Concordia Discors

CONCORDIA DISCORS

By LIZ and S.A.M.

Chapter 8

Justice is the constant and perpetual will to allot to every man his due.
~Domitus Ulpian (100 AD - 228 AD)

Harry stepped out of the fireplace, looking with a wince. In front of him, the disgustingly garish expanse of the Atrium spread out in a falsely majestic manner. The fireplace whooshed up again behind him and Harry stepped forward, clearing the way for Hermione to exit the hearth.

"They cleaned it up quickly, didn't they?" Hermione said quietly.

Harry nodded distractedly as Ginny emerged; he had been distracted by the sight of someone across the hall. Standing in front of a crowd of reporters, gesticulating wildly, was Cornelius Fudge. Immediately, Harry's expression darkened, and he gripped his wand tightly in his pocket.

"I know, Harry," Arthur said from his left. With a sigh, the older man placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Try not to worry. Fudge will get what's coming to him, one of these days..."

Harry nodded, still eyeing Fudge with an expression of severe distaste. After a moment, he managed to tear his gaze away. "Where's Ron?" he asked as he turned away from the scene.

"He's coming with Fred and George,"Arthur replied. "He was helping them in their shop. And Luna and her father will be along shortly; we had to split up, they couldn't be seen arriving with us."

"What about Remus?" Ginny asked.

"Well, obviously, he can't come with us," Hermione said while scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes. "Fudge knows the Order is active again, but he doesn't know who's in it. And it's better if he doesn't know."

Suddenly, a serene blond-haired witch slipped between a pair of arguing men in front of them. "Hello, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Moody," Luna said calmly, smiling dreamily. Turning, she addressed Harry, Hermione, and Ginny directly. "It feels odd to be back here, doesn't it?"

Harry felt his throat tightening up. As he watched, Hermione moved her hand to press lightly against her throat, and Ginny nodded. Speaking for all of them, Ginny said quietly, "Yeah." She sighed, tilting her head back to look at the gold characters moving on the ceiling. "Yeah, it does."

"Oi!" A voice shouted, and, looking around, the group saw Ron, Lee, Fred, and George cutting through the crowd, elbowing people out of the way as they went. "About time, isn't it?"Ron exclaimed. "I thought that old toad would never-"

"She hasn't been tried yet, Ron," Hermione cut him off anxiously. "She might get off still."

Ron opened his mouth to argue, but, before he could speak, someone cleared his throat behind them. Ron looked over Harry's shoulder as the rest of the group turned, and the Ministry official cleared his throat once again.

"Excuse me," he said in a bored voice. "I'm looking for Mr. Harry Potter and Lee Jordan."

Harry and Lee exchanged a look and moved toward the man, who looked them up and down and nodded. "You'll have to come with me, gents," he said. "The witnesses are waiting in a chamber off the courtroom."

"Right," Harry said nervously and, with a quick good-bye to the others, he and Lee followed the man out of sight.

Arthur looked after them with a concerned expression before he turned to the others. "Right, then," he said quietly, "we should probably get down and find seats, before there's no room anymore."

"Which courtroom is it in, Dad?" Ginny asked as they cut through the crowds.

"Twelve!" he called back over his shoulder. "It's got the biggest spectator area."

Fred and George grinned. They reached the lift and slipped quickly into it, when suddenly, a Ministry official appeared in front of them.

"Are you Fred and George Weasley?" the official asked. "You've been added to the witness list on short notice, I have to ask you to come this way."

"Us?" Fred repeated confusedly. "Testify? Why?"

The official raised his eyebrows at them. "We have an entire school full of people who claim that Umbridge threatened you with physical discipline as a punishment. That's illegal."

"Ah!" George replied with a grin. "Excellent!"

Laughing happily, Fred and George also disappeared from sight.

The lift moved slowly, and the now smaller party waited impatiently as it crept down to Level Nine. When the doors opened, they rushed out and ran down the stairs to the courtrooms. Suddenly, Arthur skidded to a halt and walked up to a man standing guard before a large, heavy door.

"Name?" the guard asked, raising his eyebrow as he saw Arthur pause to catch his breath.

"Arthur Marc Weasley," he said, and a small, floating circle that hovered behind the guard's shoulder glowed electric blue. "And that's Ginevra Molly Weasley," he said, pointing to Ginny, "Ronald Billius Weasley," Ron's ears glowed bright red, "and Hermione Jane Granger." The circle glowed blue thrice more, and then the guard nodded at them, and Arthur led the two girls and Ron into the courtroom. Behind them, Moody gave his name and passed through, followed by Luna and Mr. Lovegood.

They entered into a large, bright room with vaulted ceilings. Lining the walls were golden torches, so close together that their flames touched, forming a ring around the room. A large, crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, the light sparkling on its surface. Directly ahead of them was a large raised platform, curved with three rows, with seats for about fifty witches and wizards.

"What are we doing over here?" Hermione asked, confused. "The prosecution stands on the left side."

"Only in Muggle Courts," Arthur replied as he moved along the front row. To the joy of Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Ron, Mrs. Longbottom and Neville were already seated at the very end of the row. The teenagers all ran over to sit at the very end with Neville, while Arthur, Moody, and Mr. Lovegood sat down next to Mrs. Longbottom, who was surveying the room with a look that suggested all her dreams were coming true. As Arthur greeted Mrs. Longbottom and introduced Mr. Lovegood, Molly, Bill, and Charlie Weasley came hurrying into the courtroom, Remus Lupin close behind them. The group of four slipped by the people who were congregating in the center aisle and sat down next to Arthur, who smiled at his wife as Bill and Charlie began to wager on the outcome of the sentencing.

"Twenty galleons says she gets life in prison," Bill said with a raucous grin.

Hermione was utterly delighted.

It took another half-hour before things settled down; people kept trickling in at uneven rates, and the prosecution's side slowly filled up with various Order members and the parents of Hogwarts students. Molly Weasley, looking around, was outraged to see Narcissa Malfoy glide into the courtroom and sit down on the defense side, Draco following close behind her. Turning to Arthur, Molly took a deep breath and spilled out her rage.

"I can't believe the nerve of that woman!" Molly raved. "Her husband is KNOWN to be the scum of the earth, and she just walks into this courtroom acting as if she owns it all!"

"Technically, she does," Remus replied calmly. "The Black family paid for this room to be built two hundred years ago, and she is a Black."

Molly didn't seem to be listening. "I wouldn't put it past her to bribe half the Wizengamot," she muttered darkly.

Arthur sighed and shrugged at Remus helplessly.

Another ten minutes, and a figure walked into the room. Albus Dumbledore moved swiftly to the front of the room and stepped up onto the platform and made his way to the middle seat in the first row. Once he reached it, the guards closed the doors to the courtroom, and he remained standing, his hands raised for quiet. To the amusement of every Hogwarts student present, the room fell silent as quickly as the Great Hall at the opening feast. People settled quickly into their seats, staring up at Dumbledore with rapt attention, and Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville, and Ginny grinned at each other as Hannah and Sally-Anne, who much preferred to be called Anne, snickered from the row behind them.

Dumbledore waited five more minutes before he spoke again. Several people near the back coughed, and a large percentage of the crowd shifted restlessly. "All rise," he said, his voice echoing off the walls, "for the High Chieftain, Dominic Vespin."

As one body, the entire courtroom turned to face the doors at the back. The guards turned and pulled them open, and a tall, pale, black-haired man walked regally into the room. From the right column of seats, Susan Bones narrowed her eyes at him as Cho Chang, three rows back from her, caught her breath in wonder. Vespin, it seemed, had an amazing effect on people - several Hogwarts students seemed to have fallen in love with him already, while Arthur and Remus watched his progress as if expecting him to pull out his wand and start blasting any second. Vespin reached the small table in front of the left column and nodded to Dumbledore before sitting down and eyeing the entire courtroom with a look of extreme boredom.

"Quiet, please!" Dumbledore called, to quell the whispers that had erupted at the arrival of Vespin. Almost instantly, the rush of whispers died down, and he spoke again. "Stay risen, please, for the High Chieftess, Alliana Carson."

The whispers erupted again as Alliana strode down the center aisle to the small table in front of the right column. Arthur, Moody, and Remus grinned as Hermione stared at Alliana in confusion.

"Excellent!" Ron whispered as Alliana sat down with a nod and smile to the Headmaster.

"But I thought she was just an activist?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"No," Neville replied. "She does that on her own time, for free. Her official job is the equivalent of what Muggles call attorneys."

"Ah," Hermione replied. "Is she any good?"

Ginny cast a dark look to the left. "Good enough, I hope..." she muttered.

The black-haired man leaned back in his chair, fingers laced behind his head. With a deep, exaggerated sigh, he tilted the chair back on two legs, pushing with his legs to repeatedly bring the chair to the ground and back again.

On his fourth trip back and forth, he turned his head slightly to the right and looked all the way across the courtroom. With a small, smug smile, he ran his eyes appreciatively over Alliana. The golden-haired girl didn't even flinch, staring stonily ahead, her lips firmly in a thin line. Vespin smiled lazily, stretched his arms, and let his eyes wander on.

They slid over Luna with a curious gleam, on to Ginny- whose copper-gold hair he eyed with an amused smile... And then they moved on to Hermione.

And stopped.

His eyes, completely void of warmth, sparked with surprise as he studied her, expression empty of any recognition. After a moment, his expression changed to one of realization, and he eyed her with the look of a predator that had just spotted his favorite food.

He stared at her hair, his fingers clenching on the long, narrow table, and his eyes flared. His jaw clenched as his eyes traveled down, skimming her body with feral, undisguised lust.

"Attention, please!" The sharp voice echoed around the huge, dome-shaped room.

Silence fell immediately. With wide eyes, every Hogwarts student, past and present, stared at Albus Dumbledore in shock, traces of fear on their faces.

"Have you ever heard him yell before?" Hannah asked Anne in a shaking voice.

The Slytherin girl just smirked, smiling victoriously over at Vespin, who had turned away the second Dumbledore spoke.

As everyone settled in to watch the trial, Dumbledore glanced around briefly, his eyes devoid of their usual sparkle.

He waited a full minute, looking patiently at the crowd before him. Then, in a subtle gesture, he raised his right hand at his side. Behind him and to his left and right, stone doors swung open, hitting the wall with a bang. Madame Bones strode to her place to Dumbledore's right, seating herself one row forward. Glaring pretentiously at Dumbledore, Fudge followed, sitting to the left and one row forward.

The rest of the Wizengamot filed in behind them, seating themselves carefully in the semi-circle seats to either side of the front podium. After several moments of awkward shuffling and anxious, forced coughs, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Would the prosecution please open?"

Alliana stood slowly, picking up a leather folder and leafing through it casually. With an impatient hand, she pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.

"Your Honors of the Wizengamot," Alliana spoke respectfully. "I request that the court employ Veritaserum on... Madame Umbridge."

Another shocked murmur went through the courtroom. As the Order and its charges watched, Vespin shot to his feet. His face was calm and collected, but his voice rang with outrage.

"Your Honors, that cannot be allowed!" he objected. "A person's consent to the use of Veritaserum is paramount to the protection fo the public against a potentially dangerous tool!" He walked forward, looking straight at Fudge as he spoke. "If we allow the law to be waived in this case, when will it not be waived? The privacy of every logical being in the country is threatened!"

Fudge looked very cowed as he leaned forward, eyeing Alliana with what looked like fear. "I hereby rule - "

"You are not the head of the Wizengamot, Cornelius," Dumbledore cut in mildly. Steepling his fingers, he looked at Fudge pensively before turning to Alliana and saying, "Please defend your request, High Chieftess Carson."

"Yes, Chief Warlock," Alliana replied. She paused, as if thinking, then looked over at Vespin without moving her head. "The public is hardly as stupid as you implied," she told him. "They know the distinction between using Veritaserum on a dangerous criminal and using it on random citizens. Unless," she continued, looking up at Fudge as she stood and paced to the far right of the courtroom. There she stopped, and she looked up at Fudge again, "You're saying that you have reason to believe that the Minister will do such things."

Fudge growled angrily. Dumbledore merely smiled. "Continue, please," he instructed.

"The use of Veritaserum," she stated, "would cut this trial down to a day or less. It would eliminate any possibility of the suspect lying, and it would prevent corruption -" the crowd gasped "- from letting the suspect walk free. And as the suspect has already refused Veritaserum, we will only ensure a fair end to this trial -"

"- By unfair means," Vespin cut in. "We cannot allow -"

Dumbledore turned his gaze to Vespin. "Mister Vespin," he began.

From her seat behind Alliana, Hermione blinked. Dumbledore had not used Vespin's title... what could that mean?

The buzz that had gone through the room slowly died, and Dumbledore began to speak again. "When one High Chieftain or Chieftess is speaking, the other is not." He leaned forward and fixed Vespin with another piercing glare. "That is something we had to teach you at Hogwarts, if you recall..."

"Yes!" Ron exclaimed.

The courtroom fell silent, and Ron immediately turned red. "Erm... sorry, everyone," he muttered, sinking in his seat in embarrassment.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Quite all right, Mister Weasley," he said calmly, and Molly Weasley let out a sigh of relief.

"Erm," Ron muttered again, unnerved by the attention of the entire courtroom. "Thank you, Chief Warlock - ah, Headmaster... sir..." he finished nervously.

Dumbledore's eyes were still twinkling with mirth. "You are welcome, Ronald."

This time, Hermione's eyebrows rose. Dumbledore had only once referred to Ron by name, and then it had been 'Young Ronald', and he had not seemed very pleased with him. What was going on, now?

Alliana laughed quietly, her eyes sparkling as she took her seat again, and Dumbledore smiled indulgently at her. After a moment, in which Fudge's eyebrows rose and Vespin's expression darkened even further, his smile faded, and a serious expression eased itself onto his face.

"In this situation, children were harmed by the choices and actions of Madame Umbridge," the Chief Warlock said slowly. "Were she to go free, perhaps harm would befall another innocent youngster. That cannot be allowed. Therefore, in my capacity as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I hereby waive the requirement for a concession to the application of Veritaserum."

Once again, a buzz went through the courtroom. Dumbledore, ignoring the noise, stated calmly, but in a raised voice, "This trial is rescheduled to the 21^st August, 1996. Dismissed."

And Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft of Wizardry, stood and walked serenely out of the courtroom.

For a long moment, there was silence. Then, with a triumphant smile, Ron called "Yes!"

Everyone stopped their shocked murmuring, and spun quickly to gaze at him in confusion.

Ron glared at them all indignantly. "What!?" he demanded hotly.

And then, staring at Vespin with utter loathing, he got to his feet and strode angrily from the room, the large double doors slamming shut behind him.

Sitting in her seat at the front right of the courtroom, Alliana stared after him, stunned. Slowly, a grin spread across her face.

"I like that kid..." she muttered.

"Foolish boy," Umbridge sneered, speaking up for the first time. "Does he really think that he can be just like the great, powerful, NOBLE Albus Dumbledore if he just walks out of this courtroom as if he owns it?"

In the front, Fudge spluttered in astonishment. "He-" he began, his face turning a brilliant Weasley™ Red. "He can't just walk out! Completely bypassed procedure!"

Umbridge continued to shriek. "The most terrible show of disrespect I have ever seen!" she raged.

Alliana was silent, eyeing them with the look of a person contemplating her next attack. Carefully, quickly, she weighed the consequences in her mind...

With an unholy grin, she stood, kicking her chair with her right foot. It hit the wall, and everybody in the courtroom jumped. Her grin disappeared, replaced with a single-minded determination. Striding calmly up to the front, she walked up the steps to the platform and stopped to the left of Cornelius Fudge.

Smiling sweetly at him, she pulled back her arm and punched him squarely on the jaw.

"Now that should be every ministry's procedure. I'll call it..." she stopped, smiling dreamily, "preparations for impeachment."

Fudge simply stared at her, too shocked to even splutter. Two of his teeth were crooked, and one appeared to be hanging on by only the thread of its roots. With another smile, Alliana stepped down from the platform and picked up her leather notebook. Stopping in front of the awed and thrilled group behind her seat, she smiled and curtsied with a flourish.

Moments later, the doors to Courtroom 1 slammed shut yet again.

Fudge stared after her, his mouth gaping open in a classic Goldfish™ look- wider than even his should have been.

"Again!" Umbridge shrieked. "Rudest girl I've ever met! I'll get her, along with Mister Weasley!"

Molly Weasley stood, eyeing Umbridge like a mother bear. She walked over quickly, pulled her arm back, and punched Umbridge in the nose.

The entire courtroom gasped as one. Arthur stared after his wife as yet another person strode from the courtroom.

"And that, kids," he said with a broad smile, "is why only the Malfoys insult the Weasleys."

***

Alliana made her way swiftly through the Ministry to the above ground - after all, she really had no intention of sticking around the ungodly place.

"Alliana Carson, leaving," she said to the intercom in the telephone booth, knowing it would assume another person was entering, otherwise. She deposited the name tag from earlier in the little tray it had come out on, watching it disappear with a slight smile. The trial had gone just as she'd hoped... with the added benefit of knocking Fudge's teeth out.

Of course... she could get charged for that... but it was completely worth it.

She shook her hand slightly, still smiling. It hurt mildly, but that was worth it, too. Fudge's face was hurting much more, she figured.

The telephone booth-slash-elevator screeched to a halt when the surface came into view. With a snort- The best the Ministry can afford is a moving, talking, broken phone booth- she stepped out of the phone booth...

...And, seconds later, she found herself dragged behind the dustbins a few feet away.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the shade, and then grinned as her abductor came into view.

"Ten points to Slytherin," Snape said smoothly, "for a magnificent demonstration."

Alliana grinned back at him. "Thanks, Professor... I enjoyed it," she said smugly. Then, blinking in confusion, she said, "You were there?"

"I never would have guessed," he mused dryly and, with an unreadable expression on his face, he lifted her hand, holding it carefully in his. With the practiced eye of one who had seen many injuries in his time, he looked at the torn and bloody skin of her knuckles, sighing quietly.

"Can you ever stay out of trouble?"

Alliana blinked at him. "Me? Of course not... Never..."

Snape simply looked at her, frowning, and tapped her hand with his wand.

Instantly, the skin closed up and the blood dried.

Alliana frowned at it thoughtfully. "Can you leave me a scar?" she asked quietly.

Snape blinked, bemused. "Whatever for?" he responded warily.

"Souvenir."

Snape raised his eyebrows at her.

She smiled innocently at him. "It's a good memory," she defended herself. "Almost Patronus-worthy, even."

Snape smirked. "That it is," he mused quietly.

A gentle breeze blew over the alleyway. With it, it carried the sound of voices coming over from near the phone booth. Alliana heard an official call, "Why don't we take this to the Diagon Alley entrance?" and the voices faded, replaced by many loud cracks.

By silent agreement, Alliana and Snape apparated away.

Alli reappeared down a side street near Gringotts alone. Turning, she scanned the air carefully, and, after a few minutes, saw Snape's dim outline.

"Go on," the disillusioned man said calmly. "I will follow."

Eyeing his outline suspiciously, Alliana nodded and turned.

She was determined to take her time getting to the reporters. With a small smirk, she wondered briefly if Snape knew that, and then decided that he did. He knows me too well, she thought, her grin widening, even as she moved down Diagon Alley with her self-appointed bodyguard trailing very close behind.

The alley was surprisingly deserted for midday... Only about twenty people, that she could see, were browsing the stores of the primary Wizarding area in London. She passed by Quality Quidditch Supplies without looking through the window- Alli did not play Quidditch. She did notice, however, when a dark-haired man of about thirty came out of the shop, eyed her appreciatively, and whistled. Alli simply shrugged it off and kept walking without even glancing his way.

The air behind her crackled angrily.

She grinned, mildly amused and annoyed all at once, as she walked into Flourish and Blotts. The bell tinkled overhead and she disappeared immediately into the stacks, making her way along the aisles until she came to her target- she had needed to stop by anyway.

Running her hand along the beautiful covers, she picked up a large, midnight blue leather folder that was similar to the one she had had at the trial, only thirty minutes before. Silently, she decided that, since they were her props of choice, she could use multiple leather folders.

Smiling at the chance to binge on her secret obsession, she picked up the midnight-blue leather folder... As well as the hunter green one next to it.... And the burgundy one next to that... And a few which, to her amazement, not only reflected the light, but also looked strangely similar to the material of an invisibility cloak.

Then she eyed the quills... And ended up buying two black quills, one of which had silver feathers on it, the other, gold.

When she walked out of Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later, she was swinging a shopping bag carelessly in one hand.

Stopping just outside the door, she looked around for some way to stall. When her eyes fell on Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, they lit up.

She raced across the street, laughing quietly as she heard Snape's muffled curse. Her grin stretching almost from ear to ear, she stopped in front of Florean himself.

"Carson!" Florean looked up, his grin almost as wide as hers. "How're you doing, kid?"

"Not bad, not bad..." she replied happily.

The old wizard grinned mischievously. "I hear you had an exciting trial this morning," he said with a laugh.

"Oh, you should have been there!" Alli gushed excitedly. "Dumbledore kept completely ignoring Fudge and Vespin-"

At the name, Fortescue's eyebrows rose, and, spotting the faint outline behind Alliana, he eyed it thoughtfully.

"- and Dumbledore and Ron Weasley both just got up and walked out... Oh, but separately," she clarified. "And I got to punch Fudge!"

Fortescue chuckled. With a slightly more subdued smile, he walked to the door a few feet behind him, gesturing for Alliana to follow.

When they were locked in his office, Florean turned to Snape.

"So, Carson," he said slowly. "Who's your invisible friend?"

With a whispered spell, Snape lifted his disillusion.

"Severus!" Fortescue said, jumping slightly. Then, with narrowed eyes, he slanted a calculating look Snape's way. "Watching out for our girl, eh?"

Snape inclined his head slightly, his own gaze just as calculating.

"Good," Fortescue smiled. "She needs it."

"Hey!" Alliana broke in. "Let's not get off topic here! I got to punch Fudge! As in THE Minister of Magic!"

"I heard," Fortescue said, his voice full of dry humor.

"Oh, I've wanted to do that for so long..." Alli breathed. "It was like a dream come true! It was a dream come true!"

Fortescue's eyes twinkled merrily. "I'm very happy for you," he said seriously.

"So am I," Alliana grinned.

Fortescue's eyes narrowed, and his demeanor immediately changed. Turning, he pinned a determined gaze on Snape and said quietly, "Did Vespin do anything?"

Alliana blinked, startled by the sudden change of topic.

"No," Snape said slowly. "no more than he does to every other female."

A Look- one of those looks of understanding that only males can decipher- passed between the two men.

"I don't want her on this case," Fortescue insisted, "with him on it."

"Hey, wait a minute..." Alli began indignantly. "Who made you...?"

"Your father," Fortescue reminded her calmly. "He told me to keep an eye on you. You know that."

"I will not resign this case just because that pitiful excuse for a human is the opposition!" Alliana said, her voice shocked and slightly hurt.

Snape turned his gaze to her, concern hidden in the depths of his eyes. Quietly, carefully, he reached out to her in his mind, and Alliana let him, as he projected images of ocean shores at night, or forests under the stars... Slowly, she calmed.

"I am watching," he told Fortescue quietly, his gaze never leaving Alliana. "There is no need to remove her from this case." His voice rose in volume and he smiled. "Besides," he said slowly, "Alliana will do whatever she chooses to do, regardless of what you or I say. As it should be."

Fortescue eyed him with a blank face. Finally, after several minutes, he repeated, "You're watching."

Snape nodded, his expression guarded.

In a calm, measured tone, Fortescue replied grimly, "Well, then, I'll know exactly who to fault if anything happens, won't I?"

Her expression slowly changing from indignant to furious, Alliana raised her eyebrows, staring at Fortescue challengingly. "Yes," she agreed. "Vespin."

Fortescue blinked and backed down. "Well," he said cheerfully, rubbing his hands together, "can I get you two some ice cream?"

Ten minutes later, when they walked out of the parlor, Fortescue stopped by a newly disillusioned Snape and ordered in a cold voice, "Watch her."

The two ducked briefly behind Fortescue's, and Snape lifted his charm, walking out beside Alliana, his entire body held stiffly.

"Okay," she said slowly, "what's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter," Snape said impatiently.

She eyed him suspiciously and paused mid-step. "Something is," she insisted as she began to walk again.

"I said nothing's the matter," he repeated.

"You're lying," Alliana said calmly.

Snape ground his jaw, his annoyance growing. "I am not," he said sharply.

"Liar."

He eyed her sharply, but said nothing.

"So what's the matter?" Alliana pressed.

"You really are quite mad, do you know that?" Snape asked conversationally. His voice was calm and even, but his eyes revealed his frustration. Too bad, Alliana thought calmly. Something was bothering him, and she wanted to know what. And she really didn't care if he didn't want to talk about it.

"I am not. What's the matter?" she persisted.

Snape stopped walking, turned to face her. Throwing his hands up into the air angrily, he asked of the skies, "Why must you create problems where there are none?"

Alliana blinked at him. "Because there are," she said softly. "What's wrong, Severus?"

The older man looked at her, his eyes tired. Finally, he sighed, closed his eyes, and opened them again.

"Fortescue," he said quietly. "He looked at me like... like I was..."

"A Death Eater," Alliana finished slowly, her eyes sparking with... something.

Snape nodded, paused, and shook his head. "Worse," he said. "Like I was just some lab rat... interesting to study, but useless, all around."

Alliana sighed, watching him carefully.

"He doesn't know you," she said after a moment.

Snape nodded.

Reaching forward, she held her breath, took a chance.... Lightly, she touched his arm, and his eyes flew, startled, to meet hers.

"You are better than they are," she told him quietly.

The wind whipped up around them again, lifting strands of her hair to blow across her face. Silently, and with a shaking hand, Snape reached out, brushing the strands back with his fingers. His hand lingered on her face and her breaths slowed, her eyes closing slightly at the contact. Startled, she quickly opened her eyes again and stared at him.

He was looking at her in a way she didn't recognize, hadn't seen from anybody for years, and in that moment, she was completely and utterly confused. His hand spread out on her face, his fingers brushing over the pulse in her neck...

"Severus?" she whispered, her eyes staring at him questioningly.

He pulled his hand back quickly, as if burned. Staring back at her with wild, startled eyes, he muttered anxiously, "I must go."

A second later, she was staring at an empty space.

"Just as elusive as ever, eh?" a voice spoke up behind her.

Alliana spun quickly and saw the owner of the voice, a redheaded man leaning against a building to her right. "Bill!" she gasped happily, and the man smiled.

"Hey, Li," Bill said calmly.

She moved forward a few steps before jumping into Bill's arms. The much taller man caught her easily, hugged her, and set her carefully on her feet.

"Incredible performance this morning," Bill said with a smile. "I was proud of you. You made quite an impact on the crowd."

"Wasn't it great?" Alliana agreed happily, and Bill laughed.

"I noticed," he said, as he held out his arm to her, "that you've been avoiding the reporters."

"Was just heading that way," she informed him, taking his arm with a laugh. "But Severus..." she frowned in confusion, and Bill smiled at her.

"He'll come around," he told her, and Alliana nodded, albeit uncertainly. "Now, let's go face the bloodhounds, shall we?"

Laughing, she let him steer her to the Ministry's Diagon Alley entrance. And there, on the steps, stood a flock of reporters, waiting like vultures that had smelt blood.

"Keep your temper," Bill whispered to her, and she nodded again, eyeing the reporters anxiously.

Several of the vult- reporters had noticed her, and they ran over frantically. Through their gaps, Alliana could see to the center of the crowd, and the person whom they were so anxious to interview.

Bill moved a hand to rest on her shoulder, eyeing the black-haired man with suspicion and no small amount of hatred.

After a few more seconds, all the other reporters realized she was there, and they swarmed over to her like angry bees, leaving Vespin standing alone on the steps.

For about five minutes, reporters shouted questions she couldn't even hear, all trampling each other to get to the fort of their crowd. But then, there was a break in the crowd, and Rita Skeeter slipped calmly to the forefront.

"How do you feel," Rita asked with a poisonous smile, her Quick Quotes Quill poised on a floating notepad, "about the allegations that you will be facing charges for assaulting the Minister, and subsequently imprisoned?"

Alliana blinked at the forwardness of the question. "Well," she said slowly, eyeing the Quick Quotes Quill with annoyance, "if you put that thing away, I will answer your question."

Rita's eyes sparked with curiosity, and slowly, she opened her handbag with her long talon-fingers and stowed the Quill away.

"I feel," Alliana said slowly, "that it is completely worth it." Rita's lips curved into a satisfied smile and the crowd buzzed in shock. "I also feel," she continued, "that since my time could be better spent than by proving myself innocent, because everyone knows that I did indeed punch the Minister. So perhaps, everyone should look back, read the transcripts of the trial, and wonder why I punched the Minister."

"And what about Molly Weasley?" Rita persisted. "Should she face charges for attacking a suspect?"

Alliana raised her eyebrows. "Face charges for defending her youngest son?" she repeated incredulously. "I think not."

Then, with a 'goodbye' to the reporters, she pushed by them and continued down Diagon Alley, Bill sticking close by her.

Even when she rounded the corner, she could feel Vespin's gaze on her back.

"You all right?" Bill asked her calmly.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice monotonous and distant.

Bill eyed her, but said nothing.

"Look at this," he gestured instead at something ahead of them. He grinned devilishly. "My new ride."

Alliana blinked, looking ahead, and shrieked. Running forward, she ran a hand over the beautiful finish of the motorbike, a wide grin on her face.

"Nice," she breathed.

Bill grinned at her, obviously amused by her enthusiasm. "Hop on, my fair lady," he said in an exaggerated accent. "I'll take you home."

Alliana's grin could have lit up the whole of Diagon Alley.

***

Shutting the door behind him, he tossed the keys on the counter with a clang. The noise reverberated through the silence of the apartment, and without a pause, Bill strode through the small living room into the bedroom in the back.

Alliana was lying on her large bed, curled up on her side. In one hand, her dragon pendant was clutched, in the other, a plush swan toy that her father had given her for her fifth birthday. She didn't look up when he walked into the room.

He sat down next to her, unsurprised when she still didn't look up.

"Mom wants you to come to Grimmauld Place to have a meal with us tonight," he said quietly.

Alliana nodded silently.

Sighing, Bill asked, "What is it, Li?"

Alliana rolled to face him. "He was leering at them," she whispered. "All of those girls, Hermione especially."

Bill grimaced. "We'll protect them, Alliana," he said quietly. "He won't get them."

She nodded again, in a silent acquiescence that spoke volumes of her uncertainty.

Bill sighed and ran a hand tiredly through his hair. "I'll be in the living room," he said quietly. "I'll come get you when it's time to go."

Then, quietly, he left the room.

When he checked an hour later, Alliana was sleeping fitfully, one hand still around the pendant at her neck.