Destiny of Souls

Chapter 16: The Question Pole

The rumors about Kara were confirmed in a special article that ran in the Daily Prophet. With her permission, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had gone on the record to clear up suspicions. Snape had brought the article to her office early one morning before classes. Dumbledore informed her that letters were pouring in daily from parents everywhere regarding their children's safety. He decided that the easiest way to deal with the situation was to invite inquisitive parents to the school.

A week after she had been engaged, she stood alone in her quarters. Kara had put on her violet robes, the same ones she had worn when she faced Voldemort. She looked at herself in the mirror until she heard a gentle rapping on the door. It opened with a single thought from her mind; she knew it was Snape.

He stood there quietly while she inspected her robes and her hair. He walked up behind her. She could see them standing together in the mirror. He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. It was the first time his hands had touched bare skin below the neck. Kara shivered and he saw this as a sign to move his hand but she quickly reached up and put her hand on top of his. Ensuring him it was ok to touch her like this.

"I feel like I'm about to be on trial," she said as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"It will be fine. Remember they are all here because they fear you," Snape replied with a very wicked smile on his face.

He turned her around and gave her a small kiss. They then headed towards the Great Hall. She could hear the din of the parents inside as they all talked loudly. The students had been asked to join them. Kara and Snape entered through a side door and sat at the Staff table.

The room quieted to a whisper as she entered. She walked slowly with her head up high and a non-menacing smile on her face. She sat between Dumbledore and Snape.

Dumbledore stood and the mass of wizards and witches of all ages quieted. It was as if they were all in school again.

"I have invited you here because you have all expressed your concerns about the appointment of Kara Lynch as our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. You are here so that you can ask her any questions and she can respond directly to you. You can be assured that she has my full confidence in teaching your children. Kara is a trust worthy person, and by far the most talented Professor this school has seen in quiet some time," Dumbledore said in a very confident yet gentle tone. The hall broke out into whispers again.

He picked up a yellow rod made of brass. It was about two feet long and looked heavy.

"We will carry this question and answer session out by means of the question pole. This pole will be passed to an individual. When you get the pole, you may ask a question. I would remind you that you are speaking to one of the greatest witches of our time, and while you may have your doubts, please remember she is to be treated with respect as long as she is my guest in this school. Now who will go first?"

A sea of hands shot into the air. The pole levitated towards the nearest person. She was a dumpy woman with red hair. She was seated next to Harry and Ron.

"Molly Weasley. Professor Lynch, it has been rumored you did not go to Hogwarts, what school did you attend?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Kara stood. She could see Snape look up at her; he was afraid she might collapse and looked ready to jump out of his chair if necessary.

"Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Weasley. I enjoy having Ginny, Fred, George and Ron in my classes. It is true I did not attend Hogwarts. I was accepted under special circumstances to Durmstrang Institute where I studied Potions under Kris Polishnikov. I am sure someone else will ask about this, so I will answer it now as well. It is also true I received an unprecedented two-year apprenticeship under Professor Polishnikov studying complex poisons and their antidotes. After that I became the main Potion maker for all of France working for my aunt and uncle at Pritchard's in Paris." The hall erupted into whispers and the question pole levitated to the next person.

"How long have you known you were an Oracle? How did you find out and do you have all the powers of an Oracle?" a man asked. He was wearing a horrid green hat.

"I have known I was an Oracle since I was twelve. Professor Nabokov at the Durmstrang Institute discovered my gift. Under Nabokov I perfected my Inner Focus. My other gifts were uncovered at a later time and I have full use of my mind-reading abilities," she replied. The pole passed to another man. He was seated next to Crabbe and Goyle.

"How did the rumors about you being an Oracle start Professor Lynch? Is it true what they are saying about you being a supporter of Voldemort?" he asked in a very haughty tone.

She took a deep breath. Dumbledore, Snape and Kara had prepared to answer this question.

"I have met with Voldemort recently." As soon as she said this, the hall went up in a flurry of chatter. She paused and Dumbledore stood to quiet the hall again.

"No doubt hearing of my talents with the Dark Arts from students at this school..." she continued, looking directly at Crabbe and Goyle, "he attempted to recruit me. I refused him. He is aware of my powers and knows he can never hold me under his control."

The hall broke out into loud talk again. She didn't break her gaze at the Slytherin table where Crabbe, Goyle and their parents were sitting.

The pole passed to the next table where a woman stood and grabbed it. The hall went silent again.

"You faced him with all that power and didn't kill him!" she shouted. The hall erupted.

She was prepared for this question as well. When they quieted down, she answered.

"Voldemort is protected from me. I cannot read his thoughts or foretell his future. He has performed Contrification on himself. There are also other defenses that relate to why Voldemort wanted to kill James Potter. Those defenses are not for me to explain and are well known to those of you who have been involved in the fight against Voldemort," she replied.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron and Hermione staring at Harry. She looked at Hermione, who met her gaze. Kara could hear Hermione asking, "What defenses? Does Harry know about this?"

Apparently Harry had not told his friends what Dumbledore had revealed to him. Molly Weasley had put her arm around Harry in a motherly way.

The pole passed back to the Gryffindor table where a thin witch stood. "My son tells me you have been promoting the use of His real name instead of You-Know-Who in their classes. What is the meaning of that?"

"Voldemort has a name; you should use it. What Voldemort wants is chaos and confusion because those things breed fear. Fear is what allows him to control you and to take over influential persons within the Ministry. If you refer to him as You-Know-Who, then you show him that you are afraid of him. Even if you are afraid, you cannot let him know. It will mean he has already won. I would prefer my students to know that the main focus of their Defense training is to understand and control their fear. By using his name, they learn that valuable lesson. They are only required to use it while in my classroom," Kara said in a firm tone.

The pole passed yet again to another concerned Mother.

"What spells can you perform with your Inner Focus?" she asked.

"I can perform any and all spells, charms and hexes. And yes, that does include the Unforgivable curses. However, aside from killing a few poisonous spiders in my laboratory, I have never used them."

"Do you have a Ring of Epa, and if so, where is it?" The next wizard asked as he held the pole.

"I do have a Ring of Epa, and it is in the possession of a wizard who is actively fighting against Voldemort," she replied

"What is his name?" The wizard quickly replied clutching the pole.

"That is between the wizard and myself sir. Remember that the Ring of Epa is a very powerful object, and if it were to fall into the wrong hands it could be used against me," she said.

"Or be used to protect us from you!" he retorted.

"I agree, which is why it is in the hands it is in," Kara said attempting to remain calm.

The pole moved quickly to another witch.

"Why was Draco Malfoy expelled from this school? Is it because he learned you were an Oracle?" she asked.

She felt Dumbledore stand up beside her. He was going to answer this, so she sat down.

"Draco Malfoy was caught in the fifth year dormitory of the Gryffindor House by Professor Lynch and Professor Snape. He was armed and was making an attempt upon Harry Potter's life," he said. The moment he said this, the hall went into an uproar.

The questions continued for several hours and at midnight Dumbledore had felt they had answered enough and dismissed the parents with a final statement that she was not leaving her post. Several parents approached her as the hall emptied and she spoke one on one with many of them.

She and Snape left through the side door to find Dumbledore standing in the hall with Sirius, Remus Lupin, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione.

"You did very well Professor," Dumbledore said proudly.

"I felt like I was on trial Headmaster," she said as she gave a small smile.

"Professor Lynch, Arthur and I know what you're doing for the Ministry and we have no qualms about you teaching here," Mrs. Weasley said to her. Kara looked into her eyes and could see the sincerity as well as hear her concerns. "I hope Harry is safe here. I hope she knows what he is going through."

"Mrs. Weasley you should be very proud of these students. They all stood up to protect Harry when Draco Malfoy threatened him. It was a testament to Gryffindor courage and I have never seen anything like it from those so young. Harry is lucky to be surrounded by such friends," she said, hoping Mrs. Weasley would understand what she meant without realizing she had been reading her mind.

"Draco is just lucky you got there so fast Professor. Otherwise there wouldn't be anything of him left to send to Durmstrang," Ron replied in a cruel tone.

"Ron!" Hermione and Mrs. Weasley yelled simultaneously.

"I would like to speak alone with your parents, Sirius, Lupin and of course Kara and Severus as well. I believe it's past curfew, so don't let Filch catch you sneaking back to Gryffindor Tower," Dumbledore said breaking up what was surely going to be a Ron-Hermione argument.

They all went up to Dumbledore's office. After they were seated and had some warm tea to wake them up Dumbledore proceeded.

"Kara, Molly and Arthur have a need to know something beyond what we have told the other parents. As they are crucial to some of my abilities to work within the Ministry unseen, they should know the exact events of your interaction with Voldemort," he said, looking at her.

She looked into his eyes and heard, "I know you are hearing this. Tell them about the neutrality pact, including Severus' Dark Mark. If he objects I will step in."

"Very well. I went to Voldemort with Severus under the guise that I would join him. When Voldemort went to Mark me I disarmed him and the other Death Eaters. I explained to him that I was going to remain neutral. I would not join him, but I also would not openly oppose him," she said. She paused. Looking at Dumbledore for one final agreement. He nodded at her.

"In exchange for my agreement to not interfere, he removed the Dark Mark from Severus."

Severus jumped. He had not been expecting her to say that. She could see Sirius and Lupin looking at each other and then Snape.

"And he agreed?" Lupin said.

"He did," Snape said in a forced calm voice, pulling up his left sleeve and showing the Mark had disappeared.

"Why would you want him to remove the Dark Mark from Snape? He has worn it all of these years, what difference would it make now?" Sirius asked.

Kara looked at Dumbledore. He was looking at the ceiling pretending to ignore them. She looked at Snape. He was obviously very angry with her and wasn't about to help her explain. She could either tell them it wasn't their business, or tell them the truth. Dumbledore obviously wanted her to tell them the truth. She continued to look at Snape. He refused to meet her eyes.

She sighed heavily. Dumbledore looked at her and knew she couldn't say it.

"The Dark Mark prohibits certain feelings including love for family and friends," Dumbledore replied. "Kara wished to have it removed as a friendly gesture towards Severus."

Kara thought this was a much more elegant way of putting it than what she would have said.

Sirius and Lupin had raised their eyebrows and looked at Snape inquisitively. They were no doubt putting the clues together. Kara looked at them hoping they would meet her gaze. Lupin finally did and she heard, "Why didn't I see that coming?"

Sirius looked at her. She heard. "She is too smart to be with him. What on earth does she see in the greaseball?" Suddenly Sirius broke into a sneezing attack.

She turned and looked at Severus, hoping he would be amused. He was not. His brow was furrowed and he was wearing an awful look of hurt.

"So then You-Know-Who agreed to this?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yes he did. He removed the Mark and we left freely," Kara said.

"How many Death Eaters were there?"

"Twenty or so, including Severus."

"Do you have names?"

She did not respond. She looked at Dumbledore, who was looking at Snape.

"I have a few," Snape snapped reluctantly. "Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and one other who I will not name at this time." Kara knew it was Polishnikov he would not name.

"I would love to bring Malfoy in," Mr. Weasley said. "He is very close to Fudge."

"The Minister of Magic?" Kara asked perplexed. Apparently Voldemort had already penetrated the Ministry.

"Yes. Fudge has been acting very oddly lately. I just hope Malfoy hasn't gotten to him yet."

"That is a safe move now that his son is not a student here," Lupin said.

Mrs. Weasley made a sudden sigh. "Thank goodness too. How awful to make your son kill another child. I'm just glad you were there so quickly Professors. Even if Harry's friends would have stopped Malfoy, it's good to know that no one was hurt."

"How did you get there so quickly anyway Professor Lynch?" Arthur Weasley asked.

She gave a quick glance to Dumbledore. Did he want her to mention this as well? His mind said yes.

"Mr. Weasley, I will tell you. However, remember that the consequences of me doing so are severe," she said. He nodded.

"Mr. Potter has my Ring of Epa. I gave it to him so that he would be more inclined to ask for company when the need arose to walk the halls at night. He put on the Ring just as Malfoy had entered the boy's dorms. I heard the summons and went directly to him," she said.

Kara could no longer bear the stares that Snape was giving her. She rose and began to pace the room behind his chair.

"Is that wise? Suppose someone discovered he had it?" Lupin asked.

"Which is precisely why you are all to pretend you don't know he has it. He does not know how to use it, aside from summoning me. However, it serves as a gesture to his Godfather that I am not out to kill him," she said defensively as she stared at Sirius. He looked away quickly as if feeling guilty about accusing her of wanting Harry dead.

There was silence in the room for a few minutes. She paced and felt someone staring at her. She looked up; it was a Lupin. He had a look of comprehension on his face. His jaw was dropped and he was shifting his glance between Snape and Kara. Kara heard. "I should have known. He could perform the Prelation. They must be really close."

It seemed everyone knew about Prelation except her and Snape.

When Snape realized what was going on he stood up and paced in the opposite side of the room, occasionally meeting her glance with an angry stare. She read, "He knows about the Prelation doesn't he?" She nodded slightly.

Mr. Weasley had obviously been pondering along the same lines.

"Professor Lynch, if I remember correctly Oracle's can only gain their secondary powers through the Breath of Life. And that person has to have Inner Focus as well. Is there a wizard possibly working for Voldemort that has this gift? Surely you would have met him at Durmstrang?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I assure you Arthur that the person that performed Prelation with Professor Lynch is in no way of endangering our mission against Voldemort," Dumbledore intervened.

Somehow this tipped Sirius off.

"Snape," Sirius said out loud.

"What?" Mr. Weasley said.

"It was Snape," he whispered as he looked directly at Snape. He had a look of horror on his face, one that Snape was sharing. "I remember from school." Lupin was kicking him to make him shut-up. "When James tried to pull you out of the Shrieking Shack, from Lupin..." he trailed off.

"James thought you had disarmed him without your wand. He figured he just hadn't seen you... but it wasn't that though, it was Inner Focus," he continued on in a dumbstruck tone.

"And in our seventh year at the last Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor -- some how James fell off his broom..."

Snape looked like he could kill. Kara was afraid he just might do it. She knew he hated Black, and now he had figured out Snape's greatest secret. Kara looked intently at Snape hoping to catch his attention. He simply stared Sirius down.

Sirius suddenly realized Lupin was kicking him.

"You knew?" Sirius shouted as he looked at Lupin. Lupin looked horrified. "You let my Godson, Lily and James' son, near him, and you knew? How could you!" he shouted.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked very uncomfortable, but Dumbledore gave them a look that said stay and let them work this out.

Lupin stood up. The tension in the room was unbearable.

"That's why you asked me to leave when she brought it up didn't you? You pushed me out of the room so that you could tell them you knew! How could not tell me this? Remus - Think about Harry! How long have you known?" Sirius shouted as Lupin paced the room.

"I knew the instant I saw Professor Lynch the night after the incident at the Ministry. I've known about Snape since the first moment I saw him at Hogwarts when we were eleven. I can see an aura around them because I'm a werewolf," he said. Kara could tell he was expecting a backlash.

"WHAT? YOU'VE KNOWN FOR 25 YEARS HE HAD INNER FOCUS? ALL THROUGH SCHOOL? DO YOU REALIZE HAD WE KNOWN THAT HOW DIFFERENT THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN?" Sirius was nearly out of control.

"Would it have really made a difference? Would you have treated him all that differently? If I had told you, James, Peter and Lily about Snape it wouldn't have changed a single thing. You'd hate him just as much, if not more for it," Lupin snapped.

"WOULD IT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE? Do you honestly think that James and I would have done some of those things if we thought that in a moment's notice he could kill us?" Sirius went on, apparently unaware that there were other people in the room.

Kara looked at Snape who now had a very curious expression on his face. It was almost a look of satisfaction at the two friends quarreling over him.

"Why should that have mattered? You shouldn't have done some of those things in the first place. Especially the time where I nearly killed him! How do you think I felt with him thinking I was a part of your trick? Knowing he could kill me in an angry rage all because of what you did! I've had to live with that for twenty years!" he shouted back.

Sirius just looked at him and realized he had brought up one of the most horrific times in Lupin's life. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Sirius, if he wanted us dead he'd have done it already. He could have done it any of the seven years we were at school. He could have done it in the Shrieking Shack a few years ago in front of Harry. He could do it right now. The fact that he hasn't, after everything that has happened should give you some indication that you're wrong about him. You need to give up this schoolboy grudge and get on with life," Lupin said firmly.

Sirius shook his head again in disbelief.

"I mean it Sirius. James would not continue on like this and you know it. He tried to save James, Lily and Harry and he's not here to kill anyone now."

Sirius looked at Lupin, looked at Snape and nodded.

"You knew I would be angry?" Sirius said.

"I know you better than you think Sirius," Lupin replied.

"I know," Sirius said as he put his head in his hands. He was clearly shaken by this news.

Snape was still wearing his pleased look and was looking intently at Dumbledore as if to prove he had been on the right end of many arguments between them all those years.

Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes until Sirius broke it.

"Does Voldemort know?" Sirius asked as he looked at Snape.

"No. If he did I would be dead, especially if he found out now. He would realize that Kara and I are together. After her pronouncement of neutrality, he would realize I am not faithful," Snape replied calmly as he sat down in a chair across from Sirius.

"Together?" Sirius asked.

Snape shot him a cold look.

"Sorry. You're right. None of my business," Sirius said quickly as his eyes shot to the floor.

After a few minutes of silence and odd glances at each other Dumbledore spoke.

"I believe that is everything that needs to be said then. Please remember that everything we have said remains between just us. Arthur, Molly, Sirius, Remus thank you for staying late. I believe you know your way back to the village."

They rose and left.

"Ah. Kara, Severus stay please."

As soon as the door closed he cut into her.

"It was none of their business Kara. None of that was! Nothing about the Dark Mark or my Inner Focus. All of that was private!"

She wasn't about to apologize for what she had done. She looked at Dumbledore.

"Severus, I asked her to. If she hadn't, I would have. The very people you told are the people that are going to be able to help bring Voldemort to his end. Harry cannot do it alone, and you and Kara will be unable to assist him because of your proximity to Voldemort," Dumbledore said.

"Surely you do not believe that! All of this nonsense about Potter. I am sick of it!" Snape yelled.

"If you don't believe it why haven't you killed Voldemort yourself? You could do it and no one would know the wiser. You could have done it twenty years ago!" Kara shouted back at him. "You didn't because you know deep down Dumbledore isn't wrong on this."

"They didn't need to know about my Inner Focus," Snape spat. He knew she was right and he had no answer for his claim.

Dumbledore sighed.

"Yes. That was unintended. I was not aware anyone had witnessed you using your gifts," Dumbledore said as he shot him a stern look. No doubt Dumbledore had warned him long ago not to use them under any circumstances around the school.

At this, Snape backed down, realizing his own faults had put him in this situation.

"Now it is late. Good night," Dumbledore said as he rose. They left and walked in silence back to his quarters. He was stirring silently. She couldn't read his emotions, which means he was forcefully blocking them out.

When they reached the door she stopped before entering. When he realized she hadn't followed him in he turned around and gave her a half puzzled half annoyed look.

"I wasn't sure you would want me to stay," she said.

She felt herself lifting off the ground as he pulled her inside with his mind. The door closed behind them and locked. She habitually put a detection charm and a sound barrier up on the door.

Kara stood there waiting for him to say the first words. She knew what he was considering. Dumbledore had not intended to tell anyone Snape had Inner Focus. What effect would this have on his plans? After nearly a half hour of silent pacing he sat down in a chair before a fire that sprung up almost instantaneously.

"I went to London today," Snape finally said. She thought this was a strange way to begin this conversation. There was a strangely sad tone to his voice. He wasn't looking at her; he was looking at the floor.

She simply gave him a puzzled look.

"I retrieved something from my parent's vault at Gringotts."

He reached inside his robes and pulled out a blue silk sachet and handed it to her.

She opened it and inside was a beautiful platinum ring with sapphires and a large diamond.

"It was my mothers," he said in a sad tone.

Kara stopped breathing, mouth agape, and simply stared at him with a very confused look at on her face. She had been expecting him to unleash his fury on her and instead he had given her a ring. He looked up at her. The look on his face made her heart pound. It was a mix of joy and sadness.

He stood up and walked over to her and took the ring from her. He looked directly into her eyes and took her hand and slipped the ring on. She looked down at it and then back up at him.

"Severus - this was your mother's - I cant take this..."

"I was going to give it to you earlier, but you already looked troubled enough," he said as he ignored her protests.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. "Thank you."

They stood there looking at the ring on her finger for several minutes.

"I considered telling them we were more than together," he said. "I would have loved to have seen the look on Black's face."

"Why didn't you?" she asked.

"I don't know how Sirius and the Weasleys knowing about my Inner Focus will affect Dumbledore's plans. I didn't want to add more confusion on top of that. We should tell him regardless, but there is no need for the others to know."

She nodded in agreement as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug.

"Lupin seems like a good man," she said.

"He has turned out to be more honorable than I had originally anticipated. Black is no different however. You would think that fifteen years in Azkaban would change him," Snape replied. She could feel him smelling her hair.

"It's late. I'm going to go," she said after a few minutes of listening to his heart beating.

"You don't want to stay?"

"I need to go back to my quarters. I can't sleep in these robes," she said as she pulled slightly away and looked up at him.

He had a lost look in his eyes.

"I'll be back in a few minutes then," Kara said as she levitated off the floor to meet him eye to eye. Their noses brushed and they kissed deeply. She felt a great sense of urgency rise up in him as he gasped briefly for air.

She rushed back to her quarters and changed into her normal black work robes with her normal sleeping attire underneath. She combed the hallways briefly looking for students and then headed back to Snape's.

When she got there the door opened on it's own. He was already in a nightshirt and was lying on the bed. She joined him and they laid in silence for a few moments as they once again adjusted to being alone together in this way.

"You know, Severus, I cannot remember a single moment when I've ever considered getting married before the day you asked me. I cannot even imagine what our wedding would be like," she said casually.

"I've only been to one wedding, when the Lestranges got married. I would not at all consider that a normal wedding either," he said in a peculiar dark tone.

"Oh?"

Suddenly several candles became lit and a picture album was floating towards them. He sat up and caught the book. She followed suit. He opened to a page that had pictures of a hundred wizards all dressed in black. Even the bride was wearing a form fitting black satin dress with a very long train. They were in a room that was unmistakably a cave or a dungeon of some kind. She could see a younger Severus with a nasty sneer on his face standing beside the groom as the best man. Mrs. Lestrange was not an attractive woman.

"I am definitely not wearing black at my wedding. As dashing as I may look in it," she said playfully with an amused smile on her face. "But not white either. Maybe a turquoise velvet, with a high collar and low neckline, fur trimmings..." Her voice trailed off.

She began flipping the pages of the album, expecting him to stop her at any moment, but he let her continue. She found pictures of him at Hogwarts, in his school uniform. His hair as was long and greasy looking then as it was now. She found a picture of the Slytherin Quidditch team he had been on. She could see why he was teased so much as a child. He had been thin, pale and awkward. She could tell by his wiry frame he was probably a decent Seeker though.

There were later pictures of him with his friends in what must have been the Voldemort years. Five of them were all sitting in a room together wearing long sleeve shirts. She could see black cloaks hanging on a rack nearby. Even then he wore a sad and angered face. She looked at him. It was the same face he was wearing now as he recalled the memories.

"This was about two months before the Potters were killed. I had already started spying for Dumbledore. It was the worst time in my life," Snape said. He managed to say the words without conveying the pain he was so obviously feeling.

She closed the book and floated it back to the shelf. She had no intention of making him feel so awful.

"Not turquoise," he said changing the subject. "We're still having a Dark wedding. It would ruin my reputation if my bride showed up in turquoise."

"I can be menacing in turquoise," she said with a sly look on her face.

"Not as menacing as you are in violet."

"And I'm not getting married in a cave or a dungeon." Kara laid back down. A small smile came to her face.

"Certainly you weren't thinking of a Church," he said in a mocking tone.

"Actually - I was. See there is this.." Kara began, but he didn't let her finished.

"I refuse to marry you in a Muggle church," he snapped as he laid down beside her.

"There is this cathedral in Bourges France. Gothic style, very Dark, very majestic, a perfect place for two Dark wizards to get married," she said sarcastically.

"How about outside in a forest at Midnight," he suggested completely ignoring her sarcastic comment.

"In a forest at Midnight?" Her voice made her objectives apparent.

They chatted back and forth about places and times. For a few fleeting moments they forgot all about Voldemort and the fact he was preventing them from getting on with their lives.