Tears in Heaven

Tears In Heaven

Chapter Eleven - Shades of Gray

Billy looked up from his Transfiguration homework. Joey stood in the doorway just watching him. It was then that he noticed that his brother's eyes were glimmering in the light. "Billy," said Joey in wobbling voice. The boy pushed himself away from the doorframe and slowly sauntered over. He looked down and Billy saw large teardrops fall from his sapphire blue eyes. In Joey's hand were two crumpled pieces of parchment and Billy saw that they was shaking.

"Joey?" he asked, a tone of fear creeping into his voice. He got that feeling of having something important to tell his brother once more, but couldn't place a finger on it. He felt so helpless and seeing his usually joy filled brother looking so sorrowful was heartbreaking. Joey looked up but not at Billy. He stood silently at the bedside and his brother looked at him with expectant wide eyes. "Joey, what's wrong?" Joey thrust the piece of parchment in his hand to Billy who took it and smoothed it out.

Billy and Joey, the letter began. He recognized his Uncle Remus' quick scrawl.

Hallie has fallen ill and is at St. Mungo's. The doctors don't know for sure what's wrong with her yet and they're saying she's in a coma. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine. I want you to stay at school; keep up your studies. I'll keep you updated.

Love,

Uncle Remus

Billy looked up at Joey was quickly brushing away his tears. "Uncle says she'll be okay, don't worry," he said. Joey forced the other piece of parchment into his hands. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet and the article's headline was "Forester Fallen". This column was the headline of the newspaper and written by Rita Skeeter. It put into detail the events of the past night at Lord Fiere's ball. The last line was, '...Hallie Forester's death will be a great loss to both the music and wizard worlds.' Billy reread the article two more times before he put it aside. He looked up at his brother. "Joey," he said. The other boy slowly met his gaze. "Uncle Remus said Mum will be fine so she will be."

Joey's eyes filled again. "The Daily Prophet itself said Mum will be a great loss! They wouldn't say something like that if she - if she wasn't going to -," but he cut himself off and angrily wiped away the onrush of more tears. "You know as well as I do that Uncle won't tell it to us straight." He looked out the window nearby. "Stay at school, yeah right." He turned back to Billy. "I'm going to St. Mungo's. If you're feeling better, you can come too, but I'm going no matter what."

Billy shook his head. "You can't, Joey. Besides, how would you get there?"

"I'll take the Knight Bus."

"It won't come on Hogwarts grounds."

Joey scowled at him. "Then I'll get off the grounds."

Billy sighed. "They'll catch you."

His brother looked at him meaningfully. "Not if someone doesn't snitch on me."

"They'll still find you, Joey."

"Billy! Then I'll bloody walk if I have to! Aren't you even in the least worried? She's our mum for Christ's sakes!" Joey yelled at him.

The other boy averted his gaze. "Of course I'm worried, Joey. I'm just being reasonable. You need to calm down. Uncle Remus told us to stay put and I don't know about you, but I trust his judgement. He's not rash, now, is he? Unlike some people..."

He was responded by a glare. "I don't believe you. You're not worried at all!" Billy's eyes widened at his brother's outburst. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Billy, but you've changed! You're not the Billy-boy that was my brother. I don't know who you are anymore!"

"Joey, look," Billy cut in, but Joey went on.

"Just look at you! You look bloody anorexic and you're pale as Nearly Headless Nick! There's something wrong, I can see it in you! You won't even talk to me anymore! Tell me, who are you now?" Joey's face was filled with pain and every movement he made seemed to be a struggle.

Billy felt his throat close up. His mind seemed to be swirling and falling into a scary darkness. He couldn't seem to focus and he felt as if the whole room was tilting like he was in a toy top. His breathing became labored. It was happening again. This was happening more and more. Just the day before his mother's ailment, this happened to him and the next morning, he woke up in the dungeons. He had no idea how he had gotten there, but when he awoke, it was a great shock to him. "Billy," came a worried voice from far away. "Billy!" Hands grasped his shoulders but he felt as if he was slipping through their grasp and down into a never-ending abyss.

Then he felt himself being pulled back out of the darkness and into the light. He saw the blinding flash and the drop of a celestial tear upon his forehead. When he blinked his eyes open, he saw he was in the infirmary again rather than the hell he had been in. Joey's arms were wrapped tightly around him and his brother's head was buried into his shoulder. The boy holding him was shaking with irrepressible sobs. Billy swallowed the lump in his throat. "Joey?" he said softly.

Joey looked up with his pain filled face, which brightened up ever so slightly at the look in his brother's eyes. "Billy?" he asked, as if coming out of a nightmare. "It's you, isn't it," he said softly.

Billy grinned down at him. "Poor little brother, were you frightened without me?" He felt his heart lift at the joy illuminating his brother's face. He put his own arms around the other boy. "God, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's gone, isn't it?" Joey's asked, his eyes clouding over with fear and worry.

Billy just smiled, not wishing to concern him anymore. He would try to enjoy the time he had until he fell back into the chasm of the nightmare - the one, which he knew that once he fell back in, he would never escape again.

* * * * *

Sirius was soon at St. Mungo's. There, he saw a familiar figure seated on the bench outside with his head in his hands. He let out a bark as he trotted forward, but Remus didn't look up. Sirius bit down lightly on his friend's arm. Remus warily looked up and his eyes brightened slightly at the sight of the large grim before him. He forced a smile though it still ended in something like a grimace.

"Sir-Snuffles," he said softly, petting the dog's head. "He stood up, come on, I'll take you to her." Remus led Sirius into the hospital only to be stopped by a Medi-Witch.

"Excuse me, sir, no pets allowed here," she said.

Remus looked down at Sirius. "He's not a pet," he told her and she responded by looking at him over her horn-rimmed glasses. "He's a family member."

She just took in a deep breath, supposedly to quote some rulebook, but just then, Hallie's doctor came forward. "It's all right, Jennifer, just let Miss Forester see her dog."

Jennifer's eyes widened. "Oh! Miss-Miss Forester...I-I didn't know -," but the Medi-Wizard cut her off.

"It's quite all right." He then turned to Remus. "Please follow me."

Remus watched the doctor's retreating back for a moment with a dreadful feeling in his stomach, but was soon nudged forward but Sirius. They followed Dr. Wexler down the corridor of the hospital and were soon in Hallie's room. It was frighteningly quiet except for the beeping of the heart monitor nearby.

Sirius rushed over and put his paws on the side of the bed. He then turned to look at Remus meaningfully. The other man sat heavily down on a seat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Can you give us a moment, please, Dr. Wexler?" he asked the Medi-Wizard.

The doctor looked dubious at first, but soon relented, feeling that there was nothing left to loose. "All right then. Just for a while. I'll knock when time's over."

Remus looked up at him gratefully. "Thanks," he said quietly. The doctor smiled at him sympathetically - he was another one of the gossipers who believed that Hallie and Remus were a secret couple. They did live together after all and even had twin boys.

Once the door was closed, Sirius immediately transformed back into his man form. His eyes spilled over with blistering hot tears and he sat at the edge of her bed with a defeated air. "Oh, God," he whispered and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. She was a deathly pale color and even her lips had lost their rosy shade. He caressed her cheek, his fingertips barely touching her skin. "Hallie...what happened?" he asked her. He saw her chest rise and fall and felt himself wondering again what he would do if her breaths stopped coming. It had happened once before - she really did die then, and he didn't know what had happened, but then she was alive again - smiling and talking to him. Could the same miracle happen twice? Could Fate somehow take a hand in their destinies once again? He bent down the kiss her lips and jumped up with a racing heart at how cold they were. It seemed like hours that he stood there, staring at her in fright and bewilderment, but then he felt a gentle hand come down on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Remus looking at him as if it was tiring just to keep his head up. "Sirius, he's coming back," he said in the same hopeless and quiet voice. Sirius nodded and without a word, transformed back into his dog form. When Dr. Wexler walked in, Sirius' head was set down on his front paws. The doctor's eyes were filled with sorrow at the sight and he turned to Remus who said, "So tell me, what's wrong with her?" Remus repeated this question for Sirius' sake.

The Medi-Wizard ran a hand through his hair. "As I've told you before, Mr. Lupin, it's really rather hard to tell with Miss Forester's case. The source of her ailment is near impossible to determine and the only effect of the illness seems to be life slipping away. It -," but Remus suddenly gasped and sat up from his chair.

"Oh my, God," he whispered.

"Mr. Lupin?" inquired the doctor in confusion.

"Can I leave Sir-Snuffles with her, please?" asked Remus.

Dr. Wexler seemed perplexed but nodded. "Well, sure you may, in Miss Forester's case. Why-," but he was cut off once more.

"Thanks, I've got to go." Then Remus was off racing back home to the Forester mansion.

* * * * *

Ginny sat, dumbfounded. "More attacks?" she repeated. Mae's troubled expression frightened Ginny. Her friend was almost always in a high mood and when she was quiet, Ginny felt it was right to be worried.

"Muggles. Word's going around that Harry Potter's relatives were victims," whispered Mae, playing around with her food. She chanced a glance at Ginny to see the girl's reaction. "Oh, Ginny, don't look like that! I doubt they were killed or anything...um, ok, on a higher note...I heard Malfoy's mum was killed." Her face looked stricken. "That wasn't higher. Um, Hogsmeade - butterbeer, no, we're not going there this month because of the threat...oh, um...shit! God damn it all." She got up and stormed out of the Hall.

Ginny too stood up and left, but not after Mae. She raced out of the school and nearby the lake where she knew Harry was according to Ron and Hermione.

She saw a black dog dashing away and Gayle, the redheaded Slytherin girl, sobbing into Draco Malfoy's robes. Malfoy himself seemed most out of character - his expression stuck in a sympathetic and frightened sort of look. Then, a few feet away from them was Harry watching the dog run away with a slight longing countenance.

Ginny was soon nearby and Malfoy's head shot up. Their eyes locked and his gaze sent a frightening shiver through her. She broke her gaze away from his at Gayle who pushed away from him, wiped her eyes clear of evidence of tears. Harry was looking at her with slightly wide eyes.

"Harry," she said, slightly out of breath from running. "Your - your aunt and uncle and cousin - they were attacked!"

She saw his eyes widened to their extent. He paled and she saw his Adam's Apple rise and fall as he swallowed noticeably. Harry then peeled off into the school without looking back. Ginny turned to look at the Slytherins before her. Gayle and Malfoy looked at one another for a moment before they both turned to look at Ginny.

"How long've you been listening, Weasley?" asked Malfoy, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

She lifted her chin in defiance. "How long would be bad?" she wondered.

The corners of Gayle's lips lifted slightly. "Ginny, you didn't hear a word, did you," asked the girl. Ginny looked at her in surprise, she hadn't known that the Slytherin knew her name. What shocked her most was the first name that was used by her.

"No," she replied instinctively. Malfoy shot an amused sort of look at Gayle before he turned back to Ginny. She then turned and ran back into the castle after Harry.

* * * * *

Bill Weasley flopped onto the couch. "Now really, Bill, I can make you anything," said Molly Weasley with a frown.

He smiled at her and just shook his head with a wave of his hands. "It's quite all right, Mum, I'm fine, really. I ate before I came." Her frown deepened but finally, she relented. He sighed and closed his eyes. It seemed only a moment until there was a loud rash nearby. His eyes opened quickly and he sat up. His Mum stood amid a mess of spilled tea and broken chinaware. A few feet away from her before the fireplace stood Remus Lupin, brushing off his shabby robes.

"Terribly sorry, Molly," said the man, taking out his wand. He fixed the china and cleaned up the tea.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "It's all right, Remus - it just would be nice if we had some warning that you were coming. I would have made something..." Remus smiled and went over and gave her a big bear hug. She laughed and blushed slightly.

"I heard Bill was in town," said Remus. It was then that he spotted the younger man on the couch. "Ah, there he is then." Bill stood up and shook the family friend's hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Lupin."

The elder rolled his eyes. "Remus, please," he said. Then, "Bill, may I speak with you for a moment please?" Molly was looking from Bill to Remus.

Bill grinned at him. "Sure, come on, we'll go to the porch. We'll only be a moment, Mum." She nodded bemusedly. They soon were outside and Remus dropped his act. He let himself fall onto a chair and ran a hand through his gray streaked brown hair. "Well, Mr. - oh - Remus, is everything all right? I'm sorry, but you look dead on your feet."

Remus looked up at him. "Ironic, really." He shook his head as if trying to wake from a dream. "I needed to ask you something, actually." Bill looked at him expectedly. "Well, have you heard the latest news?"

The young man shook his head. "No, I've been travelling by portkey all morning. Haven't seen the paper yet."

"Hallie Forester's taken ill."

"What? You mean, the flu or something right?"

Remus shook his head and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "They don't know what's wrong with her. She's in an unconscious state and can't seem to be awoken." He looked up at Bill with musing eyes. "As her doctor put it, it's as if her life force is being taken away."

Bill's eyes widened. "Oh, God - not, not again," he said in incredulity, but Remus nodded solemnly.

"I'm afraid it's true. I'm too old to remember where we found the curse so I found you. You wouldn't perchance, remember it, would you?" he asked, and the hope dripping in his voice was heartbreaking.

Bill swallowed. "I'm - um, I'm sure I've got it somewhere." He shook his head and fiddled with his earring. "Damn, that was so long ago..." he said softly. Remus nodded. When Hallie had fallen with the same sickness - being the pawn of the Death Eaters so Requillo could be lured - Bill had helped Remus to find the cure for the tracking curse bestowed upon her. "Follow me," he said urgently. They went down to the basement where Bill went about throwing rolls of parchment, magazines, clothes, and books around.

Molly ran down the steps. "Bill? What in the world are you doing? You're causing a racket!" But he didn't seem to hear her.

She scowled at him, but Remus placed a consoling hand on her arm. "It's fine, Molly, he's helping me." She looked at him for a moment, sighed, then turned and went back upstairs, muttering.

"I'm just looking for something," muttered Bill, and Remus laughed at how late the response came. Then the young man sat down amid the mess of the basement and flipped through a book. He grinned up at Remus triumphantly, pointing down at a page. "Here it is! It's a tracking curse, right?" When the latter nodded, Bill went on. "This specific one pulls the victim's life force and is used as a tracking curse because it lures a loved on close by whom is therefore able to be tracked. You're sure this is what she's got?" When Remus nodded, Bill grinned again. "Now we know what curse it is, we've got to find the cure."

"Isn't it there?"

Bill shook his head in preoccupation as he continued throwing things around. To Remus, he looked much like Ollivander whom would have someone touch a wand to see if it was right. Bill, on the other hand, touched or looked at something to see if the spell was in it or not. It wasn't too long after the spell was found when Bill threw a stack of rolls of parchment against a wall in frustration. He ran a hand through his long hair and scowled around that the mess. "It isn't here," he growled. "It's gone. I don't know how..." but then he silenced himself. He turned to look at Remus with wide eyes. "They wouldn't - they wouldn't know that I - that we know..." but he trailed off. Both he and Remus knew that Voldemort was one step ahead of them.

Remus swallowed noticeably. "But who is it he wants to track?"

Bill shrugged. "Someone who's closest to her I guess. It must not be you because they haven't snatched you yet...but then who could it be?"

Remus' eyes widened. Inadvertently, he had just led the Death Eaters to his best friend.

* * * * *

"Joey!"

He turned around and saw Bella running up to him. "Hey," she said, slightly breathless. He smiled slightly.

"Hi," he replied in amusement.

She raised a brow, obviously reading his humor. "What's so funny?" He just shook his head. "Is Billy okay?"

Joey's smile widened. "He's all better."

"That's great!" she said, then screamed. She whirled around and swung a punch at Neo who jumped away laughing.

The boy looked over the top of her head at Joey with a grin. "She's so easy to scare!" Bella tried hitting him again but he jumped away once more. "She's so cute!" he exclaimed, pinching her cheek. She slapped his hand away making him laugh all the more.

"Neo..." she said with the glare that was soon legendary. He smiled at her sweetly, looking down at her from his height of 6'1 to her 5'3.

"Poor little Midget." She scowled at him and he looked at Joey. "You have to call her Midget, she hates the name. Anyway, I know you'll miss me Midge, but I'll be late to class. Bye!" He then turned and started walking away. Bella ran to catch up with him and jumped on his back.

"You're a bastard!" she screamed in his ear. This outburst attracted a lot of attention but she didn't seem to notice. She pounded on his head and back with her free hand and he started laughing which made her all the more mad. "Neo!"

He sighed and caught her hand in his. "Will you stop, you're causing a scene." She freed her hand and hit him once more.

"Why are you so mean?" she shouted at him.

He caught her hand and pulled her off. She flopped from his back most ungraciously and landed on the floor. There, she glared up at him, her eyes burning. He stepped back slightly, a grin on his face. "Look, M-er-Bella, I was just kidding." He held out a hand to help her up but she slapped it away and got up on her own.

"Oh, just sod off," she told him and brushed her dark brown/black hair from her face. She then marched over to where Joey watched with an amused expression and pulled him by the arm in the opposite direction. "There must be another way to History of Magic so we don't have to walk with...You-Know-Who." She shot a last glare at Neo, then tugged Joey along.

"Aw, come on, Midget! I was joking!" Neo called down the hallway, but she pretended she didn't hear him.

They were further down the corridor when Joey finally stopped and gently pried Bella's fingers from his arm. He rubbed the spot gingerly. "Goodness, what was that about? I thought you two were inseparable," he said raising his brows.

She took his glasses from him and looked at them in the light of the open window. He looked at her in incredulity and she handed them back. "You know, there's a spell on your glasses." She paused. "What was the question?" she asked as if she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

"Um, what was that little fight about back there? You and Neo seem like brother and sister."

She glared at him and he fought the urge to laugh. "It's exactly what it seems like! He's so annoying sometimes and he thinks he's just so bloody funny! And he isn't! Neo's - Neo's a bloody queer!" she exclaimed and Joey looked at her with wide eyes.

"He's a what?"

"No, he really isn't, but he acts like he is. I wish he'd just leave me alone." She looked at him squarely and punched his shoulder.

Joey put his arm to it and glared at her. "What was that for!"

"For not doing anything! You just let him pick on me like that! What's wrong with you?" she yelled at him.

"Well soo-rie!" he shouted back. "I thought you both just acted like that all the time! You seemed like - like you were..." but then he just sighed as he rolled his eyes heavenward and shook his head.

When he started walking again, she pulled him back. "Like we were what?" she asked with a frown. "Joey, tell me! You started to say it and I hate it when people don't bloody finish their thoughts! Tell me!"

He pulled his arm away from her. "Jeez, Neo's right, you are a violent one," he told her. She glared at him in response. "It was nothing! Everyone just thought you both were joined at the hip - a couple or something," he said. Though, this wasn't necessarily true, only he really thought this.

Her eyes widened and she looked horrified. "Oh my - no! How horrible! Who - why would they think such a thing?" she exclaimed as if it was the worst thing ever. "Ew! That's - that's gross!" He shook his head again and laughed. She looked at him with her chocolate colored and almond shaped eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, but you really do act like you're together."

She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "No we don't - he's a git."

"Then why do you hang around him so much?" asked Joey.

Bella opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again. She didn't know and she said as much. Then she said, "Well, he really is kind of like the brother I never had. I mean, he's always been there for me, and he's nice sometimes, just...mostly, he's an annoying prat."

"Language, language," he said, wagging his finger at her.

She just rolled her eyes at him. "Ugh, don't you start now!"

He grinned. "Don't worry." It was rather strange, he thought, that there seemed to have been a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

"You're some one who likes attention, aren't you, Joey?" asked Bella, looking at him with her head cocked sideways as if she were trying to hear some distant voice.

He shrugged. "Sure, who doesn't?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Some girls were telling me about how you and Billy do all these pranks during classes." He shrugged again. "They also said how cute you both were." In spite of himself, he felt his cheeks heat up. "Aw! Are you blushing!" She laughed.

"Stop that," he said, "or I may have to resort to Neo's ways." She looked at him and he looked down at her. He was pretty tall himself.

"What?" she asked.

"You are rather short and look pretty light, I could lift you around you know," he said solemnly and with a straight face.

She glared at him. "You just try," she challenged but couldn't seem to keep her grin. He laughed at her. "Aw, you're not like Neo at all you big lug!" He picked her up and swung her around.

"Who says?"

* * * * *

Harry rushed into the school and coincidentally right where Professor McGonagall was. "Mr. Potter," she started but was cut off.

"What happened to them? Are the Dursleys all right?" he asked in a rush. He didn't know why he felt so worried about them, but somehow he felt that things wouldn't be right if he didn't live with them. As much as he hated his aunt, uncle, and cousin, he didn't know what life would be like without them. He didn't know what he would do if they weren't there, nagging him somewhere in the back of his memory.

The professor looked down at him reassuringly. "Your house, I'm afraid, had been slightly damaged, but otherwise, everything is quite all right. Your relatives are rather...er - angry and no doubt traumatized but have been dealt with accordingly. Your home is being reconstructed and - and your aunt and uncle wished to remind you to stay at Hogwarts over Easter break."

Harry blinked at her for a moment. "Oh, all - all right then." She nodded at him somewhat sympathetically, then moved away.

He had been worried that his relatives had been harmed or had perished, but now that he just got wind of their being well enough to remind him to stay at school over the break, he couldn't understand why he felt slightly put out. He had wanted them to be all right, after all, hadn't he? Why did he feel as if he would now rather have the worst thing happen to them? He shook his head and turned away. They probably blamed him for the whole ordeal. Why should he care about them at all?

"Harry," said Ginny, jogging up to him. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly. He nodded absently. "Are your aunt and uncle all right?"

He nodded once more. "Uh, Ginny, I've got - um, Potions next. I'll talk to you later, all right?" Then, without waiting for a response, he walked away. She stared after him with a slight frown, but shook her head and went on to class.

* * * * *

Draco turned to Gayle who was kicking a flower by the lake. "Gayle," he started, and she looked up at him.

"I don't know anything about the attack on Harry's relatives, Draco," she muttered, averting her gaze again. She pulled the flower from the ground and picked its petals rather violently, seemingly to vent out her fury.

He just shook his head. "I wasn't going to ask about that."

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes that were slightly bright. "Oh, really?" She paused. "And no, Draco, I really don't know who the tracking spell is supposed to lure."

Draco shrugged at her. "I wasn't going to ask about that either," he said and she turned away to kick another flower.

"Then what was it you were going to say?"

"I was actually wondering what you were going to do now that you're not going to work for the Dark Lord anymore."

She smiled at him bitterly and raised a brow. "Who says I'm not going to work for him anymore? I've finished training and my Ritual is coming up."

He fought a grimace arising on his face at the mention of the Ritual. "My father is going to fail you, you know," he said quietly. "And -"

She smirked. "And losers in our field never live," she finished for him. Her smile faded as she stooped to pick up another flower. "Maybe it's better that way."

His brows rose in surprise. "No, Gayle," he began, but she just shook her head.

"Forget it, Draco, I didn't mean it."

He walked up to her. "Didn't you?"

She looked at him but started to pull the petals from the flower. "Let's talk about you." He crossed his arms across his chest. "Are you going to pass or fail?"

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" he asked.

Gayle smiled at him genuinely. "I think you'll know before you start the second test, won't you, Draco?" She tilted her head sideways as if she were trying to look at him better. He didn't say anything and she went on. "You're going to make another decision." Her smile was now rather solemn and she took his hand in his. "You'll pick the right one."

He looked down at their clasped hands. "But how will I know which one is right?" he murmured.

She just smiled again and let go of his hand. "You'll know. You're the only one left now," she whispered, but he had already turned and walked away.

* * * * *

"I'll keep looking," said Bill as Remus hurriedly put on his cloak. "I'm sure that the Death Eaters didn't get all the manuscripts with the cure of the tracking spell."

Remus nodded. "I feel the same. I'll contact you again. Thanks for your help, Bill," he said and waved goodbye before apparating away.

Soon, he was at the hospital. He rushed inside and stopped when he got to the doctor. "Persuasia Curses - it's a type of tracking spell," he said immediately.

Dr. Wexler frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, if you look on her file, you'll find that this has happened before - and it was the same curse."

"Do you know what the cure is, then?" wondered the Medi-Wizard, his eyes lighting with hope.

Remus shook his head. "No."

The doctor nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin. This will be a great help."

"How is she?"

"Mostly the same, only a bit worse. However, with your information, I'm sure she'll be fine. We only need to find the cure now that we know the curse that was used."

Remus nodded. "May I have a moment alone with her please?" he asked.

The doctor stepped out of his way. "Of course."

Remus walked in and saw Sirius much in the same position, as he had been when Remus had left. "Sirius," he said. The large black dog lifted his head slightly from his paws. "You can change now."

Sirius transformed. "What happened? Why did you race off like that?"

"I just remembered the last time this happened." Sirius averted his gaze and sat at the edge of Hallie's bed. His expression was like it was when the Gryffindor Quidditch team had lost a game though how it was much more desperate and despairing.

"I have a feeling things won't end the way they did then, Remus. I've tried to change that feeling, but it just won't go away," he said softly.

Remus came over and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It will work out, Sirius. I've told the doctors what the curse is and they're looking into it." Sirius nodded rather absently. Suddenly, there was an explosion. There were screams in the hallway and laughter as well. Remus jumped up, suddenly remembering why he had raced back to the hospital so quickly. "Sirius, you have to come with me. The Death Eaters are after you."

The man looked up at him. "What?"

"They're using Hallie as bait - bait to lure you in! They're here for you!" He pulled on Sirius' arm, then let go. "Change back, change back now," he said urgently. The laughter and screams out in the hallway were getting louder. Sirius transformed. "Stand close to me, I'm going to Apparate to the mansion."

Sirius and Remus were soon at Forester mansion. Nor looked up from the newspaper he was reading and looked at them in surprise. "Oh, you're back then," he said. "I've cooked a meal for three. It's still in the oven but will be ready soon."

Remus frowned. "Three?" Nor looked pointedly at the large black dog next to Remus. "How - how did you -," but the other man just smiled his vague smile. "What do the doctors say about Hallie?" he wondered.

"They just have to find the cure now that they know what the curse is," replied Remus, still surprised at Nor's knowledge.

Nor nodded, then looked to the black dog. "You may transform back - you're perfectly safe with me," he said cheerfully.

There was slight hesitation in Sirius' eyes. He looked at Remus who nodded, then he transformed. His eyes were wide when he looked at Nor. "Who are you? How did you - how did you know that I was a - a -"

"An Animagus?" Nor smiled his mysterious smile. "You'd be surprised what I know. And as for who I am, my name is Griffith - Nor Griffith," he said, holding his hand out.

Sirius shook hands with him warily, a strange look in his eyes, and then he turned to Remus. "Why did you bring me here? Why didn't you take Hallie too? Didn't you hear the screams?"

Remus looked at him gravely. "Remember when this happened before?" he asked softly. Sirius closed his eyes and put his hands over his face. He made his way over to an armchair and sank into it with an air of defeat. "The Dark Lord is making a reoccurrence. I visited Bill because the first time this happened, he helped me to find a counter spell for the tracking curse. We both believe that - that Voldemort is after you."

Sirius' hands dropped into his lap as he looked up at Remus with wide eyes. "Me? Why - why would they -"

The other man averted his gaze and ran a hand through his hair. He swallowed noticeably with the demeanor of a child who doesn't wish to tell a parent the wrong they have done. "I - I've been thinking about this and...and I think that - perhaps he's after Harry - again."

Sirius' breath caught in his throat and he bit down upon the flesh of his lower lip. "Harry?" he repeated in a strained voice.

Remus met his eyes quickly. "I could be wrong - I've been thinking about it a lot and - but I'm not sure. Hallie - I'm not sure if the Dark Lord knows of her relation to Harry - but I'm almost positive he knows the relationship between you and her. Then, that leads to the bond you have with Harry. However, he may be after you."

"Me?" Sirius echoed faintly. "Why?"

Remus ran a hand down his face and Nor noted that lines of strain were now more pronounced upon the man's face then ever before. "I - I'm not sure. I've given this a lot of thought. My best guess is still with Harry because - well - Voldemort has always been after him." His eyes drifted back to Sirius'. "I don't know what else to tell you, Sirius," he said softly.

Sirius rubbed his temples. "What am I supposed to do?" he murmured in despair. "What can I do?"

Nor looked at the raven-haired man thoughtfully. If Hallie was being used to lure in Sirius - and Sirius lured in to bait Harry...then why didn't Voldemort just use Sirius instead of Hallie? - To skip a step? Nor shook his head looked between Sirius and Remus, a frown upon his face. There was a missing piece to the puzzle - something he knew that would help here. It was a prophecy, that much was clear to him...but as to which one, he had no idea. He did remember a part of it... 'Upon the rising of the whole moon...' but the rest of it was lost to him.

Sirius stood up suddenly. "I'm leaving," he stated. Remus looked at him. "I'm going to get her."

"Sirius -"

"If she's in any danger at all, I should be doing something - I - I just should." Remus noted that his voice shook ever so slightly.

"Sirius, I -"

"No, I'm going and I won't let you stop me, Remus, not this time. I can't - I can't just - just leave her there...and in the state she's in...she's defenseless. I -"

"Oh, Sirius, do be quiet," said Remus in exasperation. "Please, I was trying to say that I was just going to go and make sure she's all right. Now that you're here and safe from them, I can go! This was supposed to be quick but then you started asking questions and-," but Sirius was already pushing him out the door.

* * * * *

Harry sat with Ron in the Gryffindor common room playing Wizard's Chess. "Er - I'll see you both at dinner, all right?" said Hermione as she walked over.

Harry nodded at her absently. "Sure, sure," he said. His head rested on his hands as he stared at the chessboard as if he could find the meaning of life somewhere on it.

Ron leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Ah, just wait one more second. This game is about over."

Harry said, "Yeah, almost ov-," then he stopped and glared at Ron who grinned at him, his hands up in defense.

"Just kidding!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll meet you guys down there, I've got something I have to do," she said, and left hurriedly.

Ron watched after her with a peculiar expression. "She's gone nuts, I'm telling you," he said.

Harry, who had gone back to incoherent words of defeat nodded and mumbled something. Seamus came up behind him. "Move the queen," he told the boy.

Harry looked up at him in confusion, then his eyes brightened. "Checkmate!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Ron nearly fell of his chair as he looked at the chessboard. "Oh bloody -," but Dean came over and swatted the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Watch your mouth young man!" said Dean with a laugh.

Seamus tilted the chair and Harry spilled out of it. The other boy plopped himself in it and started rearranging the pieces. "My turn to face Ronnikins," he declared.

Ron scowled at him. "Don't call me that." He paused. "And where'd u get that name anyway?"

Seamus grinned. "Fred and George of course." Ron rolled his eyes and muttered 'of course'. "I bet your girl is out on a secret snogging session," he said after a while. Ron looked at him with a raised brow. "Hermione," Seamus added.

Harry rolled his eyes heavenward. "How much butterbeer did you drink, huh?" Seamus swatted the back of his head.

Dean grinned. "'Tis true, or so I think. She's been going off secretly a lot now. Probably to snog Malfoy."

Ron made a strangled sound. "Malfoy? Hermione?" He looked at them in incredulity. "You're all sick."

Seamus' smile was evil. "You're jealous..." he said in a singsong voice. Dean joined in. "You're jealous..."

Ron's ears went pink. "I - I'm not!"

"You're jealous..."

Harry shook his head. "Leave poor Ronnikins alone, guys," he said and received a glare from Ron.

"I don't like her! I don't!"

"Just keep telling yourself that, Ronnie," said Seamus, "then maybe you'll believe it."

* * * * *

The sounds were faint, but she could hear them now. She hear her own heartbeat - slow, but reliable. She could hear her breathing and could feel the strain to keep the breaths coming. There were screams nearby - also faint, but there nonetheless. A loud bang echoed nearby and swam sluggishly in her mind, but she could not discern what the bang was. There was laughter nearby now - cruel, mirthless laughter. She shut her eyes tighter and felt tears escape through her lids. That laughter - it hurt to even hear it, to hear it amid the screams of pain and unbearable fear.

A flash of green light glowed through her lids and a small sound of fright escaped her lips. She blinked her eyes open and saw a haze of black and white - all black and white...no gray at all. Slowly, things swam back into focus. She fought to sit up and found that her whole body seemed to be made of dense liquid. She couldn't even support her own weight. The thought was terrifying as the blurry shapes started to take on a solid form and their faces become clearer.

"Severus," she whispered. His expression was horrifying and a strangled sound was caught in her throat. A man was before her, and he was familiar, but she couldn't place him. The man held his wand before him threateningly - a wicked smile upon his face. She tried once more to sit up, to move even a bit - but could not. "Don't come near me," she tried to say, but it came out just near inaudible. She shook her head at him, her eyes large with fear, her face contorted with dread.

"Don't you recognize me?" asked the familiar man in a deathly calm voice. Severus saw his smile broaden and felt his stomach turn inside him.

Hallie tried keeping herself together and made herself move to a sitting position. She pulled the air mask off her face. "You stay away from me," she said in a trembling voice. "Just stay away."

The man's hand shot out and hit her across the face. With the force of the blow, his hand had made a crimson handprint take shape on her cheek. She fell from the bed to the opposite side from where he was. There, she pulled herself away until she was against the wall. Her eyes darted from the window nearby to the door - then to Severus. Large sapphire blue eyes stared at him in horror as he advanced towards her, next to the man.

"Severus," she whispered again.

His expression was a mask of blankness and his eyes a façade of cold steel. "Hush, now, Hallie," he said softly.

The other man laughed, apparently finding the exchange amusing. "So you know one another, then?" he wondered, laughter still present in his voice. "How very...touching."

She glared at him and used the bedside table to help bring herself to a standing position. "What do you want?" He muttered something under his breath and she was too surprised by the effect to notice Severus' expression. She found it harder to breathe, as if there wasn't enough air in the room, and her mind was swirling. Hallie fought to keep conscious as she sank deeper and deeper into the darkness overwhelming her.

Suddenly, a hand came around her throat and she gasped for breath as it tightened, nearly breaking her windpipe. "Don't worry, it's almost over," said a voice softly next to her ear. "Then you'll know." There was a clang nearby and everything in her vision turned into an incomprehensible haze. She closed her eyes tightly. The man's hand came away from her throat and she slid to the floor, gasping and coughing.

Faintly, she heard loud sounds and it seemed an eternity until her hands came up to save her ears from the head aching voices. Her strength was failing, and with a frightened feeling, she was aware that whatever had ailed her before, was making her ill once more. She felt an arm go under her knees and another below her back. Then she was hoisted up. She forced her eyes open, desperate to see who was whisking her away. Whoever it was - they were surprisingly gently.

Her eyes opened slightly and through the gap she saw him. A small smile flitted on her lips. "Remus," she heard herself whisper, then she was conquered by darkness once more.

* * * * *

Gayle rubbed her temples. "Too much," she muttered. She was still sitting by the lake. Draco had left a while before for dinner, but she had wished to be alone instead. She hadn't been very hungry. Her gaze drifted to the castle and she wondered whether she should go back at all.

She forced herself to stand up and with an air of defeat, made her way to the school. Some things had to be done. She wondered when everything would be peaceful. Recollections piled into her mind of when she was younger. Everything had seemed so easy back then - decisions weren't hard ones.

Her thoughts roamed to Keilan. He was tall, much taller than she was, and only one year older than she was. She missed him terribly. One lesson they had always been taught was to never care - never love - and, if possible, never feel at all. Feelings dimmed reason, to feel something for anyone was a weakness. She had tried - tried as hard as she could to block out all of her emotions - she had wanted so much to be like the grown ups, the initiated Death Eaters. They were so forbidding, so mysterious and like all the other kids in Training, she wanted to be like them. But Keilan didn't. Keilan was different from everyone. He loved to laugh, loved to smile, loved to help the other kids. He had always been the best out of everyone, other than Draco Malfoy - but that was irrelevant, no one was really permitted to be better than Draco, he was the son of Voldemort's right hand - Lucius Malfoy. She felt a smile on her face as she thought of her older brother. He was the one she would always go to whenever she had a problem.

One day, a long time ago, she had had trouble with the Imperius Curse. After numerous times of practice, she still hadn't been able to get it right, even when all the other children had mastered it. After the justified punishment was dealt, she remembered running to Keilan, crying. He had smiled at her with his sunny smile and hugged her comfortingly. Others would have taken the unusual gesture malevolently, but he had taught her that such shows of affection were all right. She had always loved him for his eccentricity. Where others were cruel and merciless, he was there, sympathetic and understanding. That day, he taught her not only to perform the Imperius Curse, but to deflect it as well. She could no longer be subject to it - but no one knew that except Keilan.

Then, neither was Owen.

Gayle wondered what Keilan would have done if he were in her place. He wouldn't have let Owen die - he would have done something. And her current situation? He wouldn't ever have gotten himself into such a mess. She was stuck now. Her Ritual was slowly drawing nearer. Would she let herself be enslaved and get the brand of the Dark Lord on her arm? Or would she refuse? Inevitably, she knew she would meet Keilan's end, and she doubted she could take it as bravely as he had. It seemed as if he had known what he was facing when he refused yet he was still determined to do as he pleased.

Her heart contracted painfully within her and she had to stop walking. She put a hand to her chest and breathed deeply. It hurt at first, but the more she did it, the more the pain seemed to slip away. Something fell onto her hand and she looked at it in bewilderment. It was a drop of liquid. She put a hand to her cheek and found it wet with tears. Quickly, she brushed them away and stood up. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. After moments of deep breaths, she looked up and opened her eyes.

She saw him standing there, his eyes bright. "Keilan," she whispered.

He smiled at her. His figure shimmered as if he was just a dream. She stood up when he beckoned to her with his hand. He held it out, his smile the wonderful smile he reserved only for her. "Come," he said softly, his voice eerie. She trotted after him, seeing everything as she would in a dream.

Suddenly, the world seemed to change before her. Everything was black and white. When she looked at him next, he was a haze of white and gray. A flower nearby was a flash of white. A student walked past her and she saw that he was a mist of gray like that of thunderclouds. Another student went by and she was much like the color of milk.

Gayle's eyes darted back to Keilan, but he wasn't there. She stood before the doors of the Great Hall. The door opened and out came Joey Forester with the new girl from Crescent Village Academy. Joey's sapphire blue eyes met Gayle's emerald green ones. She blinked at him. He was the color of the cream colored clouds on a nice spring day.

Cautiously, she looked down at herself, afraid of what she might see and saw...nothing.