a second time, but this time her mouth only produced spit. Sirius came up behind her and put two fingers into his mouth, cat calling the intended Seeker. James waved a fist in the air at him and sped off to meet the two teams in the middle of the field.

"I covet your whistling abilities," said Aurelia with a glare.

"Green monster of envy chiming in there, Lia?" Sirius smirked and then looked down to see if the start of the game was visible from where they stood. No such luck. If they had gotten there twenty minutes earlier, it wouldn't have made a difference, because the students four rows down couldn't see a thing either. Deciding it wasn't worth his time, Sirius turned on her, gripping his girlfriend's sides. "I like it when you're angry."

"And I like it when you shut up," she retaliated, grasping his hands in hers and pushing them off, "and let me watch my Quidditch."

"Insufferable," he muttered lazily, turning away and casting a forlorn look into the crowd. His eyebrows shot up as he gazed across the field and Aurelia looked at him from the side, trying to be inconspicuous. Her eyes darted to the direction he was looking toward. A group of Hufflepuff girls were staring at her boyfriend from across the field like he was some sort of mesmerizing god, proof that he had just as many giggling girly gits fawning over him as before they'd started dating. She watched Sirius carefully as he waved to the Hufflepuffs and then she watched as they all seemed to swoon, waving back shyly. He produced a brilliant, toothy grin. They looked about ready to melt into the stands. She wished they would.

"Seer," Aurelia said, pouting her lip. He looked down at her and gave her a 'what now' look. She brought him closer and whispered in his ear, "I'm really cold."

"So now that I'm useful you want me," said Sirius, wrapping his arms around her chest. "Unjustified."

"I'm still cold," she said. "Maybe you should come a little closer."

Sirius moved into her curve and wrapped his arm around her neck. "Like this?"

"Bit closer. Closer--Ah! Sirius!" Aurelia felt his hands rubbing against her sweater as they eagerly explored the curves of her torso.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Trying to keep you warm, sweetheart. Creating friction."

"Lying bastard," she said, smirking.

"You wouldn't love me any other way."

Sirius closed his mouth over hers and they kissed like they would in a broom closet when they knew a teacher was passing by. Aurelia opened her eyes for a few seconds to survey the girls across the stadium now, and there was hatred on each and every one's face. She smirked in a satisfied sort of way and closed her eyes to enjoy her boyfriend's hot kiss.

Who was the green monster of envy's bitch now?

- - - - -

Walking towards the Quidditch pitch, Silvia noticed a particular blonde head leaning near one of the stands, a piece of parchment in her hands. Taking care to make her steps as light and silent as possible, she approached the blonde from behind. When she was sufficiently close to her target, she took a deep calming breath to clear her head. Then she pounced.

Rather, it was more of a tackle.

Both girls ended up on the ground, Silvia's arms wrapped tightly around the lithe form of her Housemate, who was struggling to get out from under her. When the blonde finally managed to get free, she stood and brushed stray pieces of grass from her uniform.

"What was that for, Via?" she questioned, amused and irritated at the same time.

"I was having Ivie pangs! I missed you!" Silvia said in a childish voice, complete with full smile and tilted head.

Ivie scoffed and reached to retrieve her parchment that lay discarded on the ground. "If you didn't notice, I was engaged in something before you came. Some Ivie pangs of my own." She motioned towards the parchment in her hand.

Silvia moved closer to her friend to glance over her shoulder briefly. The messy scrawl there was familiar. "My pangs are more painful though," she said, tousling the blonde's hair affectionately.

Scowling, Ivie set to fixing her hair. "Aren't they always?"

Ignoring that comment, Silvia went to lean against one of the supports of the stands. "How's your brother doing?"

"As well as can be expected when he's so far from home. He's met someone, apparently, that the family won't approve of."

"How about you tell me about this dream girl while we find a seat?" Silvia threw an arm around Ivie's shoulder and led her up the stairs.

- - - - -

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, HENDERSON? GUDGEON'S GOT THE BALL, YOU IDIOT! GUARD HIM!"

Sirius, Remus and Peter looked at each other and turned back to stare at the screaming Aurelia, waving her hands in dramatic gesticulations as she actively spectated. There were, of course, several other students taking an active roll in the coaching of the game, but none had prominence over the Gryffindor girl's vocals. Lily was actually shielding her face in an attempt to hide the fact that she was friends with the crazed Quidditch fan.

"Is it just me or is she really hot right now?" Sirius muttered.

"Not just you," mumbled Remus and Peter in unison.

Had anyone been looking, they would have seen a very disgruntled and jealous expression on Emily's face.

Aurelia's flaming eyes watched James as he sped in front of their stand with a wink, and they lightened into a calm grey. She smiled at him. This was it. She looked behind her, but Lily's hands were still covering her face. It was better that way, though.

This was going to be immensely enjoyable.

Sirius saw the signal and smirked. Apparently, he figured he should distract said Head Girl anyway, just in case she did happen to glance up before James was ready.

"Lily, you feeling all right?" he asked, draping an arm around her shoulder. "Not cold, are you?"

Quickly shoving his arm away, she replied with, "You do not amuse, Get-Any-You-Can Black."

Aurelia smiled so big she forgot to violently direct oral abuse at the Gryffindor Keeper's missed block. She quickly made up for this with a throw of her hands, almost knocking the boy next to her unconscious. "WHAT WAS THAT, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A QUIDDITCH PLAYER?" She glanced up and sure enough, there sat James on his broom, racing about the sky, seeming to write into the air with his wand. "The hell--what's James doing?"

They all looked up and she smiled at her success.

"And Sorick's got the ball now. Vence is--what's that Potter's up to?"

Thanks to the brilliantly slow announcer, everyone was staring up at James now, eyes wide in attempts to discern what exactly he was doing. Many undoubtedly thought he was trying to distract everyone while the Gryffindors violated conduct in order to retrieve the Quaffle. At least the Ravenclaws did, and that was likely why all blue-coated fans were still staring avidly at the rest of the Quidditch pitch. It didn't matter much, because the only eyes that needed to look up were already doing so with great interest. Aurelia turned around when she heard a small gasp behind her, smiling broadly with her other previously-informed comrades.

Lily's green eyes were staring above her at the sparkling red words written in the sky.

LILY EVANS, WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?

Almost no one realized that James was speeding towards their stand until his feet were dangling inches above the spectator's heads. Then they ducked. James looked down at his victim expectantly.

"All right, Evans?" he said, a wide smirk on his face.

Lily stood up, her cheeks reddened. She looked as though she were about to scream at a third year for vandalizing the lavatory walls. "Potter, you egotistical little--YES!"

James looked mildly surprised before jumping off his broom onto the bench below him that had quickly cleared of students. A path was made for him so he could jump up the few benches to get to his new girlfriend. Lily braced herself when he was a foot away, and she was smart to do so, because James caught her in his arms, wrapping his hands around her back. Applause broke out from the Gryffindor stands when they were wrapped up in a zealous kiss.

"About bloody time!" Sirius yelled at them.

They both smiled mid-kiss, and then continued.

"BEEVERY'S SEEN THE SNITCH!" shouted the announcer and every single head turned to watch the Ravenclaw Seeker speeding across the pitch.

"Shit!" James yelled. He jumped down onto a lower bench, then turned around and wrapped a hand around Lily's neck, bringing her lips into his. He smirked at her surprised and dazed expression, then ran down the rest of the benches, jumped onto his broom and flew off to catch up with Beevery.

- - - - -

"What the hell is going on?" Silvia snapped, watching as the Gryffindor Seeker broke away from the game and flew towards the stands.

"Did you miss the sky writing, Via?" Elizabeth asked from behind her, her arms reaching around to hug her friend.

"Wha--Oh."

From her right side, Snape had gone still at the message in the sky. His beady little eyes watched as Potter flew towards the stands. Watched as a red-headed girl stood up to approach him. Watched as Potter leaned in, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Snape stopped breathing.

He stopped breathing so much that he practically fainted.

And fell over.

"What the--Oh! Ew! KEEP IT TO THE TOWER, POTTER! WE DON'T NEED TO WITNESS YOUR STUPID LOVE LIFE!" Silvia cried before burying her head in the shoulder of the only-too-obliging Evan Rosier. After a few moments of relative cheering, she lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Is it over?"

"Think so, since Potter let go of Evans in a hurry. Oh, he's gotten the Snitch," Evan leisurely commentated, a hand running through the hair of his girlfriend.

"Bloody hell. He attacks Evans and catches the Snitch. What the hell was Beevery doing while he watched? Wanking? What an idiot," she sighed, irritated that Gryffindor had won again. Noticing open air to her right, she turned to see Snape, who had fallen over the back of the bench. He looked decidedly pale. "All right there, Severus?"

- - - - -

Every several minutes of Transfiguration class the next day was interrupted by a blunt awareness of deprivation. Aurelia felt the edges of her blouse being lifted up. Every time this happened, she simply pulled it back down and continued to study.

Perhaps it was the safety of the classroom that Aurelia had savored in her first years at school, but that precedent seemed to be fading with each passing year. Now, anything could happen. Teachers might allow it to happen once and prohibit it from ever happening again, but what did that do for the first victim?

So, Aurelia had some options. She could grit her teeth and bare it, retaliate with force or walk away. Lia was levelheaded and did not easily lose control of her emotions. Naturally, she chose the first. But after awhile, she was fed up with the action and turned around, grabbing the back of her blouse and saying, a little too loudly, "Are you quite finished?"

Sirius sat back in his chair, which was only touching the ground with two legs, and grinned, wand in the hand at his side. "Oh, but the view from back here--" He held up his hands to form a box with his fingers directed at the back of Lia's chair. "Priceless."

"Is there a problem here, Miss Colton?" asked McGonagall, who had just arrived at the side of Aurelia's desk, adorning an expression of severe irritation.

"None at all, Professor," she lied. "I was just asking Potter and Black if they'd finished their essays yet."

"Another student's work does not concern you, Miss Colton. I'm sure Potter and Black have managed to scrape up a sizable amount. You, however, look to be having a bit of trouble concentrating."

"Got that right," Aurelia mumbled as McGonagall walked away. Turning back around, she said, much quieter than before, "Sirius, I'm studying. If you want to take off my shirt, I'll be in the Common Room later." With that, she turned in her seat and continued her essay.

"And so will I," Gudgeon said, eyes wide. All the boys close enough to hear her retort looked from the back of Aurelia's head to Sirius and shot him jealous glares, which made his grin widen. The Gryffindor boys all went into a whispered frenzy of agreement with Gudgeon and a few Hufflepuffs groaned about how they wished they were in Gryffindor.

- - - - -

Aurelia jumped over the back of the couch and slid into the space between the cushion and Sirius' strewn-out body. She played with his hair subconsciously while she addressed Lily about her continued flying lessons, the last of which had been a fiasco of repeated falling, crashing and, surprisingly, cursing.

"No," she replied simply, and laid her head back to rest on James' chest. He was sitting on the arm of the chair and very nearly falling off to begin with, but now that he was supporting Lily, it made the feat even more amusing to watch.

Lia was too tired to argue, so she just pouted into Sirius' back. He bumped her with his arse and she gave a little grunt. "Do you mind? I'm trying to be snuggly," she murmured.

He turned his head slightly and smirked. "And you're doing a lovely job. I, on the other hand, am not, therefore I can do whatever I please."

"Point and match," she mumbled into his oxford, closing her eyes, intent on drifting off to sleep.

"I," James said pointedly, making Lia's eyes pop open again, "have something I need to tell you, Lily."

It wasn't even a question of what the blabbermouth was going to say, but a question of why he was going to say it now. "James..." Sirius said in a warning tone.

"I've asked everyone," he replied, glancing at Aurelia's panic-stricken and Sirius' critical faces. "Which is more than Moony can say."

Aurelia snorted, then hauled herself up to the closest thing she could get to a sitting position. Lily looked a little anxious, but Aurelia gave her a nod to reassure her.

"Lily," James said, placing a gentle hand on the back of her neck as he spoke, "we aren't exactly ordinary wizards."

"Well, that's been established," said Lily, rolling her eyes, but when she saw the expression on all three of their faces, she shut her mouth and listened...and didn't like what she heard. Not in the slightest.

"How can you be so calm?" Lily screeched in a high-pitched whisper the night proceeding as the two girls sat in the Common Room wrapped in blankets next to the fire.

Aurelia showed her a half smile, but couldn't think of any way to reply. She was anything but calm on these nights. Every full moon she hugged her pillow to permanent indentation, but she had to show Lily how easy it was so that her friend might take it better than she had. Lily was stronger and could handle this.

"Lil," said Aurelia in a soothing but determined voice. "I've been here, waiting by the fire, every full moon night since the middle of fifth year. I know what you're thinking and I understand how you're feeling, but you have to know that the boys, however arrogant and stupid, would never let Remus do anything he shouldn't. Rem's calmer around animals, so you have nothing to worry about. They've been doing this for a long time."

"You've know since fifth year?" she said, aghast. Aurelia nodded sheepishly. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It's not that I didn't trust you with it. We haven't even told Emily, but mostly because she would've gotten too upset by it. And Remus obviously didn't want to give her a reason to break up. I just figured they wouldn't want you to know--"

"James wouldn't want me to know."

"Well, there's that...and you're very...lawful. I mean, they thought you might...you know...because they aren't registered..."

Lily looked like a flobberworm on the verge of dissection. "They thought I'd tell on them?"

Aurelia slowly nodded her head.

"Now I'm not worried about them, the sorry bastards."

"Lily!" Aurelia said, surprised by her bluntness.

"Well, they are! How dare they. I hope Remus gives Potter a good claw to the face."

Aurelia frowned and kept her eyes downcast as she said, "He's already tried that one."

Lily inhaled sharply and laid back on her pillow, hugging the quilt to her chest. It would be another long, silent night. Lia didn't mind, though.

She was used to it.

- - - - -

"What are we even here for, Lia?" Emily asked, annoyance in her tone.

Aurelia shushed her and focused back on the intended targets. They were like wild boars flocking to a watering hole. The only difference was that the watering hole was a pile of unused dungbombs in the second floor corridor. Her plan was somewhat lame, she admitted, but that was only because the real brains of Gryffindor were not involved or, in Emily's case, had no idea what was going on.

"Em, do you trust me?" Lia asked, so distracted by the flood of green thirty feet away that she didn't sound like she was talking to anyone but herself.

"I...Lia, really, I need to know what this is about," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. She hadn't peeked around the corner yet, and Aurelia wouldn't allow her that much information. If Emily knew what they were about to pull off, she would flee the scene.

And it was going to be one glorious firework show to behold.

It was not all fun and games, though. After several weeks of silence about the war going on, people were starting to feel as if it were too distant for them to even be apart of. Things changed when a sixth year Hufflepuff was sent to St. Mungo's Hospital because of his parents. The Dark Mark had been placed over his house. Once he'd packed a bag to bring with him to the hospital, he walked down the stairs wide-eyed in terror. No one, not even the Slytherins, said a word to him on his way out.

The realization that the war was still close to home had hit Hogwarts hard, and many of the students felt more melancholy than ever.

Accidents occurred frequently, most of all in Defense lessons. Students were too nervous to concentrate. Some asked their parents to take them out of school; some parents forced their children to return home. The closeness was comforting to many a worried parent, even if Hogwarts was the safest place for their children to be.

The Potters doted on their son more than anything in the world and it was surprising to all that they did not pack up his bag for him. They asked him in a letter if he would be all right at Hogwarts, and naturally his answer was yes.

Some half-blood students were asked to leave when another, harsher attack was staged, and the school's numbers dwindled. Remus considered going home as not to worry his codling parents, but found that his friends, as well as his studies, needed him more.

Aurelia was an exception to the fanfare of parental concern. Of course her father knew the war was taking a turn for the worse, but apparently he did not see fit for her to leave school in the middle of the term. In fact, she hadn't heard from him at all since September, though she had sent letters back home at the end of every month, perhaps in some hope that he would return one.

It was easier for her to cope with this since Sirius neither received any letters from home nor cared to write any. Their situations were quite different, since Sirius no longer lived with his family, but it was nice to have someone to relate to. They were outcasts by their families, so it was no surprise they drew closer emotionally, as well as physically.

The war was not the only thing bringing students together, though. After two weeks of depression, things got a little stirred up on the edges of scarlet and green banners. The pranks that had started with four girls and a dead cat had escalated to the entire seventh year. It was every House for itself, and the games began with a single Bat-Boogy Hex. It was chaos from there on in, and students from seventh year had the worst trouble getting out of their Common Rooms in the morning.

The greatness of the prank no longer mattered. It was the amount of pranks one could fit into each day. Teachers couldn't control it. Students couldn't bare it. And after awhile, even the pranksters were slimed, feathered and grilled medium-well.

There was no one in seventh year who hadn't been the victim of a hoax, big or small. Unfortunately, Aurelia had been on the receiving end of a particularly nasty hex for which she had needed to ask Madam Pomfrey for instruction on how to re-grow eyebrows.

Belching Powder was slipped into mass amounts of pumpkin juice. Mustaches were regularly drawn onto portraits (the Fat Lady was quite distressed and would let no one in Gryffindor Tower for an entire day as a result of that brilliant scheme). Even the Valentine Hogsmeade weekend turned into a fiasco when Madam Rosmerta's Butterbeer was changed into a gooey substance that had to be eaten, and Puddifoot's was sabotaged with crazed pink pixies. The scene was magnificent and everyone had a good laugh when Madam Puddifoot dragged all four Marauders out into the street by the ears.

It seemed as though the seventh years were invincible when it came to concealing the identities of the creators of each attack, so the Heads made a collective decision to give detention to any seventh year within a corridor's walk of the latest prank, only excluding the victim, in hopes that it would cause a halt to the tomfoolery. They were wrong of course, and the punishments only made the battle more heated. Now it was their mission to get as many detentions for their opposing Houses as they possibly could. Detention rooms were overflowing with seventh year students every day. It was a wonder the teachers still opposed mass expulsion.

"I'm getting really tired of this," Aurelia told Sirius as she wiped his back with a wet cloth. The original prank had been used in their third year, and a certain Slytherin had wanted revenge for it ever since. Now the notorious prankster, Sirius Black, had been hit from behind with a box of toothpicks. Aurelia had requested to take them out, since he was having such a hard time with it himself. It wasn't uncommon for Sirius to be a main target for vicious pranks; he was one to be jealous of. Usually he was able to elude them since they were aimed by angry boys with shaky hands. Snape, she had to admit, had outwitted him. "Come Sunday, I'll be snogging ashes."

"Ow!" he said, turning around to scowl at her. "Watch where you're dabbing that thing, will you?"

She turned back his head manually and continued to wipe up the blood of his many small wounds. "You're just bitter because Severus got the better of you."

"I am not bitter," Sirius muttered through clenched teeth.

Catching the tone, she attempted to lighten the blow. "He hexed you from behind. I won't blame you for being bitter about it." For emphasis, she mumbled, "Hexed you while your back was turned. Pathetic."

"Bloody coward." He paused a moment like he did when we was about to change the subject completely due to one of the random thoughts that passed through his head. "Hey, why is it that girl's can come up to the boy's dorms but we can't go up to the girl's?"

"You know why, Sirius," she said. She had made a quick inspection of the boy's dormitories. They were very messy; clothes and books and a few things that looked a lot like Bundimun were scattered about the floors. Sirius had led her past a room full of sixth year boys dressing, and they weren't the least bit shy of her intrusion. The one that had nothing on but boxers gave her a brave wink--brave because they'd all seen Sirius walking past the doorway before her. She'd smiled at them and moved on after a protective-looking boyfriend. "Girls are a lot more trustworthy when it comes to matters of the opposite sex."

Pushing a little too hard on his punctured skin, she heard Sirius yelp. He turned around to glare, but instead met her lips. His grey eyes sparkled as she maneuvered around him to straddle his thighs. She pushed his bare chest so that he moved up against the bedpost and he grunted as his back hit the wood. She felt a lurch in her stomach as he moved his hand up her skirt and she grabbed his tongue in between her teeth to distract her from the weird sensation it created.

"Padfoot, did Snivellus really--?" James' question was silenced when he saw who was attached to his bare-chested best mate's mouth. Sirius' gaze traveled to the doorway where James stood and he waved him out. For a moment more James didn't move, and then, having an abrupt coughing fit, turned to leave, shutting the door on his way out.

They stared at each other as a bolt of heat lightning flashed across the sky from the window, their mouths enclosed around familiar counterparts, and Sirius leaned forward to trap Aurelia between the barriers that were his arms. He gave her a raised eyebrow in question after he saw her inhale a shaky breath beneath him. She shook it off and nodded her head slowly up and down on the bed sheets. He smiled--surprisingly not a grin--as he waved his wand to shut his four poster's curtains.

- - - - -

Sitting up in the Astronomy Tower, Silvia let the breeze tease the tendrils of her loose hair. Her eyes raked over the letter she had gotten hours ago from Bellatrix. A letter she had been waiting for for a very long time.

Via,

How've you been? I know we haven't talked in awhile; I've been busy, wedding plans and all. But I feel like I haven't heard anything from you in forever. What has happened with my favorite little Slytherin troublemaker? Is the Common Room still in one piece? Have you killed Potter yet? Narcissa sends her love. Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you that...

"Appareo," she muttered, watching words, previously hidden, appear on the parchment. The other meaningless dribble disappeared, as if knowing it was unimportant to the reader and the writer.

I mentioned that I might have found something that would suit your tastes and that I would determine whether it was a farce or not. It's not. It's real. And it's wonderful. The man behind it is brilliant and his ideas seem to resonate with your own. I've told him about you, and he said he would be interested in finding out more about you. Just know, he values actions more than words.

Love, Bella

Somewhat satisfied, she shifted to glance at the second piece of parchment in her hand. The first was worth nothing without this one.

Miss Colton,

I've found the man you were looking for. He was surprisingly easy to find, which, in light of the Muggle authorities lack of progress, is disheartening. I'm glad that I could help you in finding the monster that did something to such a wonderful woman...

She didn't much care what else the wizard detective had to say. She only cared that he had found the man that had murdered her Aunt Maggie, the only woman who was truly a mother to her throughout her childhood and the woman who meant the world to Aurelia. Aurelia, who meant the world to Silvia. And some stupid Muggle had just decided to kill her because he wanted her money. With one pathetic thought in his miniscule brain, he ended the life of someone who was important to people. Someone who meant more to some than that Muggle could ever understand.

Silvia wanted him to pay.

She wanted him to scream.

And now that she knew where she could find him, she could kill two birds with one stone. She could pay him back for the damage he did to her family, and she could prove her worth to a potential ally. She'd never been hesitant when it came to proving her words with actions.

She wouldn't be again.

The parchment crumpled in her hand as anger flooded her veins. She had waited years for this opportunity, and she didn't intend to let it just pass her by. A swift flick of her wand had bluebell flames cradled in the palm of her hand, feeling like nothing more than a warm breeze. She let the flames engulf her palm, burning a path up her fingers and into the parchment.

It fell to ash within her palm.

Her gaze stayed transfixed on the blue flames within her hand. Their glistening quality reminded her of what the sky looked like when it rained. And the first time she had been taught this spell by her aunt when the whole family had gone on a camping trip. It was before she had a wand.

She hadn't liked the darkness then.

Things had changed.

Now, the darkness was her friend. People showed who they really were in the dark--no lights to show their faults and flaws. There was clarity in the dark of night that wasn't present in the daylight. In daylight it was all smiles and fake sentiments.

Nothing was real in the daylight.

The darkness showed a person for whom they truly were, and Silvia reveled in that. She smirked sharply, her hand closing around the flames, watching them extinguish between the ash and her fingers. The reflection of the fire in her eyes gave them an eerie light.

"Silvia? You up here? Lizzie said you might be," Tidra said, the light of her wand preceding her footsteps.

"I'm here, Ti. You need something?" Silvia said from her position against the wall.

"Yeah, there's this thing going on with the first years and..."

Silvia didn't bother listening; she just stood up from her seat and casually let the ashes fall from her hand over the tower edge. The wind caught them and carried them away. "Let's go see what's bothering the little kids, hmm?"

She left the tower with her Housemate, her mind still thinking back to the contents of her letters and her plans for the future. That light never truly left her eyes thereafter.

- - - - -

Aurelia felt the soft sheets and curled into them. They felt so nice against her bare skin, and she wanted to lay there...bare skin? Her eyes popped open at once, staring at the top of a four-poster she was not well acquainted with. She heaved a silent breath and cautiously looked to her right, hoping against hope that somehow she had just dreamed it all. Sirius' naked form was moving the sheets slowly up and down with his breathing. Aurelia quickly looked away and hit both palms to her forehead.

Trying not to wake her sleeping boyfriend, she lifted the covers off her and collected the clothes that were crumpled at the end of the bed. She had to pick hers out of Sirius' since they had mingled together after they'd...

Her knickers were nowhere to be found. She searched everywhere she could without knocking Sirius off the bed, so she decided to go without until she got back to her dorm.

She carefully lifted the side curtain of the four-poster so she wouldn't wake any of the other boys. One toe to the cold, wooden floor and she just couldn't help herself. She threw open the curtain and smacked Sirius upside the head. He groaned loudly and turned around with a sleepy and confused look.

"I either did something really wrong, or really right," he mumbled into the side of his pillow.

Aurelia narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She whispered, "This is not the time for witty remarks."

Sirius sat up, the sheets rolling down his front just enough to cover his unmentionables. He looked at her, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. He smiled. "Hey."

"Hey?" she said. "Is that all you have to say? Sirius...we just... we...together...and...didn't we?"

Sirius grabbed her shoulders because by now they were shaking. "No, Lia," he said. "You just crawled out of my four-poster naked because last night you lost your clothes and I was feeling hospitable." They stared at each other for a moment before Sirius eyes wandered off and he said, "Actually, that is kind of what happened."

Aurelia sat back on the bed, making the mattress beneath creek. At least she was out of reach of his hands. "I can't believe we had...we had..."

"Sex?" James' voice carried across the room. They both turned to see him standing on his bed, supporting himself with one of his bedposts. Aurelia's entire face went scarlet, but the couple both glared at him for intruding.

"It was brilliant," Sirius said, turning back to his girlfriend with a smirk.

"That's not the point."

A yawning Remus was sitting up in his bed when he heard James shouting and then realized what was going on upon spotting the blushing face of Aurelia across the room. He looked from side to side for something to do with himself. Peter, on the other hand, was dazedly glaring at the couple, probably for causing James' unappreciated wake-up call.

"This is insane," James said, realizing the word was overused in his vocabulary. "You guys really--?"

"Yep."

"No."

Sirius had on a wide grin that Aurelia would have liked to smack off his face. "She's dazed and confused."

"In denial? Was he that bad, Lia?" asked James, leering.

"Go to hell, Prongs!"

Aurelia held her hands to the sides of her head and shook it. She felt Sirius' hands on her own, but not even that could cause the movement to cease. That was his excuse for kissing her. It was forceful and it hurt, but it knocked her back to her senses and when she opened her eyes, things were a little out of focus.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Seer," she said, giving him a half smile. "It's not...it's not pieced together yet, alright? It wasn't you. In fact, it was amazing. It wasn't even the fact that I started it..."

"LIA started it?" James called out, incredulous.

"It's just that...we did it. And I'd really rather not anyone else know about it, okay?"

Sirius looked indignant. "What do you take me for? You think I'll go bragging to all my friends...Lia, they already know."

Aurelia looked around the room at the three boys and sighed. "It doesn't leave this room."

"Not a word," James agreed. Remus and Peter chimed in afterwards with similar phrases. Aurelia smiled at them and knew they wouldn't tell a soul. Of course, that wouldn't stop her from telling a few of her own closest friends, but she wanted it no further than that.

It wasn't embarrassment. No, no. Who in their right mind would be embarrassed by having sex with Sirius Black? It wasn't even that she was embarrassed by 'losing it' to the most notorious male in Hogwarts either. It was her father. She knew that if her father found out, he would be just as unforgiving as Romey had been for her continued friendship with Sirius. It hadn't taken her brother two seconds to spit out a curse about her camaraderie with a Black and her father would be ten times worse. He probably wouldn't even give her a chance to explain that he was a blood traitor. He probably wouldn't care. She would be in enormous trouble if he ever found out. She planned for that never to happen, just as she had strategically planned the concealment of their relationship from him since last year. The only way to ensure he didn't catch wind of this incident was to keep it a complete secret.

She trusted them all enough to be sure the word wouldn't get out, and in turn that the word wouldn't get back to her father.

- - - - -

At breakfast that morning something didn't sit right with a certain navy-haired Slytherin. She had taken to watching her cousin as of late, making sure that despite their lack of communication, nothing dire had happened to her.

Having known Aurelia her whole life, she was privy to the subtle nuances in her cousin's demeanor. For instance, the fact that although the Gryffindor plastered a smile on her face before her friends, her eyes didn't show any happiness. In fact, her eyes kept glancing between her friends, watching their conversations with Housemates outside the close knit group. And she would flinch just barely whenever Black put his arm around her or made a motion to touch her. Her skin, too, seemed paler than normal.

Frankly, to the close observer, she looked terrified.

That was something Silvia wouldn't stand for.

Watching a little more carefully, she noticed that Aurelia didn't flinch when anyone else touched her, only Black. The loving couple was barely even affectionate that morning--it was like a precedent was being broken. She was even avoiding meeting his eyes. Even angry, Aurelia would still defiantly meet someone's eyes.

Which meant that Black must have done something, or they must have done something together. And due to the dislike her extended family had for those associated with more unsavory aspects of magic, she figured Black wasn't well received at the Colton home. In fact, Silvia would wager her uncle knew nothing of him.

Which meant they had done something that would anger her uncle, and when her uncle got angry he tended to take it out on his daughter. And Aurelia was scared of how her father would react. Therefore, she concluded, they had done something irreversible.

Her eyes widened with the realization.

"Bloody hell!" she hissed viciously as she watched her cousin. She needed to know whether her suspicions were true or not. The only way to know for sure was to confront one of them. Ordinarily Aurelia would have been easiest, but she found she wanted to hurt Black more than a little at that point in time.

A slow smile crossed her face as a plan developed.

Black would never touch her cousin again.

- - - - -

Waiting inside one of the many secret passageways might have been the only way Silvia had thought of for her plan to work, but she never considered how boring it was. It seemed like ages before someone swept aside the tapestry that lead into the passageway; a passageway that was frequented by none other than Sirius Black.

"Fancy meeting you here, Black," she drawled, leaning against the wall, letting the light from his wand wash over her.

He stopped, looked at her and then glared. "Colton. What're you doing in here? If you're waiting for me, I'm happy to report I'm already taken."

"In fact, I am waiting for you, Black. Langlock! Locomotor Mortis!" she said, pointing her wand as him, watching as his legs locked together and his mouth shut.

His eyes narrowed further.

"You see, I noticed something in my dear cousin this morning--something troubling. And it all seemed to stem back to you. So by my count the only thing you could have done to bugger her up that badly is to sleep with her. Am I right?"

His eyes widened before he schooled his features, but it was all the confirmation that she needed.

"I thought so," she said, moving slightly closer to Sirius. "Thing is, my uncle won't like that at all. Not just because you slept with her, but because a Black slept with her. Naturally, she wants to make sure no one knows."

A grin stretched across her face. "What do you suppose she'll do when she finds out that everyone does? Who do you suppose she'll blame? Let's find out, shall we? Confundo!"

- - - - -

Sirius walked down the corridor, not quite sure what he was doing there. Wasn't there someplace he was supposed to be? Then it hit him--Potions! He was supposed to be in Potions. Bugger, he'd be getting detention for this. Then Aurelia would be sure to ream him out for it.

Running down the hall, he screeched to a halt once he reached the Potions door. He took one breath before opening the door confidently.

"Ah, Mr. Black, how nice of you to join us."

"Apologies, Professor, I had to help a first year on my way here. You know how they are, getting lost every two minutes. And then they cry." He shrugged his shoulders in a companionable manner.

It didn't fool Slughorn in the slightest.

"Yes, well, as admirable as that may be, you can explain it fully to Professor McGonagall after class. Please take your seat now."

Slughorn turned back toward the board and proceeded to explain the importance of monkshood in potions.

As he slid into his seat next to James, Sirius looked over at Aurelia, something tugging on his brain as he did so. He felt like he needed to say something. Something important. But he just couldn't remember what.

"Where're you at, mate? Not doing anything wicked without me, I hope," James whispered from beside him, grinning.

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

James gave him one worried glance before copying down what Slughorn wrote in the front.

- - - - -

Heading out from the dungeons, Sirius realized he still had to go to McGonagall's office to receive what he suspected would be another detention. "Hang on, mates, I've got to visit the Lion Lady."

"Maybe you should get to class on time, Padfoot," Remus mused from the other side of James as he flipped through a new book he had.

"Stuff it, Moony," Sirius grumbled before waving them off and heading in the opposite direction. Halfway there he found himself face to face with someone he rather wanted to pummel. Figuring his detention would be lonely, he sought after another.

"Hey there, Tremming. I've got a question for you: are you still paying girls to date you, or has your mum found a suitable second cousin?" Sirius drawled, leaning casually against a wall, twirling his wand through his fingers leisurely.

Tremming's face turned scarlet. "It's a wonder your mum ever got anyone to marry her. Do you think she had to Imperio your father to do it?" He smirked, his face returning to it's normal shade, but his fingers clenched his wand.

"We could always ask yours," he said casually. "But blimey, I forgot, that old besom didn't finish up school, did she? Likely whored herself out, and your dad married out of pity for you. So you can't blame yourself, Trm. Must be hereditary."

The fingers of one hand flexing in preparation to hit the Ravenclaw for whatever his next comeback might be.

Tremming smirked. "You know, I never had to pay Aurelia for anything. She gives it up for free--or didn't you know?"

"You dirty liar," Sirius growled. "She hadn't even given it up until last night!" Realizing what he had just said, Sirius shut his mouth quickly, yet he couldn't stop the stream of curses that flowed from his mouth.

For the first time in his life, Sirius fled from a fight. He even forgot to threaten Tremming into keeping his mouth shut. He forgot everything.

- - - - -

Aurelia splashed her face with cold water from the sink, smiling into the mirror before her, a happy reflection staring back. She had had a good day so far, and despite the interaction with an unpleasant Slytherin, she had remained cheery all morning. She had no reason not to be, really. She was ensured that no one would tell anyone about anything, so she wasn't worried. Not even a little.

"Did you hear about Colton?"

Quickly, she ducked into one of the stalls as two familiar Slytherins paraded into the bathroom. They never called Silvia "Colton"; that was Lia's unoriginal nickname. So the gossip had to have been about her. She wanted--needed, more like--to know what it was. Her heart was beating fast as she watched through the door's crack. They were gazing fondly at their reflections in the mirror.

"Evan said Black let it slip when he was getting into it with Tremming."

"What about her?" asked the little Tidra bitch who'd broken her trunk at King's Cross. "Wait...oh Merlin, don't tell me!"

"Oh yes," said Elizabeth mischievously. "Can you imagine? Well I guess I can. Heart-breaker Black and Goody-two-shoes Colton. I mean how easy does one have to be to get Black in bed--?"

Aurelia flung open the stall door and aimed her wand at the little one, sending a blinding curse her way, then she ran at Elizabeth, her fist colliding with the girl's face. They both screamed, but Aurelia was already out of the bathroom and down the hall, wiping the blood onto her black robes.

She didn't much care anymore. She was dead as it was. School wasn't necessary.

Marching her way to the Gryffindor Tower, there were much too many people staring at her with some emotion she had never seen before, but she wasn't paying them attention.

Stepping into the Common Room, she again was bombarded by looks of that nameless emotion, but she only had enough line of sight to pierce the boy lazily sulking on the couch. They spotted each other and stared unblinkingly until Aurelia's eyes teared up. Not from sadness--no--but because she was unaccustomed to keeping her eyes open for so long.

The room had faded into silence and she only realized this because of how loud she sounded when she asked Sirius if they could talk. Everyone seemed surprised at how calm her voice was, even herself. As Sirius stood up, James called out, "Move it along. Nothing to see here."

Lily looked supportive, but Aurelia tried not to notice.

They entered the scene of the crime and Aurelia supported herself against the windowsill, staring at him. He sat on his bed, his eyes lowered to the ground, unable and unwilling to meet her gaze.

"I...asked you," she said shakily. "No, I begged you not to say anything."

"Sweetheart..."

"Don't start that! You're not going to sugarcoat it."

"I'm not trying, Lia, I swear. I want my turn before you go ranting out and shove a nice fist in my face."

The idea was a nice one, but the emotion in his voice peaked her interest.

"Look, I was walking to McGonagall's office after Potions and I ran into your old pal Tremming. We had some words, and then we got into it about each other's mums, but when it turned to you I--I don't know what happened. It was like it wasn't even me who'd said it. I felt like I was under a spell."

"Merlin's beard," she said, disbelievingly, her eyes wide. "Is that honestly the best excuse you could come up with? You've had all morning to conjure something up and this is what you give me? I expected at least a car chase and a torture chamber."

"Honestly, Aurelia, it's not an excuse. It's the truth."

"Well, what a big surprise: I don't believe you. You've cried wolf one too many times in your life--"

"Cried wolf?" he asked, a genuinely confused expression on his face.

Aurelia narrowed her eyes in thought. "I've been reading into too many of Lily's childhood favorites," she said, more to herself than to answer the question. She then realized what he was doing and said, "It's beside the point! Do you realize how deep I'm going to get in for this? If it gets around like this at Hogwarts, it's pretty damn certain to get around everywhere else."

"I don't see the big deal here, love. Are you embarrassed to be with me, is 'at it?"

"Hardly." But when she saw his proud smile, she stated harshly, "I take that back."

"Than what is it? Why does it have to be kept a secret? It's not like our relationship is anything less than notorious. Every teacher in this school has pried us apart at one time or another and we don't exactly keep to ourselves when we're snogging our brains out. Our relationship isn't a secret, so why cover our mouths now?"

Aurelia breathed in unsteadily. "I don't want people thinking I'm a slut."

"Don't throw me that line, Lia," said Sirius, narrow-eyed and persistent now. "No one in this school would ever make that mistake again. And since when do you care what people think of you?"

She slid down to the floor and stared hard at it.

"Then why, Aurelia?" Sirius asked callously, standing up from the bed.

"Because I'm a coward!" Tears streaked down her face, the collection of sobs still caught in her throat. She brought her head to her knees and spoke to the floor instead of having to look at her boyfriend. "I never wanted this much. I never thought I'd get this far with anyone, let alone you. I'm just some little girl who needs to be comforted. I'm pathetic! I've tried to suss out what's wrong with me but I haven't the slightest--"

"Clue?" Sirius said. Lia looked up to see his red face about to burst. "Aurelia Isobel Colton, are you bleeding blind? It's your rudding father that's done this to you! You're so far backed up into the corner you can't see it's him that's pushing you there! You want comfort because he doesn't love you like he used to--he doesn't love you at all!"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, so loudly those in the Gryffindor Common Room winced. Sirius took a step back, but said nothing. "You don't know the first thing about my father and I won't let you lecture me about him!"

"I know enough, and I think I speak for everyone that loves you when I say you're a complete wanker to stay in the same house as that man."

Aurelia stood up and ran at him like a wild animal. She pummeled any part of him she could get to until he got a hold of her fists and forced her into a sitting position against the bedpost. "Lia, this isn't you. I love you."

"You don't know me!" she said, tears streaking her cheeks, but she was too weak to fight his grip anymore. "How can you possibly love me?"

"What'd you mean, I don't know you? Woman," he said in a resolute voice, commanding her attention. "I know the loving, flirty, friendly, outgoing, funny, smart, depressed, brave, spirited, annoyed, passionate, hell-of-a-kisser Aurelia who never shows what's really going on inside that wrapped up brain so that it doesn't bother anyone but herself. I know all those Aurelias, and I love them all, but I hate this one. It's denial--"

She squirmed in his grip, but didn't have the strength to get loose.

"You're always trying to break free of me, of your friends. Why can't you free yourself of him?"

"Stop it," she pleaded softly, her head sinking with the weight of her tears.

"No, I won't stop. I love you too much to let you go on living how you are. Why can't you see that you're worth more than this? You're the farthest thing from pathetic that I know of. You just have to realize where all your pain is coming from, and you won't see it."

"I love my father. He would never hurt me on purpose."

Sirius seemed to puff out smoke from his nostrils when he heard this. He let go of one of her wrists to lift up her shirt where her skin had turned purple against a ribcage. She tried to keep it down, but it didn't matter; they both knew what was there. He moved on to her shoulder where he pulled down her blouse to find another spot of splotched skin.

"These bruises say differently," he said venomously, staring her in the eye.

"It was an accident," she replied in defense.

Sirius released her and stepped away. "I won't ever get you to see this, will I? I won't get you away from him so that you can find out what it's like to live with a man who loves you--who would never hurt you, on purpose or not. You could come and stay with me. You wouldn't have to put up with it any more."

"I'm not putting up with--"

"Stop it, Lia!"

Aurelia saw the anger in his eyes and backed away, crawling across the covers. "You just don't understand. It's more complicated than what you're making it out to be."

"You know what? I don't understand. I have no idea how you can take these beatings and deny it FOR HIM."

Aurelia stood up and walked around the bed, her posture determined. "Maybe if you don't get me, and I don't get you...maybe this just won't work."

For an entire minute, Sirius just stared silently into her eyes. There was no emotion in them--not even the slight darkness they took to when she was angry. They were void. And upon this realization, he decided that there was nothing he could do for her.

"Maybe you're right," he said, in finalizing detachment. "This," he motioned between them, a sarcastic tone in his voice, "is the thing that doesn't work."

Sirius stepped around her, but she didn't look behind her as he walked out of the room. She stood there, head sinking into her hands, and let come the sobs.

- - - - -

Aurelia kept to herself for the rest of the day and Lily thought once or twice that she had literally sunk into her pillow and become a part of her bedspread. She had tried to reach out to her, but the only thing she could do to comfort her was to provide a shoulder to cry on. After three hours, Aurelia assured her she wouldn't be doing that anymore.

It wasn't until Lily had woken up in the middle of the night because of a bad dream that she realized Aurelia's bed was empty. For a moment she thought she really had sunk into the mattress, but she told herself not to worry.

That, of course, didn't work. For a split second she thought she'd forgotten a full moon, but that was impossible. There had been one only last week. What else would get Lia out of bed this late? Then it hit Lily like a slap to the face. She was bound to do something rash; Lia was emotionally unstable and it wouldn't take long for her to blow a gasket. Lily recalled the time her History of Magic grade had slipped a bit and she had yelled at Professor Binns until he gave her a detention for the coarsely-worded argument. She should have seen this coming.

Lily jumped out of bed and grabbed her Head Girl badge off the dresser in case she bumped into any teachers on her search. Once she stepped through the portrait hole, she remembered the beaten face of Sirius coming down the stairs from the boy's dormitories and James' snide remark, "You couldn't've handled that better, mate." A tear slid down her cheek as she replayed the fight in her mind. Remus had had to pry the boys off each other with the help of several other seventh years and take them both down to the hospital wing for a black eye and hard blows to the stomach. They have always been and always will be complete gits, she thought, but the banter didn't ease her worry.

She passed through the most obvious corridors, but to no avail. She was questioned by curious portraits, but never stopped to explain her late-night prowling. When she reached the stairs to the dungeons, she figured Lia had gone back to bed. She picked up her step because she'd heard some noises down by the Slytherin Common Room entrance, but stopped next to an odd-looking statue with his head on backwards. She had never seen that before, and thought it strange she would not have remembered it.

She spun around on her heels and walked back down to the dungeons. She looked around in the dark for awhile until her eyes adjusted. She heard a clash from the right and followed the noise; if there were some miscreants around she was going to have a good, long howl at them.

Lily lit her wand tip and walked around in the dark for a while until she walked right into a musty tapestry. She coughed furiously in the midst of the spurted dust and heard laughter from the other side. She flung the tapestry out of the way to reveal a giggling pair of girls, one in green, the other scarlet. The strong scent of alcohol was in the air and on their breath.

"Aurelia," she said, shocked and appalled at her friend's behavior. "What are you doing?"

"I'mmm," Lia said, drawing out the word as if she were trying to remember the rest of her answer, "living life the way I should."

"What, as a drunkard?"

Silvia burst out laughing, and grabbed at her stomach. "What a funny word--drunkard."

"Merlin," Lily said softly. "You're both completely plastered."

Aurelia looked at her cousin with a lazy stare, grinning. "I think wasted is the word, akchally."

It took Lily half an hour (the entirety of which she was on pins and needles in case they were caught) for her to coerce them into returning to their dormitories. She had tried to get one of the Slytherin portraits to get a student from within the Common Room since Silvia had forgotten the password, but the ancestral green tie prefect would not budge--at least until the Colton persuasion skills kicked in. Silvia promised they would flash him the next time it happened. He practically ran out of his portrait. Lily felt queasy, because by that she knew this wasn't a first- or last-time thing.

She figured Silvia would be fine on her own, and guided Lia up to Gryffindor Tower, placing a nice Silencing Charm on her--she hadn't seemed to notice either way.

Once they got to the entrance, Lily said the password to the Fat Lady and waited impatiently, holding up Aurelia so her knees didn't buckle. The Fat Lady peeked an eye open, then shut it quickly and pretended she was asleep.

"I saw that!" Lily said, annoyed. Aurelia echoed her weakly, but Lily put a hand over her mouth, thinking it was stupid to have dropped her charm until they'd gotten inside.

The Lady opened her eyes and sighed. "I can't let you in," she said, looking as if she badly wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"What do you mean you can't?"

For a split second, the portrait almost looked giddy.

"Those dreadful boys promised they would stop shouting the Hogwart's song every time they saw me if I didn't allow anyone entrance tonight. I suppose the reward is the same for the portraits near the dormitories for distractions." Lily held up her Head Girl badge. "Deary, the prize is well worth the repercussions from Dumbledore."

Lily was about to take out her wand when Aurelia grabbed both sides of the frame and started--well, Lily didn't exactly know what she was trying to do. Sing, maybe? It sounded more like screaming to her, but whatever it was made the portrait open after only twelve second of it. It would be enough for anyone to wish they were def. Aurelia was still at it, apparently not realizing her tactic had been a success, so Lily closed a hand over her mouth and dragged her inside before Woldrum caught up with the noise.

"You really do need some lessons," said Lily, the awful sound still ringing in her ears.

Aurelia giggled and whispered, "I'm thirsty."

Lily sighed, knowing vaguely what she was about to walk in on. All four boys looked up from a poster-looking piece of paper on the Common Room table in surprise. Peter quickly grabbed the poster and murmured something under his breath, the others playing innocent.

"What are you doing out so late?" James asked, looking from Lily to Lia and back again.

Lily raised an eyebrow, giving her no-nonsense glare to Peter, who was near to melting into the carpet. James gave her an expectant look. "I might ask you the same question."

"Annual meeting," Sirius said defensively.

"Partying with the Slytherins," said Lily, completely sober. "We had punch."

Aurelia lost the grip on Lily's shoulder and fell to the floor with the loss of support.

James nodded at the fallen Gryffindor. "Looks like somebody spiked it."

"Help me," Lily said, hopelessly. The four boys grudgingly got up from the couches and gathered around the drunk and her overdue conscience. "Last time I tried to levitate her up the stairs, I bumped her head."

"I'd take her up, but seeing as I'd have to turn into Bambi--"

They all looked at Aurelia in surprise when she burst out laughing. "Oh, Jamesie, you're sooo funny," she said, wobbling in an attempt to get up, pulling on Remus' trousers and making his cheeks flush. James and Peter looked bemused while Sirius just looked angry.

Lily offered her a hand up, but she refused, pushing it away. Remus tried to help her by gripping her shoulders and she in turn, gripped his. "Sweeet Merlin, look at those armss. Rem, have you been taking enhancement draughts, 'cause those shrink elsewheres, you know?" Remus lit like a flaming red Christmas tree, and James and Peter laughed up a storm--even Sirius let loose a few chuckles. "But if you've really taken to workin' out, tell me when you doo next. I wanna watch--"

Lily had heard enough of Aurelia's alcohol-intake-overcoming-her-better-judgment. Between flashing portraits and flirting with her ex-boyfriend's best friends, Lia wasn't even Lia anymore.

"I would love it if you could stop coming on to my boyfriend and Remus, Lia."

He looked relieved, but Aurelia pouted. "I haven't even got to Peter yet!"

Lily quickly grabbed her hand and headed in the opposite direction, towards the dorms before she would say something she would really regret. Peter's face was absolutely priceless as the boys went back to sit by the fire. Aurelia began laughing as hard as James and Sirius, and as a result tripped over her own feet. This time when Lily tried to pull her up from the ground, she was fast asleep.

"Um..." Lily said concerned, looking back at the boys. Surprisingly, it was Sirius who walked over.

"Don't worry about it, Lil," he said, bending down and lifting the drunkard gently into his arms. "We've got her covered."

Lily nodded, a bit skeptical, then said, "Are you sure?"

"Lil, honestly, go to bed. Merlin knows you need your sleep."

She watched him carry Lia to the couch and set her down next to James. She smiled sadly and headed up the stairs.

- - - - -

Stumbling in through the open doorway, Silvia waved off the tired first year that had come to the entrance to let her in. "I'mmms fine. No worty." She giggled, laughing at a joke only known to her.

The first year's eye widened before he backed away slowly, having never seen anyone in that state on inebriation before, and certainly not Silvia Colton.

In what she thought was a careful manner, Silvia walked towards the set of stairs closest to her, which just happened to be the ones leading to the boy's dormitories. When she reached them, she found it decidedly difficult to navigate the stairs, and took to crawling them instead.

"Huh. Never knew we had patterned carpet. Isss very purty," she slurred as her finger traced the patterns over one of the stairs. Then she continued to climb, chanting, "Up, up, up!" as she went. Finally, having no more stairs to climb, she pouted and leaned against what she thought was a wall.

It turned out to be a slightly open dormitory door, which gave way against her weight, causing her to tumble backwards into the room.

Silvia let out a stream of uncontrollable giggles, rolling onto her side and then her stomach. She hummed a tuneless song as she drug herself over the cold floor. "Whish bed belongs to whish witch?" she mumbled as she looked over the haughty green-draped beds critically.

A hand slapped over her eyes and she spun around clumsily on her knees, arm waving frantically around her head. "I choose you." She pointed at a random bed, grinning at picking the correct one. She worked her way over to it.

Her hands loosely grasped the bedpost, hauling her body vertical very slowly. She half parted the drapes, half got tangled within them. Finally she crawled within and flopped triumphantly on her supposed bed.

And then she noticed another person in it.

"That'ss strange. Whoss at?" she poked the body. They grunted in reply and moved farther away from her. "You sound kinda manlyish Lizzie-loo. Oh! Iss cause, iss Evan not Lizzie. Okay, I gots this." Silvia laid down, wrapping her arms around the body next to her.

She smiled at her brilliance in making it up to Evan. She ran a hand through his silky hair in congratulations to herself. Except, it wasn't silky. It was greasy. "Ewww, your hairs iss gross. Like Snapeys."

Evan didn't feel quite right either. Sort of bony, and skinnier. Her brow furrowed. She ran a hand over his face. That wasn't Evan's nose. She wasn't in bed with Evan. She was in bed with Snape. And she couldn't remember how she got there.

So she screamed.

"Who the bloody hell is screaming?"

"Damn, I was sleeping!"

"Kindly stop killing my eardrums," a gravelly voice said close to her.

Silvia reacted instinctually; she pushed with all her might and sent the intruder from her bed, crashing to the floor. Her breathing was ragged, heart racing.

"What the hell? Who pushed me out of bed?" a voice raged--the voice that had been next to her.

Lights went on and drapes were drawn, revealing one Severus Snape tangled in his sheets on the floor next to his bed and one very confused and frightened Silvia Colton sitting in his bed, clutching his covers. The boys stared at her, shocked.

Snape rounded on Evan. "Get your girlfriend out of my bed!"

Evan was trying his best not to laugh. "Via, love, what're you doing here?" He asked walking closer to her.

When he was close enough, she launched at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. She trembled slightly. "I woke up and I was in Snapeys bed. I think he might a' drugged me, Evan."

"That scoundrel." Stifling a laugh, he put his mouth to her hair to contain his mirth. "It's all right. Let's just get you to bed, shall we?

- - - - -

James looked down at Aurelia's softly snoring form next to him. "How are you planning to get her up there?" he asked, looking at Sirius.

"I've no idea."

Three Marauders gazed at him, frowning.

"What do you mean you have no idea?" Remus asked with an edge to his voice.

Sirius sat down on the floor before the couch, pulling the map out of Peter's hand and placing it on the table. "I just love watching her sleep."

James sat up in his seat and gave him a good whack across the back of the head. "Are you mad, Padfoot?"

"Sirius, you need to let go."

"Well, obviously she hasn't if she's seen a need to get drunk over it, has she?" Sirius' face was set and he was eyeing Aurelia out of the corner of it.

"That's not the point. You need to let go, even if she hasn't."

"Why does she get to gripe when she's the one who broke it off in the first place?"

"A woman's prerogative."

"She said 'maybe'," he said firmly. "She said 'maybe' we shouldn't see each other anymore. That has to mean something."

"No, it doesn't."

"And why not?" he shouted. Remus, James and Peter all held up their hands and made shushing noises, so Sirius lowered his voice and whispered fiercely, "Why not?"

"Women change their minds all the time, but men are set on what they say. Since you said you should break it off, it's done. The only way that's going to change is if Aurelia wants it to."

"What do you know about it, Prongs?" Sirius replied viciously.

"A hell of a lot more than you, apparently."

"Hey. Hey!" Remus said authoritatively, looking from James to Sirius. "You guys want to end up in the hospital wing again, that's fine, but don't wake up Lia. She's been through enough tonight. She doesn't need to see you two get into it again."

It took Sirius a minute to settle himself down, and then he turned around to look at Lia. James snatched his hand away before he got the chance to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sirius," he said, ashamed. "You're better than this."

Remus said he was tired and suggested they continue the meeting tomorrow. Sirius earned a glare from James when he said he would be up in a minute. He heard two pairs of footsteps trailing up the stairs to the boy's dormitories and looked behind him at Remus, who was gathering his Potion's textbook and the map.

"I don't know if I can," Sirius said quietly. "I think I fell for her."

Remus stopped mid-movement, then stood up with his books in one arm. "I wouldn't know about that. But, Seer, you've got plenty of prospects. If you pretend not to care long enough, maybe one day you won't."

"But I'm in love, Rem. Shouldn't I be fighting for her?"

Remus' expression turned to one of sympathy. "Not if she doesn't want you to."

Once he was up the stairs, Sirius sat down next to Aurelia's sleeping head, and he looked around before brushing the hair out of her face. He stared at the fire for several minutes, thoughts rushing through his mind at rapid rates. He decided he would put them off until morning because they were beginning to give him a headache. He pulled out his wand and produced a soft blanket, which he draped over Aurelia gently.

He made to get up from the couch when something grabbed his wrist. He looked down and saw that Aurelia's hand was wrapped around it. She was looking right at him with pleading eyes, and every one of the conflicts in his mind came to a shuddering halt as she whispered, "Stay with me."

Sirius looked from her to the stairs, and slowly he settled back into the couch, placing his feet on the table. Aurelia crawled forward to lay her head in his lap. He felt an odd sense of loss that he hadn't realized he'd been feeling. Even though he was close to her...in that moment, he felt farther away from her than he'd ever been before.

- - - - -

Her eyes were red and she hadn't thought to put make-up on this morning. What was the use? She would have looked just as crappy with it on. Her cheek was stuck to her Transfiguration notes on her desk. She didn't even lift up her head to smart off to McGonagall, she just mumbled under her breath. Getting detention didn't even faze her. She was actually partially glad for it--something to take her mind off...things.

Lily was frowning from the seat next to her, a pitying look in her eye. Stupid pity. She wished it had never existed. Why was she always making people feel sorry for her? It annoyed the hell out of her. People should just mind their own business. She wondered briefly if that would make her happy, no one caring. She decided probably not, and mentally slapped herself for the contradiction.

Aurelia hadn't broken up with him more than twenty-four hours ago and Sirius was already getting friendly with some of his fan girls. She'd spotted him leaving the Great Hall with two of them this morning, squeezing their sides to make them giggle. It was enough to make a person sick. Or enough to make Aurelia sick, at least. It didn't help that she was hung over. Lily said she'd done some pretty embarrassing things last night, but she didn't want to know. It was all a giant blur, except for her promise to flash a Slytherin portrait for some reason.

She woke up this morning on the Common Room couch smelling like sherry, not knowing how she'd gotten there. Silvia was a partial cause of her drunkenness, that was certain. She found herself with a desperate need to find that girl.

"Miss Colton, where do you think you're going?"

McGonagall's piercing voice stung her ears. Lily wouldn't let her near a cauldron that morning, so she couldn't make herself some soothing hangover potion. The day was not a good one. Aurelia turned around and squinted one eyelid, biting her lip in thought.

"I was just going to go to the bathroom," she said, belatedly adding, "Professor."

"Generally when people leave my class, they ask."

"I thought you'd rather me throw up in a lavatory than on your classroom floor."

McGonagall rushed her out the door as several students laughed at her shocked expression. Aurelia grinned inwardly. That was much too easy. Of course she had left her rucksack and books in class, but at least she was out.

She picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the floor and pulled out her wand from her robes. She scribbled on it as if the wand were a quill and enchanted it to fold itself into a paper airplane. It flew down the hallway and she watched it until it reached the turn.

It was only ten minutes of waiting in the bathroom before Silvia arrived, smiling fondly at her cousin.

"Bloody hell, you look terrible, dear heart," she said blatantly, sifting through her rucksack and throwing a yellow bottle at her. Aurelia caught it, but it fell through her hands an instant later.

"I love you," she said after she took a swig of the Hangover Draught. She sat back against the bathroom stall and started banging her head against it, a few tears running down the sides of her face.

"Woah, woah," Silvia said, kneeling next to her and holding her head steady. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing," she said groggily, shutting her eyes.

"Oh, right then. I'll just let you smash your head in. What's wrong?"

Aurelia sniffed, wiping the wetness from her eyes. "Sirius is dating already."

She saw Silvia roll her eyes exaggeratedly. "He's a bastard, Lia. What did you expect?"

"I thought," she said, then lowered her voice. "I thought maybe I actually meant something to him. I didn't think he'd just go off and snog one of his fan gits. And I didn't think he'd do it so soon."

"Well, he did. Because he's a moron and can't see what he's lost."

"Did I tell you we had sex?"

"It's sort of been...around," Silvia said, a note of apology in her tone. "How was it?"

"Horrible. He's really bad. And it's small."

Silvia looked bemused. "Really?"

Aurelia banged her head again. "No, I'm just trying to make myself feel better."

A hand came between her head and the stall. "I can spread it around if you want."

Aurelia shook her head slowly. "No one would believe it."

"Oh, I have my ways."

Aurelia gave a small snigger, but regained her depression rapidly.

"Look, I'll talk to him, okay?"

"What will that do?"

"Lia...honestly. It's me. I'll just tell him to bugger the hell off. What you need right now is friends. No more of this relationship crap. It just ends badly for you. In fact, you can borrow Evan if you want a snog, but other than that, you little slut..."

Aurelia smiled and punched Silvia in the shoulder. "Like I'd ever be so desperate as to go for Rosier, Via."

"I don't get you," said Silvia, annoyed. "Evan's got to be the best damn kisser this side of the island. You've been with Black too long. He's clouded your judgment on attractiveness."

"If you start talking about him like this, I'm just gonna go hang out with Lily more."

"Maybe you should. Minus the Gryffindor Gits, though. It'd be good for you to talk to someone other than me. Your problems are getting to weigh down my shoulders a bit."

"You're such a little bitch," said Aurelia with a small smirk.

"Skank."

"Egomaniac."

"Know-it-all."

"Know-nothing."

"Wanker."

"Nutter."

They smiled at each other and Silvia tackled her with a bear hug. They stayed in the lavatories until the period ended and they stepped into the crowd of students together. The stares got annoying, but Aurelia knew she'd have to get used to it. For now, though, she planned to ignore it all and focus on how to get her rucksack out of McGonagall's classroom without her noticing.

- - - - -

It was risky business trying to get up to the boy's dorms without being seen, but Aurelia had to try. James and Sirius were nearly joined at the hip lately, and it made trying to get James alone quite a difficult task. They weren't this conjoined before Sirius and her had dated, so she didn't know what the deal was now. It didn't concern her anymore, she reminded herself. Nothing he did concerned her.

She didn't bother knocking before sliding into the room, sidling the wall. James was too busy attempting to put a shirt on to notice her entrance, which was not-so-good, since he would be surprised when he got his shirt over his head.

Despite her pleading face and shushing noises, James nearly shouted his shock at her presence.

"Heard of knocking, Lia? It gives a bloke a chance to put some clothes on."

"Oh please," Lia said, waving it off. "Like I haven't seen your chest before."

"I've got a nice chest, though," he replied haughtily. "Wouldn't want you to get all hot over something you can't have."

She supplied a blank stare, void of amusement. "You are so incredibly full of yourself, Potter."

"I know," he said, smirking.

"Anyways, I didn't sneak up here to discuss your ego," she started, hesitating. "I'm wondering...what happens next."

James thought for a moment, but then proceeded with sarcasm, probably because he didn't really know how we wanted to answer her. "I'm not the person to ask. Maybe you shouldn't've quit Divination after all."

"James."

"I don't know, Lia," he said, his voice turning somber. "You're not making sense. Evans makes more sense to me than you right now. I don't understand your logic, and I really gotta say I'm siding with Sirius on this one. Yes, he handled it entirely wrong, but the bloke's got a point. And I'm not just siding with him because we've been friends longer. I don't think he explained what he thought to you the right way, but if Sirius and you really are over...I dunno. I can't make any promises."

Lia stared at him and when she finally realized there was uncomfortable silence, her eyes shifted to the ceiling and then to the floor, anywhere but his face. Tears were starting to form, but she wouldn't let them fall.

"He's my best mate, Lia."

"Yeah," she said, her eyes then completed their aimless wandering and rested on the ground. "That he is."

James gave a half-smile and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her neck in his right hand. At first she was shocked by this gesture--of all the people to do something like that, James would have been the last--but then she wrapped her arms around him and rested her hands on his shoulders and her head on his shirt.

"You think they ever clean the john's in this--"

Aurelia and James broke apart as the voice trailed into the room. They both turned to see Sirius and Peter stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the two of them.

"Were you just--?" Sirius half-asked, looking from Lia to James and back. Three inches behind him, Peter was doing the same, though shifting his weight nervously as he did so.

She'd done nothing wrong, but again she felt the tears coming. Why were they pestering her now? She figured it was just all the emotion she was feeling lately. She wondered why, in all the world of magic, there was no charm or potion that could control hormones. It should've been a first priority.

It was a completely platonic gesture: a symbol of friendship. Friends hugged. It was innocent, and if Sirius didn't understand it, that was his problem.

"We were just talking," she began, about to make her way out of the room.

"Right," Sirius said, appearing unconcerned. She thought she may have been off the hook until he said, "Talking...in our dorm...alone."

"Oh, c'mon, Padfoot, don't start with that," James said, irritated.

"Start what?" he replied, as casual as before. "I'm just describing the situation, and how ironic it is."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lia asked.

Sirius replied with a glare.

"You know what? What if me and James did have a thing?"

"Which we don't," James quickly clarified.

"What do you care? You don't look like you're having too much trouble easing back into dating. Is there a rule where the girl has to wait a week?"

"I never said I cared," Sirius explained plainly, a definite drawl in his tone.

Aurelia was taken aback. He'd always been an overprotective boyfriend, and she wasn't used to him not caring. She shook it off and bit back, "Good."

"Is that all? We've gotta change for class," he said, his voice dripping with apathy.

She forced a smile, then moved towards the door. Before she passed Sirius and Peter, she turned around and said, "I can see why you want to stay his friend, James."

If she had let them, tears would have started to fall the moment she was out of their sight.

Sirius was like a disease, and he was killing her from the inside out. It was a good thing she had just been assured some isolation.

- - - - -

"And please remember what I have said ladies. These continuous pranks are to be stopped immediately as they are only discourage House unity further. Am I understood?" Dumbledore questioned, his head resting on steepled hands as his eyes looked over half-moon spectacles.

"Yes, Professor," four girls chorused, sitting in the plush chairs before the headmaster's desk.

"Good. You're free to go."

The girls stood up the leave, turning towards their respective Housemates with looks of relief and irritation.

"Oh, Miss Colton," Dumbledore started, watching the auburn-haired girl turn around. A twinkle rested in his eye. "The other Miss Colton, if you wouldn't mind."

"Yes, Headmaster?" Silvia asked, turning on her heel, close enough to reach the door if only she outstretched her hand.

"Would you kindly stay for a moment? There is something I wish to discuss with you."

"Of course, Professor."

The three other girls left with varied looks of confusion on their faces as they slipped through the solid wooden doors. Silvia went to sit in the solitary chair that rested before the detailed wooden desk. She arranged her skirt around her, waiting for the Headmaster to start.

He didn't do anything at first, simply watching as she settled her clothing. He took a deep breath before leaning backwards in his chair, fixing her with an even gaze. "Have you considered what career you'll take after you graduate, Miss Colton?"

"Professor Slughorn and I think I could do quite well in the Ministry," Silvia replied evenly, unsettled by the personable approach of her Headmaster. She had never liked being this close in contact with him.

"That's admirable," Dumbledore said, nodding politely. "Has your cousin decided on something yet?"

Raising an internal eyebrow, she decided to answer regardless. "I believe she wants to go into business, Professor."

"Ah, that's good. Now, Miss Colton, I want to ask you something, and I hope you'll respond accordingly." Silvia nodded slowly which seemed to satisfy Dumbledore. "Excellent. I'm sure you're aware of the type of friends your cousin keeps, but do you know the kind of influence you hold over her?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the kind of influence you're talking about, Professor," Silvia kept her face neutrally blank, revealing nothing. Her eyes though, sparked slightly with anger.

His fingers laced together, settled before him on his desk. "I believe you do. You're aware of how highly she regards your advice and just how much she will do to hold your affections. I've been attentive to the recent argument between the two of you, and how it has affected you both. A person should not have to be so highly dependent on one other soul in their life, Miss Colton."

"Are you telling me to stay away from my cousin, Professor?" Silvia asked confused, while inside she seethed at the audacity of the man before her. Nothing would keep her apart from her cousin, certainly not some willowy old man.

"No, I am simply informing you that your cousin is a unique individual and should be allowed to find her talents without outside influences. If you truly wish her to make something of her life, you might consider allowing her to figure these things out on her own," Dumbledore stated simply, his expression never changing.

"I think Aurelia is capable of thinking for herself."

"But would you like her to start thinking as you do?"

Silence reigned between them for several moments before a contemplative look crossed Silvia's face. "I'll consider what you've said, Professor."

"That's all I ask. You're free to go." He motioned with his hand, watching her walk gracefully from the room without a hint of emotion in her body language. Only when she had left the room did Dumbledore slump in his chair and run a hand over his eyes.

It was a bad day when he had to ward one student from another, especially family.

But Aurelia Colton was unique, and he knew that she would fall easily to her cousins' influence without some interference to come between them.

- - - - -

In the dark of the night, three figures stood waiting. Their long garments hide eccentric clothing in the otherwise oblivious neighborhood. Not that it mattered; the occupants of that neighborhood were none the wiser to their presence as they slept peacefully.

A fourth figure walked out of the light foliage that dusted the surroundings. The cluster of white-washed houses shone against the harsh light of the filling moon. The solitary figure stopped as they reached the group, lowering the hood of their cloak as they did.

Her navy hair shone in the moonlight.

"Silvia, I thought you weren't coming," a whimsical voice pronounced as she lowered her head to display hair that blended into the darkness that was around her. Bellatrix smiled at her old friend.

The other two figures removed their hoods as well, revealing the sturdy frame of her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, and another unknown dark-haired male. His eyes glowed a curious crimson from beneath dark lashes.

"I was held up by that simpering fool they claim is the Headmaster," Silvia replied as she swept a stray lock of navy hair from her shoulder. Her eyes swept over the new presence before settling back on that of her two friends.

"Is there any particular reason you wanted to meet here, Via," Rodolphus asked, surveying the typical Muggle neighborhood around them with obvious distaste.

Silvia grinned sharply. "Oh, yes. You said your friend valued actions more than words. I thought you might want to run along on a little errand of mine and report back whether it was well enough or not." She replied, walking swiftly towards one of the houses that lined the street.

Today, one Muggle would rue the day his fingers ever touched one of those guns and took one of her beloved family members. She'd make sure, because she intended to kill his family right in front of him, and then kill him.

Her grin widened in anticipation.

It would be a good night.