Dreaming Of You

Dreaming of You

Part 10 - A Stake in Silver

Chapter 19

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you

It's hard to find relief

And people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door

And you feel like you can't take anymore.

"I still feel silly," Erin repeated.

"You look it." Lianne wrinkled her nose. "Olive is not your color."

Erin rolled her eyes. "That wasn't what I meant. I feel like a little kid playing dress-up." She picked at the sleeve of the set of robes Lianne had altered to fit her, with only a few minor mishaps. And the sleeves looked better short anyway. "Are you sure I can't just wear normal clothes?"

"These are perfectly normal," Li insisted. "Besides, I can't take you to an Auror meeting dressed like a Muggle. People will get suspicious, and with that bunch, suspicions can be hazardous to your health."

Erin stifled a sigh. They'd been over this already, several times. She didn't want to wear Lianne's robes - Li was about three inches shorter than Erin, and as she'd said, Erin was not an olive person - and Lianne wouldn't let her go meet a group of witches and wizards in jeans. Whatever this meeting was, it was clearly really important. Lianne was getting awfully worked up about it.

Honestly, Erin didn't particularly want to go to the meeting. But she didn't have a choice. Lianne was checking out of her hotel room in an hour, and going right to the meeting. Erin's choices were go with her, or try to talk the manager into giving her a room for free. Somehow she didn't see that happening. And as for going home...

No. She couldn't think about that. She refused to. Somewhere in the back of her mind lurked the awful knowledge that she no longer had a home to go to... but if she thought about it, she knew it would send her over the edge of the precipice she was teetering on, between stable sanity and the wild mind-shattering blur that haunted her.

Lianne had, of course, said that Erin had a home with her as long as she needed one. It wasn't the same, but it was somewhere for her to be, something for her to do. As long as she was traveling with Lianne, delivering messages to Aurors, she couldn't dwell on the sudden disappearance of everything she'd ever known.

"Erin? Are you listening?"

Erin looked up with a start. "Sorry, I wasn't."

"Ah. That would explain it." Li nodded. "So your silence was not an agreement?"

"Agreement to what?" Erin asked warily.

"Nothing, nothing." Lianne smiled innocently. "So are you ready?"

"I guess so." Erin shrugged.

"Good." Lianne began rummaging in her trunk - an actual wooden trunk, that couldn't be mistaken for a suitcase in any way, shape, or form - and pulled out another set of robes, in a darker shade of the same color Erin had. They were also somewhat wrinkled. Lianne looked from her wand to the iron the Muggle hotel provided them with, back to her wand. "Um..."

"Here, I'll do it." Erin took the robes from Li. No matter whether she used the iron or magic, Lianne was likely to start a fire either way. Erin might not be a witch, but she could iron without burning anything.

~*~

"Aren't you ready yet?" Sirius peered impatiently into Remus's room. "How many times do you need to brush your hair, anyway?"

"Once! This is the first time today I've had a chance," Remus protested.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Fine, Moony, whatever you say."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Remus turned to his friend, crossing his arms suspiciously.

"It means that I think you have your own special reasons for spending so much time trying to look nice." Sirius grinned. "Was I this bad when Li and I first got together?"

Remus turned red. "Erin and I are not together."

"Not yet," Sirius amended.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Not ever. I don't know if you noticed, Padfoot, but that girl is just a girl. She's only eighteen!"

Sirius shrugged. "Eighteen's legal."

"So that means that you have no problems at all with a twenty-year age gap?" Remus demanded incredulously.

"It's not twenty years. If she's eighteen, it'd only be..." Sirius thought a moment, "seventeen years."

Remus shook his head. "Padfoot, you are missing the key point in this conversation."

"I'm not missing anything, Remus," Sirius said calmly. "I think you're the one who's missing things."

"Oh, really?" Remus sighed patiently. "All right, then. Enlighten me."

"With pleasure." Sirius grinned, perching on the foot of Remus's bed. "You like Erin, and she likes you. But you don't believe anyone could possibly like you romantically because you are, always have been, and always will be incredibly insecure."

"I am not - "

"Yes, you are. Hush, I'm not done."

"Fine." Remus sat beside his friend in resignation. "Continue."

"Right." Sirius nodded. "So you think that she'll find someone worthier than you, so you shouldn't even bother trying to make her love you, because you haven't got a prayer. You figure that if you do let yourself fall for her, she'll leave you as soon as she learns you're a werewolf."

Remus waited a moment, but Sirius appeared to be finished. "Now that you've completely analyzed my psyche...?" His friend nodded. "All right. Let me explain something to you, Padfoot. Whether or not I am insecure is not the issue here. The issue is the fact that Erin is eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds do not fall in love with thirty-five-year-olds. They just don't. And there are words for thirty-five-year-olds who go after eighteen-year-olds.

"This has nothing to do with me being afraid of rejection. Really, it doesn't." Remus leveled a gaze on his friend. "Can you honestly tell me that, if it were you and Li in this position, with you seventeen years older than her, you would have had a relationship with her without a second thought?"

Sirius gazed right back, honest and unashamed. "No."

"You see - "

"No, Remus, hear me out." Sirius cut him off. "No, I'd have given it a second thought. Of course I would have. You can't have any kind of relationship at all without thinking about it at some point. But I'd've done it anyway, or regretted it all my life." Sirius smiled sadly. "That's one thing I've learned, over the years. You take chances when you get them. You have to. Otherwise you might never get that chance again. If Li and I hadn't gotten married when we did, when we were twenty, neither of us would have had that memory to hold on to, of those few happy years. If we'd hesitated..." He shook his head. "Well, either you understand, or you don't. The point is, you could love this girl, if you don't already. And I don't want you to wake up one morning and realize it, and then remember that you're just a little too late."

~*~

"Sirius!"

Erin hid a grin as Lianne flung herself at her husband. It was sweet, but Li's hugs tended to knock all the air out of people, then not give them the chance to catch their breath again till they were blue and gasping. Sirius was the only one Erin'd seen yet who didn't mind at all.

She hadn't known what to think when she'd met Sirius Black. Not because he was a story character - though that was a bit disconcerting, when she thought of it - but because he was Lianne's husband. Thinking of Lianne being married was strange. It was easy to forget that Li was older now, since she was still as silly as ever most of the time, but seeing her with Sirius was a sharp reminder of the lost years between them.

"So... are you two ready?" Remus asked, when Lianne released Sirius.

"Yup." Lianne pulled something from her pocket. "And I got this by Owl Order. I felt guilty about using up your supply of Floo Powder all the time."

"Oh, you didn't need to - "

"Yes, I did," Lianne overrode him. "The three of us can't go on taking advantage of your generosity indefinitely."

Lianne handed a vial of glittery powder to Remus, who gave up on his attempts at protesting and placed it on a shelf beside his fireplace. Erin rather suspected Li had ulterior motives for buying Remus magic supplies - she'd overheard Sirius and Lianne discussing how Remus wasn't doing so well financially. Apparently, they were paying Remus for letting Sirius stay there, insisting it was only enough to cover the extra food, and Remus wasn't aware of just how much money they'd transferred into his Gringotts account.

And that wasn't the only reason Erin had seen to worry about Remus. Monday night had been a full moon, and today, three days later, he still hadn't recovered fully. The nearest wizarding hospital sold him his dosage of the Wolfsbane Potion - as insurance, to Sirius's rather vocal disgust, wouldn't cover the charges - but Wolfsbane, as Lianne, eyes grim with worry, had explained, wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Erin had been horrified to discover that the Wolfsbane Potion was exactly what it sounded like - the bane of wolves. To be more precise, it was a poison. Oh, a low dose of poison, maybe, but that was still what it was. The potion weakened the werewolf in Remus enough that his humanity could reassert control. But if he overdosed on the potion, or it wasn't made properly, the wolf could become too weak, and die - taking Remus with it.

Many werewolves refused to take the potion at all. Their exhaustion remained, but without the addition of poison to their fatigue, it was not so pronounced. And with the risk of being killed by a poorly made potion, more than a third of the werewolves felt it wasn't worth it. Certainly the semi-wild wolf tribes thought as much.

"We'd better find the Portkey, then," Sirius said, looking over at Remus. "It's supposed to activate... when?"

Remus glanced at the clock. "Two minutes. And yes," he cut Lianne off, "I do have the map. And I am going to navigate, not you, or Sirius. We are going to get from the empty lot to Dumbledore's house without any mishaps."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Lianne saluted sharply. Remus rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

"Do they know how many of us are coming?" Sirius wondered. "Some of those Aurors still think I'm a traitor, and none of them know Erin. Will they even let us in?"

"Um." Lianne glanced at Remus, but he was busy keeping an eye on the clock, counting down the remaining seventy-three seconds under his breath. "Well, I'm sure they won't keep you out. Dumbledore will explain everything to them."

"Even about me?" Erin asked. She'd figured she probably wouldn't be allowed to sit in at the actual meeting, but it hadn't occurred to her that she wouldn't be let in.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, they won't do much more than send you away for a few hours," Sirius said after a pause. "I'm not entirely sure what they'll do with me, though."

"You're worrying too much," Remus said, not looking away from the clock. "Dumbledore wants you there, he won't let you be thrown out. Get ready, we've only got about forty-five more seconds." He looked at Erin as he took a sheet of paper with the word "Portkey" written on it off the table. "You do know how to do this? You have to be touching the paper - "

"Yes, I know." Erin reached out to hold onto one corner of the paper, and Lianne and Sirius did the same. "I've... heard of these things before."

"Ah." Remus nodded, apparently figuring that Lianne had explained. "Twenty-eight seconds, then."

Erin bit her lip, listening to Remus count while Lianne occasionally called out a random number to throw him off. I've "heard of" Portkeys. Right, that's true enough. I've heard of dinosaurs, but that doesn't mean I belong in a world where they exist. And it sure doesn't mean I should be riding one.

~*~

"I told you to turn left there."

"Will you be quiet?" Remus narrowed his eyes at Lianne. "We would never have gotten lost in the first place if you hadn't tried to help."

"Calm down, you two," Erin broke in, alarmed. "We're here now."

"Yes, so it appears. Hello, Lianne, Remus, Sirius. Who might this young lady be?"

Erin turned to look at the speaker with a start. A tall old man whose long beard and hair were both snow white stood at the gate to the front yard of the house. She'd never even heard him approach - assuming he hadn't simply appeared there, which he certainly could have.

"Hi, Dumbledore." Lianne smiled brightly. "This is my friend, Erin Connor. Erin, this is Albus Dumbledore."

"I'd guessed." Erin shook Dumbledore's hand politely. "Hello."

"Hello, Miss Connor." Dumbledore studied her questioningly over the tops of his spectacles. "Honored as I am to make your acquaintance, I hope Lianne did not bring you merely so I might have the pleasure."

"No, sir." Erin looked away from the older wizard, feeling unaccountably shy. "I've been... rather forced to stay with her."

Dumbledore's eyebrows lifted, but he didn't ask anything more. "Why don't you all come in, then? We've gathered in the back yard."

Rather than going through the house, Dumbledore led them around by a rambling stone path Erin hadn't noticed before. As they walked, she began to feel slightly nauseous, a headache beginning to pound at her temples. Not wanting to bother anyone, she tried to act normally as the feelings worsened - but when she stumbled sideways into Remus and half-fell to her knees, that got everyone's attention.

"Erin? What's wrong?" Remus dropped down beside her, eyes wide in alarm.

"I - I don't know." Erin swallowed hard. "I just... started feeling sick..."

Something small and wooden lightly touched her temple. Erin looked up with a start to see Dumbledore removing his wand, just as she realized the sickness was gone. Dumbledore, meanwhile, had a very odd expression on his face.

"My apologies, Miss Connor," he said, frowning. "I wasn't aware you were a Muggle." He looked at Lianne. "You certainly have some explaining to do, Lianne."

"I'll agree with that." A crotchety-looking old woman, the one who had spoken, was standing with a rather roly-poly, pink-faced man and a plump lady whose silver hair looked out of place on her relatively young face. "Just who have you brought here, Mrs. Black?"

"Everything will be explained at the meeting, Arabella," Dumbledore said soothingly, cutting Lianne off. "You know the policy as well as I. We don't discuss issues in groups directly beforehand."

"Well, then hurry up." Arabella looked down her nose at the four people with Dumbledore, then turned on her heel to head back into the yard, using a polished dark brown walking stick to help with her slight limp.

"You'll have to forgive Arabella," the younger woman said, with a smile that warmed her tired eyes. "She doesn't realize what a grouch she sounds like. Nice to see you again, Li."

"Hi, Ellie." Lianne grinned. "Things going well at the hospital?"

The brightness left Ellie's eyes. "No," she said shortly. "I think I'll go on back, now. See how Arabella and the rest are doing." She disappeared around the side of the house, followed by the round man.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lianne wondered, surprised.

"You'll understand later," Dumbledore assured her. "Erin, I'm sure you realize I can't allow you to hear what goes on until the Aurors decide you are trustworthy. Would you mind waiting inside? I have a warded room you can stay in."

"Oh - that'd be fine," Erin said, shrugging. Not that it mattered or anything, but from the look on Sirius's face, she got the distinct feeling that the wards on these rooms were meant more to keep her safely in, than to keep others out.

~*~

"She's perfectly trustworthy, you know," Lianne said indignantly, the moment Dumbledore closed Erin in the warded room he used for some of his more dangerous spell-castings. "You don't need to lock her up like some sort of prisoner!"

"I don't know, Li." It was Sirius, to Lianne's surprise, who spoke up. "I mean, I trust her, but we're Aurors here. It's our job to be paranoid. I'm still amazed they let me in with so little fuss."

Dumbledore smiled. "Those three have been reeducated, concerning you. Some others may put up more of a struggle, but the larger part of our council knows the truth of your story." He looked around at them. "Shall we proceed out?"

It was a pleasantly warm day, so chairs had been set up in a circle in Dumbledore's rather large backyard, amid blooming flowers, some of which were apparently unaware that they were out of season. Swirling mists in place of a fence provided a lovely silver backdrop, as well as being chock-full of protective charms, as they surely were. The group gathered there, however, seemed mostly unaware of the beauty of its surroundings.

Much to her surprise, Lianne found that she didn't recognize several of the people there. Teach me to think I know all about the Aurors, just because I'm married to one, she thought ruefully. She knew Ellie and Arabella, of course, and Mad-Eye Moody. Mundungus Fletcher she knew by sight, the man who'd come out with Ellie and Arabella, though they'd never been introduced. A balding red-haired man sat in the back talking quietly to a blue-eyed illusionist, Serena something-or-other. A tiny Indian man, the only one at all interested in the garden, was examining one of the rose bushes while a pretty brunette tried to get his attention. Julian Hébert, whom Lianne knew as the unofficial head of the French Aurors, stood speaking with -

"Snape?" Sirius's disgust was evident. "Does he have to be here?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied calmly. "He does. He is as important to this council as you are, Sirius. May I remind you that you agreed to a truce?"

Sirius scowled, but said nothing further. Lianne was just as glad. She didn't like Snape much, but she sure didn't feel up to dealing with her husband's temper just then.

"All right, is everyone here?" Dumbledore scanned the garden.

"We're waiting on Miache yet," Ellie told him.

Hébert rolled his eyes. "I expect the woman wants to make an entrance. Typical of her."

"I say we start without her," Arabella snapped. "Show the brat she's not the center of the universe."

"But Madame Figg, I am ze center of ze universe, am I not?" A tall young woman with long, strikingly red hair seemed to coalesce out of the hovering mists. "Please forgive me, Provessor Dumbledore, I did vish to get 'ere sooner."

"I'm sure, Miache." Dumbledore covered a smile with a hand that was almost big enough to do so. "But in the future, attempt to be more considerate."

"Of course, of course." Miache fluttered a graceful hand. "Now zat we all are 'ere, perhaps ve should begin?"

"About time, too," Arabella muttered as people drifted to find seats. Lianne found herself between Sirius and Hébert.

"It has been many years since our Circle last met," Dumbledore said, once they were all settled. "Some people have newly joined us, while others return. Some will never come again. Yet the Circle itself continues, as does our goal - the destruction of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

"All of you have been informed, whether by myself or one of my messengers, that Voldemort, as we feared, has indeed risen again. Some of you have observed things since that time that confirm it, while others of you will see far too much far too soon. We will each speak presently - but first, allow me to make known one of our former members, whom I see many of you no longer recognize. Sirius, would you stand up, please?"

Murmurs rippled around the circle as Sirius stood silently. Lianne smiled at him sympathetically, knowing how uncomfortable he had to be feeling. This wasn't the sort of attention he loved.

"All right, that's enough." Dumbledore cut the speculations short. "Yes, for those of you who haven't guessed already - Sirius is innocent, and always was. Peter Pettigrew is alive, and instrumental in bringing Voldemort back to his full powers."

"Then why does the news still call him a criminal?" the brunette demanded.

"Because the media has yet to acknowledge Voldemort's rise," Dumbledore reminded her. "Or would you like to be the one who writes that story, Trina?" She blushed, and he continued. "Sirius, along with his wife, Lianne - " Li waved, " - will be in a sense our errand runners. Sirius cannot stay long in one place, which makes him ideal for jobs that require frequent motion in any case. While Lianne cannot move as quickly as Sirius, she doesn't have to worry about visibility."

"Guess I owe you an apology, then, missie," Moody spoke up, the left side of his face twitching slightly at every noise in the garden. "You were right about your husband, after all. Shouldn't've stopped you."

Lianne shrugged uncomfortably. "There wasn't much I would've been able to do, anyway." She tugged Sirius back into his seat and leaned against him, as much for her comfort as for his.

"Now that you know none of us are going to try to arrest the others," Arabella said, "could we finish up the grandstanding and get on with the meeting?"

"All in due time." Dumbledore's eyes glimmered with amusement. "First, allow me to remind you all that our goal here is to prevent Voldemort from gathering power. We will do that only but holding firmly together. Whatever goes on here, please leave your personal feelings out of it. Vayan, I yield the floor to you." He sat.

The Indian man stood up, clearing his throat uneasily. Public speaking didn't come as naturally to him as it did to the Hogwarts Headmaster. "Well," he said at last. "You know me, some of you - I'm Vayan Patel, if you don't - I wasn't here when the Circle last met, so you might not. I'm a Diviner. Seer's Guild, you know? Do stuff for the Ministry. Or your lot, sometimes - the Aurors. I worked with the Aurors, mostly. Kept seeing things the Ministry folk didn't like. Saw all this - Dark Lord and so on. Thought I'd better come here and tell you."

"Tell us what?" Fletcher asked, when the pause grew too long.

"Dreams," Vayan said, after a moment's hesitation. "Tea leaves, too. Lot of danger - not much else really clear through that - a war, too, but not against You-Know-Who. Shorter. Over blood. Important, though. Thought you should know." He sat down quickly. "That's all."

"What were your dreams, exactly?" Remus asked, frowning.

"Bad," Vayan told him. "Bloody. Scared me." He refused to say anything more after that, in spite of - or perhaps because of - the pleas and threats that various members of the Circle offered.

"Well, I don't know much about Patel's war of blood, or whatever it is he thinks he sees," Arabella said, using her walking stick to haul herself to her feet, "but I do know about one thing. Young Potter. I'm the one set to watch him, and make sure his defenses don't get too weakened."

"They haven't broken?" Lianne burst out, horrified.

"No." Arabella glared at her. "Hush. Boy's completely safe from magic, as far as I can see. Someone else might want to come by and check that I haven't missed any holes in the wards, if anyone's in the area. But that's not the point." She leveled her formidable gaze on Dumbledore. "Are you aware that those relatives of his hit him?"

This pronouncement caused even more of a stir than Sirius, possibly because Lianne and Sirius themselves were the two most vocal. It took a full minute before Dumbledore was able to restore order.

"That's what I thought would happen," Arabella said in satisfaction. "Well, Albus? I think some explanations are in order."

Dumbledore stood, frowning in thought. At last, he said, "Despite what you may think, Arabella, I did not know Harry's family hits him. He has never indicated anything of the sort to his friends. Has Ron mentioned it, Arthur?"

The red-haired man shook his head. "I know those... people... don't like Harry much, but I didn't think they'd actually stooped to physical violence."

"It's a recent development," Arabella admitted. "I'm not sure what brought it on, but I think he finally stood up to them properly. I've been waiting years for the boy to do it, but if I'd known what it would lead to I'd've seen that he didn't."

"Well... that does put things in a new light." Dumbledore sighed. "I don't think we dare take him away from his family. Kinship is a power too old and deep to be broken, and better Harry be in some temporary unhappiness than dead."

"Suppose he runs away from them?" Sirius demanded angrily. "Or what if they kill him themselves? What then? Is he still better off there?"

"They already tried to starve him out once," Lianne added, furious. "And that was before they ever dared lay a hand on him! He isn't safe there, Dumbledore!"

"Lianne, Sirius, please," the Headmaster began.

"Is this what you think Lily and James would have wanted for their son?" Remus asked softly.

Dumbledore stopped, and took a long, deep breath. "No," he said finally. "But there is nothing we can do about it now, except try to make the world safer. I have no doubt Harry would be happier with you three, or Arthur and his family, or even alone at Hogwarts. But his happiness is not the issue, much as I wish it were. Harry is a target, and he must be kept safe. The best place for him is with his relatives. Unless they themselves force him out of the house, or he leaves voluntarily, he is under a protection with them that very little can break."

"What if they do throw him out?" Sirius wanted to know. "Or - more likely - he runs away? He's done that before, twice."

"We'll deal with that if it happens," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Sirius, we need you to keep in contact with him. Don't let him know you're aware of what's going on, but make sure he realizes you are available to listen. And encourage him to stay where he is. His safety is my first concern, I assure you. I like this 'lesser' evil no more than anyone else."

"What do you expect me to do, then?" Arabella grumbled. "Sit around cooling my heels while the boy gets slapped around by that fat bullying slob he calls uncle?"

"Keep the Circle informed of the family's doings," Dumbledore said. "If the situation gets too bad, I will remove Harry at once. I promise you that. Until then, though, visit them often. Bake them cakes, perhaps, or offer to watch the boys while the aunt and uncle go for a night out. Make yourself a busybody."

"Not zhat zhat vill be divvicult for her," Miache murmured. Arabella shot the young woman a suspicious glance, but said nothing, apparently not having heard clearly.

"Miache? Would you like to speak?" Dumbledore gave her a very pointed look.

She, however, took the comment at face value. "Yes, actually, I believe I vould." She started to stand, then stopped. "But perhaps Julian 'ad better begin?"

Hébert stood, shrugging an apology to the rest of the Circle. "You did ask her, Albus. You've no one to blame but yourself." He looked at the people seated around him, carefully meeting each person's eyes. "Well, for those of you who don't know much about the current situation in France, I suppose I'd better give you some background. Who's heard of the Ganrou Clan? Or how about the Cruentes Tribe?"

Most people looked blank, but Trina, the brunette who'd asked about the media, spoke up. "They're rivals, aren't they? Vampires and werewolves, I'm not sure which group is which, but don't they have some long feud going? Down at the Prophet office - well, I don't cover the foreign news, but I heard the editors discussing running another story on it. They said things were coming to a head?"

"Yes, that's right," Hébert agreed. "The son of the alpha male of the Ganrou Clan - that's the head werewolf, for those of you unacquainted with their culture - has stated his intention to marry the vampire queen's niece, who is the current heiress to the Cruentes Tribe. The feud itself does date much further back, of course - I believe it stemmed from the Revolution, when Robbespierre took it into his head to begin staking the vampires, and the werewolves agreed to help, violating the Treaty of Caedens.

"Normally, we would allow such things to be sorted out by the two groups themselves. But the circumstances are hardly normal. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has made an offer to the Cruentes, and may later make one to the Ganrou - his support in their battle, in return for their support in his. Miache will explain the details, and fill in what I've left out. If you would, lady?"

Miache smiled, and rose. "I vould be glad to. So. Before I speak, allow me to establish my... per'aps 'credentials' vould be ze best term. For zhose of you who 'ave not already guessed - I am a vampire. Miache Sanguinis, of ze Order of ze Phoenix."

~*~

Unlike the people around him - Lianne, for example, or Sirius - Remus did not react strongly to Miache's startling declaration. He'd known she was something, when he first saw her. Dark creatures could usually sense each other. And he'd known she wasn't a werewolf. A banshee had been his guess, but a vampire fit better.

Quite a powerful vampire, too, if she was to be believed. The Order of the Phoenix was the highest vampire caste, out of thirteen. Phoenixes were rare, yes... but she'd been sitting in direct sunlight all this time, wearing only that light dress that didn't seem to cover nearly enough of her for decency, without so much as a twitch. Of course, the least powerful caste - the Mouse - could stay in direct sunlight as well, but that was for the opposite reason. The Order of the Mouse had very few abilities beyond the vampire norm - though that was as much as any powerful witch or wizard. Phoenixes, on the other hand... well, Remus wouldn't want to get on Miache's bad side.

When the Circle was quiet enough to allow Miache to speak again - and Remus noted with interest she'd made no effort to curb the sensation she'd made - she began. "Yes, I know I 'ave just lost ze trust of several of you, but it is necessary for you to understand. I 'ave been an informant for Julian for - 'ow many years now?"

Hébert smiled. "Too many for a poor mortal to care to think about."

Miache laughed. "Yes, I suppose it vould be. Vell, I live in ze court of ze Cruentes, and I see most of vhat goes on zhere. And I 'ave been zhinking - Queen Desdemona must vin zhis battle with ze volf clan if she is to keep 'er prestige. Appearance is important to ze vampire people. If ze queen loses face, she may lose 'er throne as vell."

"And you think she's considering this offer from Voldemort?" Moody asked, when Miache paused.

"I know she is," Miache corrected him. "She 'as never been more zhan ze Order of ze Cobra, and zhat was in her prime. She is barely a Scorpion any longer, and zhat is because no one dares to demote the queen."

On hearing that, Remus winced in sympathy for Desdemona. Scorpion was the tenth level of power, and while it was more than most vampires, the queen would have little control over her higher-ranking subjects. If the battle against the werewolves went poorly for her, she'd likely lose more than her throne.

"So what should we be doing?" Fletcher asked. "If the Cruentes have gone over to You-Know-Who, then - "

"Ah, but I did not say ze Cruentes 'ave gone over," Miache corrected him. "It is ze queen 'oo considers a secret alliance vith zhis Dark Lord of yours. Ze Cruentes zhemselves 'ave yet to make up zheir minds.

"Ze tribe is in a divvicult position, you see. Zhey cannot allow zheir heiress to marry zhis... volf... but zhey do not 'ave ze military strength for an all-out var. Ze volves vould defeat zhem, and ze ozzer vampire tribes vould finish 'ooever vas left off, or absorb zhem into zheir own tribes. No tribe so disgraced by a defeat by non-vampires vould be permitted to continue existing."

"Then why not just let the girl marry the boy and be done with it?" Arabella demanded impatiently.

"And lose face with the other tribes?" Hébert answered for Miache. "That would lead to the tribe's eventual destruction as well. Besides, who would rule the Cruentes, or the Ganrou? Somehow, I don't see a joint government working too well."

"Exactly." Miache nodded. "Now, some of my people zhink to outsmart zhis Voldemort. Ozzers wish to zhrow zheir lot in wiz 'im, while yet anozzer group vould avoid 'im at all costs."

"Which group are you?" Snape asked suspiciously.

Miache smiled, her fangs glinting in the sunlight as she spoke. "Ze fourth group - ze vuns 'oo vould attack. I believe zhat your Voldemort vill not stop vith Britain. 'E vill finish vith you, and come for us. Any promises 'e makes to my people vill not stop 'im. Vhich is vhy I 'ave come 'ere - to make a proposal to you."

"Actually, that's why we have come," Hébert added. "The Ganrou-Cruentes conflict has been a major instability factor in France for a long time, and anything that happens to them affects us. Not to mention the fact that giving You-Know-Who a foothold in France would be a very bad idea."

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "And what is it you suggest we do?"

"Send a delegation of your own," Miache replied. "Oh, not openly - your Ministry vould 'ardly stand for zhat. But under some pretense, send vun of your - Aurors, are zhey called? - to try to vin ze queen over to your camp. Ze Cruentes are powerful yet, despite zhese... divviculties."

"And also, if you have enough Aurors you'd trust on such a mission," Hébert said, "it might be a good idea to send another delegation to the Ganrou, to get ahead of the Dark Lord. If you could secure their allegiance, you might even be able to ease the tensions of the battle."

"All right, then," Dumbledore said. "We'll discuss it, then put the issue to a vote. The floor is open. Yes, Ellie, go ahead."

Ellie stood up. "Well, most of you know the situation at the hospitals," she said quietly. "Ever since the incident at the Quidditch World Cup, last summer, there's been a dramatic increase in people wounded by the Dark Arts. But, more than anything else, there have been vampire bites. Not the sort to Change a person, but the drinking sort."

Remus paled, feeling sick. Over the last century, the vampire tribes had been signing treaties with the human governments of the countries they lived in, not to kill humans, in return for various other rights, differing from tribe to tribe. Though many of those treaties had been broken during Voldemort's reign, they had all been renewed. He'd thought - he'd hoped - the fears could be eased at last. But if the treaties were being violated, again, there was very little room for misinterpretation.

"So I think I've got to speak against this," the tired-looking Healer said. "It's too dangerous. Meaning no offense, Miache, but it looks like at least some of the vampires have already gone back over to You-Know-Who. There are few enough of us here as it is. I don't think we can afford to lose even one person to a rogue vampire, for the sake of negotiations that may lead to nothing."

As people nodded thoughtfully, Dumbledore indicated that Moody could speak. "Well," the old Auror began, "you say that going to see these vampires would be unsafe. But since when have vampires ever been safe? Better to have them for us than against us."

"We could send the wrong message if we don't respond," Arthur added. "They could very well be waiting to see what we're going to do. If we do nothing, they might assume we don't care, and join the Dark ranks."

"Suppose they've agreed to this alliance already," Snape pointed out. "It could be a trap to weaken our forces. Vampires are not known for their candor."

Miache glared at him in indignation. "Just vhat are you suggesting?"

"Albus, please keep your Aurors under control!" Hébert snapped, when Snape merely glowered at the vampire.

"I'm not an Auror," Snape snarled. "And I am merely stating what seems to have slipped everyone else's minds."

"I come 'ere bringing you aid, and zhis is 'ow you - "

"Auror or not, you, sir, are - "

"Severus, that really is - "

"Silence."

That one word, spoken by the quiet Indian diviner, got the Circle's attention infinitely more effectively than everyone's shouting had. Vayan was on his feet, arms loose at his sides, a look of mild reproach on his face, as a tired mother looks at bickering children from across a room.

"You argue," he said softly. "You yell. But nothing is happening. Time is wasted. Now is not the time for yelling. Or talking. Now I call for a vote."

"I'll second it," Remus called out, before anyone could object.

Dumbledore nodded gravely, and those who had stood in anger returned grumbling to their seats. "All right, then. All in favor of an attempt?" Most hands went up. "All opposed?" Only Ellie, Snape, and Fletcher. "Then it's settled. Two delegations, one to each group. Who is to be sent?"

"Why not send Black's wife?" Arabella suggested. "After all, you did make a point of saying how she's going to be our errand runner."

"Well... I guess I could," Lianne said slowly, when everyone turned to look at her. "I don't have much experience with vampires, though. And I haven't any idea what reason I could have to go to a vampire tribe. It's not something artists really do much."

"Oh, are you an artist?" Miache asked. "Zhen zhat is simple. All vampires are vain. Merely offer your services as a portrait artist. Several of ze middle levels of power cannot see zhemselves in zheir mirrors, or in photographs, and vould gladly pay to be painted. You do paint, I assume?"

"Watercolors, mostly," Lianne confirmed. "I can use acrylics or oils, but I'm not as good with them."

"Perfect." Miache smiled. "You 'ave an excuse already."

"Well, yes, but - "

Lianne was drowned out as Hébert asked, "But what of the werewolves?"

Remus sighed. He'd known it would come to this, and he supposed he might as well get it over with. "I'll go." Heads turned to him. He'd been very quiet so far, and most of them had probably forgotten his presence. "I mean, I might as well. I'll fit right in, after all."

"Are you a werewolf, then?" Trina asked, interested.

Remus sighed. Now they were all staring at him. As though I'm some sort of circus sideshow. No one stared at Miache that way. Of course, making a vampire feel uncomfortable is somewhat more dangerous than doing so with a werewolf. Unless it's a full moon...

"Yes," he said softly, when the pause had gone on too long. "Most unfortunately." He shrugged. "Well, anyway, all I have to do is claim I have family there, or something along those lines. They won't suspect another wolf. We trust our own kind." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his words, tried not to show how he wished it were any other way than it was. Wishing had never done him any good yet.

"Then if that's settled - "

"No," Lianne interrupted. "No, it's not." Everyone turned to look at her curiously. "If I go, Erin has to come, and I don't know if you'd want her to."

"Erin? She's that girl you brought with you?" Arabella gave Li a very disapproving look.

"Yes," Lianne said. "I know it looks bad, but I wouldn't normally bring someone to a secret meeting. It's just - well, Erin's got some pretty unusual circumstances, and Remus and I thought it might just be relevant to what's going on here."

"Oh?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Exactly how do you mean?"

"Well," Lianne began, "when I was over at Remus's house, Erin just out of the blue came up to the door. She wasn't sure how she got there - as far as she knew, she was still in America - and she's not a witch, before you ask. She's a Muggle that I knew before I went to Hogwarts."

"Bit young, isn't she?" Snape sneered.

"Yes, I'm getting to that." Lianne glared at him. "This girl is the same Erin Connor I knew way back when, but before I left, she was three years older than me. According to her, I disappeared without a word several days ago. And then, when I went to take her back to America, we couldn't find her house. Or her family. Or anything. And Remus and I thought it sounded like Dark magic."

"That it does, missie," Moody agreed thoughtfully. "It might be related to the current situation, or it might not... but it doesn't sound like normal happenings for a Muggle girl, and anything out of the ordinary right now has to be under suspicion."

"But why would she have to come with you?" Fletcher asked, puzzled.

"Because she has nowhere else to go," Remus answered quietly, before Li could say anything. "She has no home, not anymore. Would you leave a teenage girl, Muggle or witch, alone in a strange country without a place to stay, a job, or even any money?"

"Do you really think she ought to go to the vampires, though?" Trina asked dubiously. "They're tough for even our kind to deal with."

"I'd hate to see such a nice girl get bitten," Ellie agreed.

"Why not bring her out here and talk to her?" Arthur suggested. "Maybe, if she can't go to the vampires, she'll at least have some ideas about where she could stay for a few weeks."

~*~

Erin had been flipping distractedly through one of the magazines Dumbledore had left for her to amuse herself with ("Soft Silky Skin in Just Three Easy Spells!" and "Color-Changing Nail Polish For All Occasions!" were heavily featured; Erin wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly why Dumbledore had this magazine in the first place), when Lianne opened the door and brought her outside. The Aurors made her tell them about arriving at Remus's house, and what had happened after.

Fortunately, they didn't seem particularly interested in the Knight Bus. Erin didn't really want to explain to anyone about her letters from Remus, so she made up something about Stacey tracing Lianne, instead. The Circle accepted that as one of the few normal aspects of the whole ordeal, and Lianne - the only one to know the entire story - didn't choose to enlighten them.

Li probably felt sorry for Erin. The downside of the fact that the questioning almost completely ignored the Knight Bus episode was that they were focusing on some still-painful mental wounds. Telling them about it made Erin relive wandering around Baltimore with Lianne, seeing all the familiar landmarks around the area that should have held her house. But her home hadn't been there. Instead of the small but cozy house with horrible lacy curtains her Aunt Charlotte had made and the slightly wilting blue hydrangea bushes, the two yards on either side of her own were also bought out. The three together had been covered by a huge, sprawling monster of a house, elegant and soulless. She hadn't even bothered to go with Li to knock on the door. She'd known what they'd find.

"You're sure you couldn't just have gotten lost, perhaps?" the man introduced as Fletcher asked. "I often find myself looking for my glasses, then realize I've just put them on."

"A house is a little harder to misplace than a pair of glasses." The greasy-haired man that Erin had just known had to be Snape scowled in her direction. "However, it is possible the girl was enchanted to believe her house was gone."

"I was there, too!" Lianne protested.

"Yes, Mrs. Black, I am well aware of that. However, we all know of your... interesting tendency to see only what you wish." Snape sneered in her direction.

"Don't you dare insult Lianne!" Sirius snarled.

"Sirius! Severus!" Dumbledore sternly eyed both of them. "Might I remind you of your promise of a truce?"

"But he said - "

"I was only pointing out - "

"Oh, shut up already," Arabella snapped irritably. Sirius and Snape, wearing almost identical expressions of indignation, fell silent. "Thank goodness."

"All right, Erin," Trina said. "What Professor Snape said aside, let's assume for a moment that you really can't get home. Is there anywhere you could stay for a couple weeks?"

"You mean... other than with Lianne?" Erin shook her head. "Not that I can think of. I mean, we looked everywhere either of us could think of, but we couldn't find anyone we knew. I tried the telephone, but it says that number was disconnected. Letters by owl just come right back unopened, and letters through the post office get marked 'Return to Sender.' I don't know where any of my family's gone - not my mother, not my father, not even my cousin, Hazel. They just - disappeared." She swallowed hard.

"But people can't just disappear," Ellie said, in a would-be reasonable tone. "There has to be a - a body, at least, or something."

"Well, there wasn't," Erin snapped. "There was nothing. It was like they'd never existed. Like my whole life had never existed..." I am not going to cry in front of these people, she told herself sternly, forcing herself not to sob. I am not.

"Aren't you being somewhat melodramatic?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "All right, you were unable to locate your family. What a pity. I can name half a dozen spells that could make you think exactly that had happened. It's mildly Dark magic, yes, but the group we're dealing with prefers the 'sudden death' approach. I believe that what we have here is an overly-excitable little girl who likely as not ran away, and made up her whole story to get sympathy - "

"I did not!" Erin cried angrily.

Lianne and Sirius, as well as a few others in the Circle, were protesting loudly enough to drown each other out. But Remus, eyes narrowed, stood up, walked across the circle of chairs, and halted about six inches away from the professor.

"Shut up."

Erin, standing in the middle of the circle, heard the quiet menace in Remus's words. Perhaps Trina and Vayan, on either side of Snape, heard as well. Or perhaps not, as most of the Circle had descended into a shouting match - the Free Speech faction versus the Anti-Snape faction. Erin could easily have been the only one who even noticed that Remus had left his seat. He returned as quietly as he had gone, smiling gently at her a moment, before catching himself and looking away.

The warm glow his smile brought didn't quite chase away the painful lump in her throat, or the burning behind her eyes. It couldn't.

But it did help.

~*~

"I can't believe they won't let me go with you to the vampires," Sirius grumbled as they returned to Remus's house, several hours later. "Or at least the werewolves."

"You have to stay in hiding," Lianne told him firmly. "That means not drawing attention. And that means staying away from closely observed places - like vampire-werewolf battlefields."

"Besides, Dumbledore himself said they need human messengers they can trust," Remus pointed out. "There are some things too important to entrust to owls. Or toucans, either," he added, when Li opened her mouth.

"I just don't like sending two unprotected women to a tribe of vampires that may or may not have violated their anti-killing treaties!" Sirius objected.

"We won't be alone," Erin said reasonably. "Remus will be a mile away, at most. Besides, Miache will be there."

"Miache's a vampire, too," Sirius said sourly.

"Oh. Really?" Erin frowned. "Well, we won't be alone, anyway."

"Erin's right, Sirius," Lianne said. "We'll be fine. It'll be just as safe as staying here."

"Why do you think I'm so worried?" Sirius asked with a sigh. "You remember everything we learned about defending against vampires?"

"Of course." Lianne frowned. "Erin doesn't know any of it, though."

"I'll be fine." Erin shrugged. "Stake through the heart, right?"

"Um." Sirius glanced at Remus. "Why don't you give her a crash course, Moony?"

"Me? Why me?" Remus asked.

"Because you're the resident Defense Against the Dark Arts genius, that's why," Sirius reminded him. "Besides, Li and I have to sort through the clothes she bought me and see how much of it needs resizing. Or, depending how awful, returning." He grinned at her as she swatted at his head.

"Well... all right, fine." Remus looked at Erin. "It should only take an hour or so for you to learn the basics. It's simple enough to learn how to ward off vampires, it's only doing it in actuality that's hard."

"Ok, sure," Erin agreed as Sirius and Lianne headed upstairs. She seated herself on the couch, and Remus chose a chair opposite her, rather than sitting beside her as he would have liked. "So what was wrong with a stake through the heart?"

"For one thing, you're unlikely to have a stake at hand," Remus said dryly. "Would you attack someone standing within arm's reach of a loaded gun"

"Good point," Erin said. "So what should I do?"

"Well, it depends on what the problem is, and what you're trying to do about it," Remus told her. "If a vampire grabs you and pulls one of their levitating tricks, your objective is not to make him let go. But if he's trying to bite your throat, letting go is definitely what you want from him. Follow me so far?"

Erin nodded. "Yep."

"All right. Well, you don't want to kill this vampire, because you just might anger one of his relatives, or possibly the whole tribe. Revenge is a high priority, with vampires. You want him to leave you alone. Garlic is the standard repellent, but if you want to deal with a non-threatening vampire, wearing a clove of garlic around your neck can get a bit awkward."

"It affects all the vampires in its presence?" Erin asked, interested.

"Yes, of course." Remus nodded. "It's the smell vampires can't bear - and the taste, though few of them get close enough to eat the stuff. Depending on how powerful a vampire is, and on how much garlic they eat, it can even be poisonous."

"So what works, other than garlic?"

"Well," Remus said, hoping she didn't notice his sudden discomfort, "a lot of people assume that silver helps against vampires, because it works on werewolves. It doesn't. Iron is very effective, though, and that's what I'd recommend for you. Being in the presence of iron won't affect the vampire unless you surround him with it, as in a cage, for example. But physical contact will burn the vampire - any vampire, no matter how powerful."

"So... if I have some iron in my pocket, or something, I should take it out and touch the vampire with it?" Erin rummaged through her pockets. "I don't think I've got anything iron."

"Well, we'll find something before we go." Remus glanced around his living room, then shook his head. "Maybe Lianne has something. At any rate, as I said, doing what you've just suggested is hardly that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"Vampires are fast. Much, much faster than a human could ever be." Remus sighed. "Maybe Sirius is right, and this is a bad idea. You'd probably never even get a chance to defend yourself."

"I thought we had to go," Erin said, frowning. "Or, Lianne does, and I have to go with her. Isn't it only for a few weeks?"

"Yes, I suppose," Remus said reluctantly. "I'm just a natural worrier." He shook his head. "Well, here. Let me show you how a vampire would be most likely to come at you. They almost always do it the same way, and some ways of fighting them off work better in that position that others."
"Ok." Erin stood up. "How should I stand?"

"You're fine as you are," Remus told her. "Just don't move." He got up to walk around behind her. "Now, if I were a real vampire, this would be your first mistake. Never let a vampire stand behind you. It could be perfectly innocent, but it sets you up for what I'm about to do."

"What are you about to do?" Erin asked without turning.

"Nothing." Then, without warning, he pounced forward and pinned her arms to her sides. "Lesson two - don't believe a vampire when he says he's not planning anything. Especially if you can't see him."

"I think I'll remember, somehow," Erin said. "Now what?"

"Now is when you bend your right arm at the elbow - or the left, depending on which way I'm leaning - and thrust the iron you are hopefully holding into my face." Remus swallowed hard. He really hoped neither Sirius nor Li took it into their heads to come downstairs right now. To all appearances, he was embracing Erin from behind. It did not look good. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all.

"What if I'm not holding any iron?" Erin pointed out. "If I let you get behind me, it means I must trust you at least a little."

"My first advice would be not to trust any vampires," Remus replied. "But that's a good point. Maybe we could find something made of iron you'd have a reason to hold all the time. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about trying to get something out of your pocket without the vampire you're with noticing."

"Yes, but what would happen?" Erin persisted.

"You want to know what the vampire would do?" She nodded. "Well, he'd lean forward a little, while pulling you back towards him." Remus showed her. "If he hasn't levitated you first, you can slide down out of his grip at that point. But if you don't do that, then he'd tilt his head to your neck." Remus did so, slowly. Erin had a very pretty neck - no, keep yourself focused, Moony. You're teaching her to fight off vampires. She doesn't need to fight off a werewolf, too.

"And then he'd bite me?" Erin asked, turning her head to face him.

"Now that," Remus said, "is just about the worst thing you can do."

"What, asking questions?" Erin asked, confused.

"No. Looking me in the eyes. Vampires can hypnotize, if you look at them directly. Even the lowest power levels can do a little." Remus tried to look away, but her eyes still held his. It occurred to him that vampires weren't the only ones able to cast a spell of captivation.

"And then?" Erin asked softly, her face still turned towards him.

He didn't mean to do it. He'd thought he had himself under control. He didn't even realize what he was doing, until he'd already leaned forward and brought his mouth to hers.

She stiffened in shock, just for an instant, before the tension left her and she leaned against him. She wasn't an experienced kisser, especially, but there was something about the way she felt in his arms that was just... perfect.

Part of him wanted to stay there, kissing her forever. However, it was his more rational side that won out. Remus pulled away sharply, as if he'd just found he was kissing a snake.

"What - " Erin's eyes snapped open. "Remus - did I do something wrong?"

"No. No." Remus shook his head, quickly letting go of her and stepping away. "Erin, I am very sorry, I've no idea what came over me."

"Oh, no, don't - "

He overrode her protests. "I take the entire responsibility myself, and I do apologize. I promise you, I will not do anything of the kind ever again."

"But Remus - "

"I think maybe Sirius or Lianne had better be the one to finish instructing you," he cut her off again, aware he was being rude, but afraid to hear what she might say to him. "I need to go pack. We're leaving early in the morning."

Still without listening to her, Remus hurried up the staircase. And almost knocked Sirius over at the top.

"That was stupid," his friend informed him.

"It's none of your business," Remus said with an air of finality.

"How is it not my business when you make as huge a mistake as - oh, why am I bothering?" Sirius sighed. "You just aren't going to listen to reason, are you?"

"You are hardly what I would call the voice of reason," Remus snapped.

"Point," Sirius conceded. "But at least I have eyes."

"What?" Remus just knew he was going to regret asking, the instant the words left his mouth.

"She's in love with you, Moony," Sirius said soberly. "And I think you're in love with her, if you'd only admit it." He sighed again. "And you're just going to let her think you don't care."

"Maybe I don't," Remus said, his voice getting decidedly colder.

Sirius watched sadly as the werewolf pushed past. "Sure, Remus. If that's what you want to believe."