Eyes as Green as a Fresh Pickled Toad

Chapter Nineteen

Mucking About With Hormones

Lily and James sodded off. They retreated to the fourth-floor room behind the dragon tapestry--the one in which Lily had her first necklace dream--and spent several hours making up for lost time. Lily couldn't remember ever feeling so warm or happy or dizzy or...so thoroughly kissed. And there were no interruptions--absolutely none--no one barging in on them, no homework assignments hanging over their heads, no obligations whatsoever except for maybe eating or sleeping eventually, but really, what did eating and sleeping matter when James had his arms wrapped around her?

She lost track of time. She lost track of thoughts. Had she been with him an hour? A day? Did it matter, even, and why was she trying to figure this out when there were so many other pleasant things she could be doing?

Lily shifted closer to James and leaned into his kiss, circling both her arms around his neck. He tugged her still closer--could she be any closer?--and just held her there, letting his lips do all the work. Lily didn't mind this very much at all, but the way her heart was skipping--the way her breath was catching--suggested that she might have to pull away soon, or some part of her just might burst, for some reason other than pure happiness.

Lily came up for air. She buried her face in the crook of James's neck, gasping a bit, and noted with satisfaction the way James's breath was catching in his throat. She loved having that effect on him. Lily had never imagined she'd be important enough to someone to have that effect on them, but she seemed to make James's breath catch quite often, and happiness bubbled inside her chest when she thought of this.

James rested his head on Lily's shoulder, and she ran a hand through his hair, leaning in to kiss him on the neck. He made a funny noise when she did this, and she grinned, leaning in to kiss him there again. The noise he made this time was so, so adorable Lily just couldn't stop herself from kissing him there again--and again--and again--until James was having a very hard time breathing.

"Lily," he said finally, taking her face in his hands.

"Mm?" Lily replied, slightly disappointed. She'd been rather enjoying herself.

"D'you think I could get a second to--you know--breathe?"

Lily grinned evilly and leaned in to kiss him once--no, once wasn't enough--she brought his lips to hers a second time--and then sighed and relented. "All right," she agreed, still feeling a bit winded herself.

James stretched his legs out and scooted down so he was half-laying, half-sitting on the couch, his head propped up by several fluffy pillows. Lily kicked her shoes off and swung her legs onto the couch as well, resting her head on his chest.

She loved this. Loved feeling the warm length of his body nestled against hers, the sound of his heart under her ear, the rise and fall of his chest under her head...she could just stay like this, she thought, warm and happy and heady with the after-effects of kissing...forever. Maybe this is just a precursor to forever, she thought sleepily. Maybe this is what heaven's like. A thousand moments just like this, going over and over again.

She felt so...so....

She resisted putting a name on it...resisted labeling it what she was very afraid it was. It can't be, the voices in her head whispered. It just can't be.

One more to love, one more to lose.

And she wouldn't lose James. Wouldn't.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked softly, his thumb spinning in soft circles across her back.

Lily hadn't realized how lost in thought she'd been, how close to sleep she'd been, until James's voice jerked her back. It took a moment for her to process her surroundings.

"You," she said finally, wiggling so she could wrap an arm across him.

"I can't say I blame you," he joked, and Lily, whose eyes were closed, heard the grin in his voice and couldn't suppress a grin of her own.

She pinched him lightly. "Bigheaded prat," she mumbled.

"Mm," James agreed, kissing the top of her head.

Lily sighed happily as James wrapped his arms around her, and tried to think about how happy she was, but she found that her thoughts interfered with the actual feeling of happiness, so she let them go. Not thinking, not thinking...just drifting...to sleep, maybe? To heaven? Did it matter? Did she care? Was she even really awake anymore? Surely moments this pleasant didn't come except in dreams.

Lily didn't know how long she laid there with James. She felt herself slipping in and out of sleep several times, but didn't dream. Or if she did dream, it was about her and James, lying here, content and peaceful and so completely in...

In...

Harmony?

Lily's eyes flew open. She stared at the fireplace for a minute, thinking.

Harmony, she decided fiercely. Not the other word. I'm too...too...

I'm too young for that, she finished lamely.

Once she thought it was true. What did people her age know about...about love...anyway?

Now she thought she was just scared.

If she didn't feel that way about him, then it wouldn't hurt so much if she ever...if he ever...if...

What a way to ruin a perfectly good paradise, Lily, she scolded herself. Thinking about things like that.

I won't lose him, she thought stubbornly, clutching him. I won't.

"Lily?" James mumbled, sounding very sleepy. "Whassamatter?"

Lily hadn't realized how tightly she'd been holding him. She loosened her grip. "Sorry," she whispered, her cheeks tingeing pink. "Go back to sleep."

"Was I asleep?" he asked, just as sleepily.

"Yes," Lily said, smiling a little. "Don't mind me. Go back to sleep."

"No, I'm awake...really..."

"I'll go back to sleep, too," she offered.

"We shouldn't be sleeping," James reasoned, his words slurring a bit now.

"Shh," Lily said gently. "It's all right. It's nice, lying here with you."

James let out a little murmur of agreement, but he'd already begun drifting off to sleep again. Lily drifted with him, and now she did dream.

She burst into her Not-Dream, the new one, with the brown-haired woman she didn't recognize, and spent a moment mourning the loss of Laurelle. But she didn't have much time to dwell on it, because the woman--whoever she was--was in a hurry, and Lily got distracted by her urgency. She clutched a stack of books against her chest and hurried past a row of bookshelves to a table where books, quills, and pieces of parchment were strewn everywhere. The woman dropped her books onto the table eagerly and seized a quill, scribbling something onto a piece of parchment so quickly and eagerly Lily honestly could not read what she was writing. The brown-haired woman didn't seem concerned, however, and kept writing with such eagerness Lily could feel a cramp forming in her hand.

She picked up a large green book and flipped through it, ignoring the puffs of dust she elicited with the turning of its pages. The writing in the book was also small, scrawling, and barely decipherable, but the brown-haired woman seemed to have no trouble reading that, either, and scribbled down a few more incomprehensible notes. She made a few more references to her textbooks, and then sat down in a chair, grabbing a new quill and tossing the old one over her shoulder excitedly. She shoved all of the used bits of parchment out of the way so eagerly some of them fluttered to the ground, but she didn't bother to pick them up. Instead, she grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment and a new ink bottle and began scribbling away at length, just as merrily and incomprehensibly as ever.

Lily was beginning to wonder how long she would have to sit here, hunched over, cramping her hand up writing words she couldn't read, when a voice sounded from somewhere in the library, and the woman jerked up, searching for its source.

"Livana! Where are you? Liv--ah, there you are."

A tall, brown-haired, pinch-faced man popped out from behind a bookshelf and walked over to Livana's table frowning. "Isn't it a little late for research?" he asked, and Livana's cheeks flushed as she hurried to gather up her things.

"I'm sorry, sir--I'll have this cleaned up right away," she said, and Lily was surprised at how grainy her voice was. Laurelle's had been so melodic. Livana's movements, too, were hastier and stiffer than Laurelle's, and, Lily thought, as Livana gathered up her things and ran to put books back, that she was much clumsier.

"It is past six, Miss Delany," the brown-haired man noted, checking his pocket watch pointedly.

"I know, sir, I know--I'm really very sorry--"

"I cannot have you lurking around on nights when I have to entertain my men's club. You know that, Livana."

"Yes, sir, I do--I apologize, once again, for my rudeness. I just lost track of time, you see, but I was nearly finished, and--"

"You seem to lose track of time quite often, Miss Delany," sniffed the man, who apparently could not decide how he wanted to address her. "You might consider investing in a watch."

"Oh, I--I have one, sir," Livana said, holding up her wrist rather lamely, but the man had already turned away and begun walking out of the library. Livana scowled at him as he rounded the corner, and shoved all her things into a large brown bag angrily. "Stupid men's club won't be here until eight...don't see why he lets me use his library at all if he's going to keep quibbling over how long I'm here...bad enough I have to tutor his simple children...."

She muttered a few more unkind words before setting her now-full bag down and wrapping herself in a heavy winter cloak and scarf. Lily noted the scratches on her hands as she pulled her gloves on, and remembered them from the first dream. Where did she get them? Lily wondered vaguely as Livana gathered up her bag and walked briskly out of the library.

As Livana navigated her way through a series of corridors and staircases, Lily searched as best she could for something familiar. But these halls were completely foreign to her, and she didn't believe they were in Potter's Cottage, as Laurelle had been. Is Livana related to James? she wondered. Would Livana be going going home now? Does she live in Potter's Cottage, perhaps?

But Lily didn't get to find out where Livana lived, for no sooner had Livana stepped out the front door than Lily was pulled abruptly out of her dream by a shake of the shoulder from James.

"Wha-?" Lily muttered, still half-asleep.

"I'm sorry," James whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was just getting up to go to the bathroom. I guess I tugged on your shoulder--sorry."

Lily sighed and blinked her eyes open. "It's all right. That's what I get for falling asleep on your chest."

James grinned and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back."

While he was gone, Lily mulled over her dream. Sadly, there wasn't a lot to mull over, except maybe the scratches on Livana's hands, which looked oddly familiar for some reason. She rolled this around in her mind for a while, and decided they were only familiar because she'd seen the same scratches on the same hands the first time she'd had a dream about Livana.

James came back and interrupted her train of thought by sitting on the couch wrapping his arms around her. "What are you thinking about?"

"My dreams," Lily sighed, staring at the fireplace.

James tensed. "Bad dreams?"

Lily shook her head. "No, not this time. Just...confusing."

He frowned. "Were they like...the ones you had before you left? About...Laurelle?"

Lily nodded. "Laurelle's...gone," she said slowly, and told James about the development of her dreams during Auror Training. "And this new girl I've been dreaming about," Lily continued, fiddling with the chain around her neck, "she's got the necklace, too. I don't understand, James...why am I having these dreams?"

"I don't know," he replied. He tried to sound nonchalant, but Lily could tell that her description of Laurelle's death had jarred him. "Lily," he said after a few minutes, "are you sure there's no way to take the necklace off?"

"I've tried, James. There isn't any clasp--see for yourself."

James, who had fastened the necklace onto Lily in the first place, frowned as he slid the chain through his hands and didn't discover any clasp. "And--you're sure it won't fit over your neck?"

"Yes," Lily replied, exasperated. "And anyway--after what happened to Laurelle, I don't know that I'm brave enough to try again."

James fidgeted uncomfortably and stared at the floor, thinking.

"What?" Lily asked.

James hesitated. "Lily...how can you be sure that these dreams of yours are...accurate? I mean, how sure are you that any of this even happened?"

"I'm positive, James," she said impatiently. "I've never had such...lucid dreams before. And besides, these people are related to you. When we go back to Potter's Cottage for Christmas, I can prove it to you."

"Are you sure about that?" James asked, for the first time wishing he'd paid more attention to the family tree hanging in the library.

"Well...I'm sure Laurelle's related to you, anyway. She was married to Patrick Gryffindor. He has to be related to Godric in some way, doesn't he? And since you're related to Godric..."

"I guess," James agreed, but he still sounded unsure. "Lily, are you sure...the necklace...it hasn't...bothered you, has it?"

"No," Lily said softly, fingering the pendant. "It just feels like a regular necklace."

"You can't stop fiddling with it," James noted.

"I always fiddle with jewelry," Lily said, shrugging, but she let the pendant drop. She couldn't help fiddling with it when she was talking about it.

"Lily...if...if it ever starts acting...um...funny, I...well...would you let me know right away?" he asked anxiously. "I mean, if I'd known it was enchanted I never would have--"

"James," Lily said gently, interrupting him. "I don't think anything bad is going to happen. And I don't think the necklace has been enchanted maliciously, either. I agree with what Dumbledore said when I asked him about it--I think it's been enchanted to protect the wearer. That's why it won't come off. And with Laurelle--well, she was being strangled. I guess it was just trying to stop her attacker."

James frowned. "Lily, I don't like the thought of this necklace having a mind of its own."

"I don't...I don't really think it does. It's just been enchanted, that's all. I couldn't think of a better way to describe it."

"Well...but who enchanted it? And how long has it been enchanted? Magic can get warped over time, you know, and if Laurelle lived long enough ago that she was still living in Gryffindor's Castle and not Potter's Cottage...well...let's just say anything could have happened during that time."

"Something did happen," Lily agreed. "Livana Delany got hold of it. Now that I'm back at Hogwarts, I intend to research both women as heavily as I can. And Dumbledore suggested that on our next Hogsmeade trip, I visit Mr. Zorcoran and ask him about it."

"That sounds like a good idea. And...you're sure it's all right?" James asked, eyeing the necklace warily.

"Yes," Lily insisted, taking his face between her hands. "I'm positive. All right?"

James looked at her for a minute. "All right," he agreed.

Lily pulled him toward her and laced his lips with hers, and they forgot about talking for a while.

Melody thought of Sirius. She wrapped her brain around her thoughts like a sponge, until it soaked up so many it couldn't hold any more. She couldn't get out of her head the way Sirius had looked at her the day he came back. He'd just...stared at her, longer and better than he had in ages, and she wished he'd look at her like that all of the time.

Since that day, he'd hardly looked at her at all, and she felt like she was shriveling up from it. After all, it was one thing to know that Sirius was hundreds of miles away, hating her, but it was a completely different and somewhat crushing experience to know that he was practically in the next room, wanting her, and she couldn't have him. She couldn't have him until he made sure it was all right with Mimi, and Sirius had been avoiding talking with Mimi. Subsequently, he'd been avoiding Melody, partly because he didn't want to stir up unnecessary trouble with Mimi if she saw them hanging out together innocently, but partly because both of them knew that if they did try to hang out together innocently...it probably wouldn't stay innocent for very long.

Melody rolled over in bed, stared at her curtains, and sighed. She'd always wanted Sirius, for about as long as she'd known him, but it had never been this bad. She really needed to talk to Lily about this. No...no, really she needed to talk to Sirius about this, but that wasn't exactly a viable option at the moment. For one, she couldn't trust herself to talk to him for very long without ending up putting her mouth to his, and for another...well, was it still full moon out?

She pushed her curtains aside and slid out of her four-poster, padding over to the window in the girls' dormitory. The moon hung in a silvery, whole orb in the sky, accompanied by a few thin clouds. Melody's heart sank a bit. Sirius would be out there with Remus, then, so there was no chance of talking to him even if she dared.

Melody thought it was reasonably unfair and agonizing that she still had to wait around for Sirius--she'd been waiting around for him for years--but she supposed this was what she got for rejecting him. I hope I never have to hurt him again, she thought miserably. I hope this all works out in the end. I can be with Siirus and repay my uncle and save my family and everything will be all right.

She swallowed the growing lump in her throat and wrapped her arms around herself, knowing very well that things just might not turn out all right. But she didn't want to think about that--couldn't think about that, or the guilt might overwhelm her and she'd ruin things with Sirius again.

And she couldn't lose him again. She wouldn't. No more of this stupidity. No more games, no more lies, no more flirting with boys she didn't really like or messing with her stupid hair to try and make Sirius want her. Just...no more. She had to be with him, had to tell him how she felt about him, now, soon, or...or...it would never happen. It would be too late. Her heart would rip itself into tiny pieces, and she'd spend the rest of her life thinking what if, what if? and if only, if only.... She couldn't afford to have any more what if?s in her life--she'd screwed it up too badly already.

And she had a feeling that, whether she wanted it or not, her innocence was about to be stripped from her. She was still innocent about so many things--she'd just failed to notice how many until her uncle started peeling all the facets of her innocence away, one by one.

Trust, for example. She thought her heart had hardened against quick and easy trust long ago when Voldemort took her father from her, but she was still vulnerable in one huge area, which Hans had managed to exploit to its fullest potential: Her family. She'd trusted Hans because he was family, and he would never understand how much it hurt that he'd betrayed her. She'd never been anything more to him than an asset...a trophy...Hans' own little prize. A prize that he could parade around to his friends in the hopes that one of them would snatch her up and then, by association, help relieve him of his iniquities.

And Melody, stupid Melody, had put her complete faith in the old fat bastard because he was family. He was her father's brother, and for a long time she thought that meant something. That she meant something. Who could she trust, if not her family?

Who did Hans trust? Anyone?

Certainly he didn't trust Melody, especially not now, after her hustling fake watches, sneaking around to meet with Paolo, hopping an illegal Portkey to New York City.... Certainly he didn't trust her. Certainly not. And certainly Melody was no longer foolish enough to trust him.

Catalina, perhaps? Did Hans trust her? Could Melody trust her? She'd never been quite able to figure Catalina out. Was she there because of Hans? Or because of his money? Love or greed? And was she still with him, now that he appeared to be going belly-up? Or was Hans trying to prostitute her off, too?

Catalina spent as much as Melody when they shopped, and had never expressed to Melody any intent to repay Hans. Does Catalina know about any of this? Does she know what Hans is trying to make me do? Melody wondered, and didn't know what to think.

Catalina always seemed remarkably on top of things, and handled Hans's moods with an amount of subtlety and grace Melody would never possess. But she did not seem like the kind of person who would allow another woman to be treated in the manner Melody was being treated, and it hurt to think she might know of Melody's plight and had not yet owled to offer any advice or guidance, or seemed to have swayed Hans's opinion in any way.

Perhaps she knew and she was trying to aid Melody, and Melody was simply unaware of it.

But this seemed like too much to hope for, so she didn't waste her time thinking about it.

Melody could not, however, get her mind off Sirius, and she sighed as her thoughts came full-circle. Oh, Sirius, she sighed inwardly. I'm going to explode if you don't get it over with and talk to Mimi already....

But there was no point urging him to do so tonight; Mimi was unreachable and undoubtedly asleep, and anyway Sirius wasn't here. Melody crawled back into bed and tried to empty her mind of thoughts, but when she finally fell asleep Sirius was there in her dreams, waiting for her.

When Melody awoke to discover that Sirius's arms weren't wrapped around her after all, she was just tangled up in blankets, she got a pang of loneliness so intense she thought she might cry.

Dreams are like torture, she thought bitterly.

Perhaps she was being melodramatic, but she didn't care. She couldn't stand it anymore.

Melody rolled out of bed, too impatient to sleep any longer, and groaned at the window as she saw that the sun had only just risen. It would be hours yet before Sirius would drag himself out of bed, and hours more before she could convince him to talk to Mimi...and yet more hours after that until she could finally lean against him and claim his lips with hers.

Melody slouched down the stairs, feeling rather put out, and dumped herself in the armchair nearest the fireplace. I really ought to talk to Lily about all this, she considered. She needed a chance to catch up with her best friend, and it would be a welcome distraction from thinking about Sirius.

All right, so maybe that was a lie. Maybe she really didn't want to stop thinking about Sirius. Maybe she loved thinking about Sirius--loved the way her stomach did somersaults when she thought about him, loved the goose bumps that erupted on her skin when someone said his name, loved the heart palpitations she got when he looked at her and said her name--loved everything about him. His voice, his hair, his eyes, the way she felt when he hugged her--when he kissed her--

Oh, Melody, she sighed to herself, shaking her head. You've got it BAD. Her stomach fluttered oddly when she thought of this, and her hands shook a little. I know, she replied to herself, not sure whether the shakiness in her hands was a good thing.

Melody burned away the earlier hours of the morning sitting in front of the fireplace, thinking, and didn't show signs of life until the younger students began trickling down the stairs for breakfast.

Melody shifted in her chair impatiently and stared across the common room. She had a good view of the Seventh Year boys' dormitory staircase from here, and focused on it intently, looking for a sign of the Marauders. She figured they would be a bit late for breakfast, if they came down for breakfast at all, and tried to make herself wait patiently using this logic, but it didn't work. She waited for Sirius feeling as high-strung as ever, wanting to pounce on him the first moment she could and beg him to talk to Mimi, now--today, at least--but he didn't come quickly.

In fact, Melody could have sworn she saw all of Gryffindor House trickle down the staircases and file out the portrait hole before the Marauders made an appearance. Melody's stomach was grumbling and the common room was half-full with students returning from breakfast before Melody saw the familiar forms of the Marauders on the stairs.

Peter first, then Remus--then James--Holy Mother of Merlin, did the boy have to make everything torturous? But finally Sirius emerged as well, and Melody's throat promptly dried up. God, he looked handsome, even like that, with a sleepy, dull sort of look in his eyes, and the back of his hair sticking up in little tufts because he'd forgotten to run a comb through it. Melody briefly imagined him waking up in her bed looking like that, and then shook her head to clear her thoughts.

You are NOT helping, she informed her hormones, but they ignored her, sending her pulse jumping as Sirius spotted her from across the common room and gave her a small grin of hello. She stood as he neared her, and her hormones yelled at her to hug him--kiss him--do something--but all she could do was smile tentatively and ask if he was going to breakfast.

"Yeah," he replied, and Melody joined him as he and the Marauders walked down to the Great Hall.

The whole way there, Melody ached to reach out and grab his hand, to lace his fingers with hers, but she forced herself to resist, and instead focused intently on her fingernails. Sirius glanced over at her several times, but neither of them said anything, and they were nearly to the Great Hall before Melody managed to find words. She put a hand on his arm, stopping him, and he turned to look at her.

"Sirius," she said softly, withdrawing her hand, "are you going to talk to Mimi soon?"

She expected him to look impatient or annoyed, but instead he just looked pained.

"Yes," he said finally. "I just...have to find the right time...the right place...."

"So ask her if you can meet her somewhere to talk!" Melody said, practically exploding with impatience. "Soon, Sirius, please--today, if you can manage it."

Sirius frowned. "Look, Melody, I...um...don't want to rush into things."

"Rush into things!" Melody cried. "For Merlin's sake, Sirius, we've been putting this off for three years! How much slower do you want to take it?"

Sirius grimaced. "Fair point."

"I mean...don't you want this to work?" she continued, losing her resolve and gathering his hands in hers. "Don't you want us to--"

"Yes," Sirius said firmly, withdrawing his hands. "What I mean is--look, I know I have to talk to Mimi. And I will. But Melody, I--" he cut himself off and sighed. "As stupid as it sounds...after everything that's happened...I don't want her to feel like I'm just tossing her aside to be with you. I have to make sure she's all right--really all right--with this before it can work."

Melody hugged her arms against her chest and frowned at Sirius's feet, considering. "You're right," she agreed. "That is stupid."

Sirius blinked at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "Well, if you'd rather I not speak to her at all--if you'd rather she hate both of us forever--"

"Damn it, Sirius, you know that's not what I meant. It's just--you said it was stupid yourself. You can't act like she's not going to see through you."

"Then what am I supposed to talk to her for? Aren't I supposed to be setting things right?"

"I--well--yes. You are."

"So let me do it, then, and stop criticizing me!"

Melody glared at him. "Just--if you're going to do it, would you do it soon, please? This is all very--you know--agonizing and stuff."

Sirius grinned, and Melody's hormones flared again. She considered wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his mouth down to hers as he said "All right" in agreement and pushed his hair back from his face in that careless, sexy way of his.

She thought about doing this--saw it happening in her mind--

And then ignored the way her heart was beating inside her chest and how the goose bumps were rippling across her skin, and turned away from him. She watched him walk to the Great Hall and swallowed forcefully, forcing her heart from her throat and back into her chest where it belonged.

"Er...hello, Mimi," Sirius said awkwardly, clearing his throat, and Mimi interrupted her conversation with Lily to look up at him curiously.

"Hi," she said back, and then stared at him.

"Um...what are you doing today?" Sirius inquired, shifting uneasily.

"Oh, you know...classes, homework, and...stuff." Mimi shrugged and tucked a bit of her shoulder-length brown hair behind her ear.

"Ah. That makes sense."

It was, after all, Tuesday.

"Yeah," Mimi replied, and frowned at him curiously. "Sirius, did you want to ask me something?"

Sirius cleared his throat again. "Well--yes, actually. I, um--yeah."

Mimi raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

"I think," Sirius said finally, trying to ignore all the curious eyes at the Ravenclaw table that were now turned in his direction, "there are some things we should talk about. D'you think maybe...some time today...."

"Yeah," Mimi said, nodding, finally catching Sirius's drift. "We should do that. Why don't we meet..." she trailed off, noting the curious pairs of eyes around her. "Um...outside the Great Hall. Around...three? And find someplace to talk."

Sirius nodded, then grinned. "Thanks, Mimi. See you then."

She nodded and turned back to the table. The Ravenclaw students around her tried to act as though they hadn't been listening to her conversation. Lily waved briefly at Sirius before he turned away.

Across the Great Hall, Melody grinned so widely she thought her face might split in two.

"So," Mimi said, looking over at Sirius.

They'd wandered around the castle for at least half an hour, pretending to look for a suitable place to have this conversation. Mimi had finally gotten tired of procrastinating and led Sirius to a classroom in one of the towers. These classrooms were excellent to hide in because no one ever used them and most students forgot they were there. The desks were a bit old and creaky, but still sturdy enough for Mimi to perch on one of them and look curiously across the room at Sirius.

He was leaning against the instructor's desk in the front of the room, arms crossed, frowning at the floor. His hair looked newly washed, and fell into his face with its usual sexy elegance. Mimi wondered if he'd washed it just for her, and then shook her head slightly, letting her eyes fall to the ground in embarrassment.

Stupid, she chastised herself. He doesn't care about you anymore.

But you don't care about him either...right?

Of course she didn't. But that didn't explain why she'd spent half an hour in front of her mirror today trying to get her hair to cooperate with her. Mimi's hair was brown and naturally curly, and looked rather mousy if she didn't take the pains to style it with expensive hair care products. She wore it short, an inch or so above her shoulders, and that made it easier to take care of, but sometimes the way her curls framed her face just wasn't flattering, and she had to wrestle with it, as she'd had to today.

She glanced back up at Sirius, whose mouth opened and closed several times as though he was going to speak.

"Just say it, Sirius," Mimi prodded.

He looked at her for the first time since they'd entered the classroom and studied her face carefully. "You say that as if I only have one thing to say."

Mimi considered. "I know there's one thing you're going to say."

Sirius's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes," she replied softly. "Really."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No. We'll get there soon enough."

"Well, why don't you start then, since you seem to know where we're going?"

Mimi glared at him. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't pretend. You know what you're going to say. You know why we're here."

Sirius looked at her for a moment. His eyes were dark today, expressive, but muddled all the same, and Mimi thought they looked a little bit like muddy puddles.

He considered. "Yes," he agreed finally, "but that doesn't mean I know where to begin."

Mimi sighed and dropped her gaze. Was she going to have this conversation by herself?

"Begin at...the beginning," she suggested, and lifted her gaze to his. "You asked me out. Why?"

Sirius winced. His eyes probed hers, hesitating.

"Tell me the truth," Mimi said. "There's no point lying again."

Sirius frowned. "I never lied to you, Mimi."

"Oh, but you asked me out when you were really interested in another girl."

Sirius blinked.

"Misleading, anyway. I'd say that counts as a lie," Mimi reasoned, crossing her arms.

"But you said yes," Sirius reminded her. "Were you really interested in me? Or just...trying to forget about somebody else?"

Mimi faltered. "I'm...not sure."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. Mimi pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Fine," she snapped. "So maybe I was trying to forget about Remus. That didn't mean I wasn't attracted to you."

"I think we had this conversation already."

"Oh, we did. It sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it?" Mimi spat, her poorly-buried anger bubbling up. "I suppose now you're going to tell me you were really attracted to me all that time, weren't you? That you weren't just kissing me and wishing I was Melody? That you cared about me all along, but oh, your love for Melody is just too great, and you just couldn't help yourself when she cornered you in a deserted classroom, it wasn't your fault, really, you never meant to hurt me--but oh, you just didn't think I'd ever find out about it! And conveniently it happened the day before you left--conveniently Melody and I managed to patch up our friendship in your absence--to clean up your damn mess for you--"

Mimi hopped off the desk now and stomped over to him. She stared up at him, eyes sparking in anger. "That's really lucky for you, Sirius. Do you appreciate how lucky you are?" She paused for a moment, fuming, and when he didn't speak she continued. "I bet now you expect me to forgive you--to bless you and Melody and whatever little thing it is you have going--to just forget like any of this ever happened and trot off with Remus like you never hurt me--like you never meant anything to me--like--like--"

Mimi spun away from Sirius quickly so he couldn't see the way her face was crumpling up. She wiped her tears away angrily, hastily, and jerked away from him when he tried to touch her.

"Don't you dare," she spat, whirling to face him and backing away. "I don't want your comfort."

Sirius stared at her, shocked, his eyes even more muddled, and Mimi stared back, her face screwed up with emotion.

"Mimi, I..." he began, then trailed off, looking baffled.

Mimi had never put anyone at a loss for words before. She kind of liked the feeling.

Sirius regained his composure eventually. "I don't know what to say to make you believe me. Yes--I was trying to make Melody jealous when I asked you out. You know that. But I did--and I don't expect you to believe me--I did care about you. I do care about you, I mean, just..."

"Not like that," Mimi finished for him. She circled her arms around herself protectively and stared at a dusty window across the room. "I know."

"Mimi, I expected you and Melody to be laying in wait with--I don't know--the Draught of Living Death when I got back. Not that I expected you to be working together, really--but I thought maybe considering what a git I've been--" he shrugged and shook his head. "I deserved something worse. Much worse than what you gave me. When I saw you and Melody with that sign, I...I didn't know what to think. I was--shocked, and relieved, and...grateful..."

"You might've said something."

"Well...I did, I just..."

"Just not to me," Mimi finished for him, and turned around slowly. "You just ignored me." She stared up at him finally, her eyes boring in to his. "You do that a lot when Melody's around."

Sirius was silent for a long moment. "I can't think of anything to say that you won't...scoff at," he said finally. "I...I'm sorry," was all he managed. "I know that doesn't mean much, and it doesn't fix anything, but...I don't know what else to say."

Mimi sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want you to be unhappy, Sirius," she said, her voice muffled. "And I know that's what I'm doing to you right now. I'm making you unhappy."

Mimi was beginning to regret her outburst. She was just supposed to be talking with Sirius about how he wanted to be with Melody, and how she wanted to be with Remus, and how that was all right with everybody, and how they were going to move on with their lives and forget there'd ever been anything more between them than friendship.

She lifted her face from her hands. "But you see why, don't you?" she asked. "Why I'm being so horrible?"

Sirius gazed at her, his eyes glossy in the candlelight. Flames reflected against his eyes, making it hard for Mimi to see the emotions playing out in them. But she thought he was beginning to understand. She hoped so. She was still trying to work it all out herself, really. Why was she being so ridiculous and difficult when she knew that anything she said at this point wasn't going to do anything more than delay the inevitable? Why did she still feel so angry? So hurt? So...wronged?

She'd forgiven Melody. She thought she'd forgiven Sirius.

But...Sirius hadn't been here for a month. It was harder to work out your fury on someone who wasn't there. Melody had taken the brunt of it, and she and Mimi had both suffered for it. But what had Sirius suffered? What had he gone through?

Lily said he felt horrible. That he'd brooded on it for a month and didn't know what he was going to do to set things right. And now...well, he didn't have to worry about that. Everything was working out just as Mimi had feared. Sirius came back and everything was fixed. Patched up for him, conveniently, and now he didn't give a rat's ass about Mimi; he was just here to alleviate what was left of his guilty conscience so he could go off with Melody. And how lucky for him that Mimi was going to let him.

Or she thought she was, anyway. Wasn't that why she was here? Wasn't that why they were both here?

She was going in circles now.

Mimi wished Sirius would say something.

"I do," Sirius managed finally, and Mimi wasn't sure she could remember what he was referring to. "Mimi...I don't know how to say this so you'll believe me. I'm not...I'm not here just because I want to be with Melody."

Mimi ignored the rest of his sentence. The last six words bore into her mind fiercely, and her eyelids fell like protective curtains over her eyes. Why is that painful? WHY?

He was telling her things she already knew. She was being ridiculous.

Sirius continued, and the sincerity in his voice almost tore her apart. Why did she feel on the verge of tears? Why? WHY?

"I'm here because I need everything all right between us," he said. "Not because I want to move on."

Mimi managed to compose herself enough to glare up at him distrustfully.

"Mimi, you know how I feel about Melody. And I know that I want to be with her. But right now that's not as important as you and me," he continued, sounding desperate.

"There is no you and me, Sirius," Mimi said, shaking her head. She couldn't stand looking at him anymore. She felt like he was tearing her apart from the inside...and it just didn't make any sense.

Mimi thought of Remus. She thought about how she felt about him, tried to conjure up her feelings for him, but all she could feel was the way Sirius was shredding up her heart. Stupid Mimi, she told herself, and turned away from Sirius. She walked over to the dusty window and looked out. The view was clear from here, except for the dust; they were far above tree level and the sky was only cloudy in patches. Blue seemed to stretch on for miles.

She breathed in heavily, trying to compose herself, and sneezed out dust instead. She didn't feel any more composed, but the sneeze did scramble up her thoughts for a minute, and when they settled she thought she caught a glimpse of insight. Maybe it just hurts to think about being betrayed, she considered. Maybe it's not really Sirius that's making you feel this way.

But this faded after a minute, and stopped making sense, and that achy feeling in her heart returned, and Mimi found herself wondering if it really was possible to be in love with two people at once.

Would you really call it love? she wondered silently, and tried to examine her feelings for Sirius. They were too muddled, she thought finally, muddled and confused and too angry to be worth it. But still...there were feelings. Just as there'd been a month ago, when Sirius convinced her that their relationship was more than just a ruse.

What would he convince her of this time? That the sky was purple and Fizzing Whizbees grew on trees?

Mimi reached out a hand and touched the glass, wiping away the thick layer of dust to see the clouds better. Her hand was filthy, and covered in more than just dust when she was done, and she frowned at it and wiped it on her robes.

Outside, the sky was still blue.

Mimi became aware of Sirius watching her, and realized with a vague kind of shock that she thought he'd be gone by now. Didn't he have better things to do than watch a silly girl stare out the window wondering if the sky would turn purple?

She turned around slowly, her thoughts still muddled, and gazed back at him, feeling not quite as achy but still not quite right. Sirius shifted back and forth uneasily, and an awkward silence hung between them that Mimi made no move to break. In its own way the awkwardness was comforting. It was comforting to know that Sirius still cared enough about her for the silence between them to be emotionally charged in some way. That the silence felt awkward didn't mean quite as much as that it felt.

"I'm not going to try and hold you back," she said finally, and her stomach sank disappointedly. Was she disappointed in herself? "I know that you and Melody belong together. I've seen the way you look at each other. And I've heard her talk about you. I wouldn't...it wouldn't be right if I got in the way. Or tried to get in the way," she mumbled, examining the floor.

Not like it would matter if I did try to get in the way, she thought bitterly. You made up your mind about what was going to happen before we even got here. Probably why you were avoiding it. You just didn't want to feel like the bad guy again.

Well guess what, Sirius? You are the bad guy.

Mimi thought a lot of things that she wasn't sure she meant. She was glad Sirius wasn't a Legilimens. That would've ruined things. It was hard to be an effective liar when the person standing across from you could read your mind.

"Don't lie to me, Mimi," Sirius said harshly.

Damn. I'm so transparent he doesn't even have to be a sodding Legilimens to know that I'm full of crap.

"It's not all right with you and I know it. And I'm not going to do this to you."

"Oh, stop it, Sirius! Just--stop it!" Mimi cried finally, looking up at him again, not caring this time that he could see the tears flooding her eyes. "We both know it's what you want! You want Melody, and you can have her! I don't care!"

"I told you not to lie to me," Sirius snapped.

"What do you want me to say, then? That I forgive you? Fine, I forgive you! Now go be happy with your--true love or--whatever!" Mimi spat, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't care what you say to me!" he yelled in frustration. "I just care that you mean what you say."

Mimi took in a great shuddering breath and ignored the tears dribbling down her cheeks. "Well...I do mean it. I want you to go and be with Melody, and I forgive you and everything, so you can stop trying to feel guilty about it and go off and be happy." She gulped in air and tried to suppress her sobs.

"Damn it, Mimi!" Sirius bellowed. He looked like he wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her.

Mimi couldn't hold it in anymore. Her resolve broke, and her tears burst forth, flooding the sides of her face.

Sirius looked like he didn't quite know what to do with her. He tried to move forward to comfort her, but she backed away and shook her head at him. I must look awful, Mimi thought, and wondered again why she cared. Her face got pinched when she cried, and her eyes puffed up ridiculously. I must look like a frog, she thought miserably, and buried her face in her robes. She cried softly for a few moments, and then wiped her face off slowly.

She had to finish this thing with Sirius. She didn't want to, but there was no point being stupid about it anymore. Sirius and Melody were going to happen, whether Mimi liked it or not, and the best thing would just be for her to figure out how to be an effective liar so they could get on with it and Mimi could get over her stupid little lingering crush on Sirius.

Mimi didn't notice Sirius inching his way toward her, so when she finally lifted her face from her robes she was surprised at how close he was. "I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm being so stupid."

"Not stupid," Sirius mumbled. He looked like he wanted to reach out and wipe away the last tear trickling down her face. Mimi held his gaze and let the tear fall down her cheek. She didn't flinch away this time when Sirius raised his hand, and let her eyes flutter closed as his thumb caressed her skin. His hand moved back to tuck her hair behind her ear, and Mimi opened her eyes, which were still shimmering with tears.

She found herself wanting him, acutely, and considered slapping his hand away, but oddly--twistedly, she thought--she was enjoying the feel of his skin against hers, and of his eyes on her face. She wondered if he would kiss her, and forgot for a moment how mad she was at him. It was so easy to fall in love with Sirius.

Was that what she was doing? Falling in love with him? Or just...falling in lust with him?

Remus was a better match for her, in every way. But Sirius...with Sirius there was a fierce animal attraction that Remus, despite his own animalistic tendencies, did not bring out in Mimi.

And this confused her. Terribly.

Sirius withdrew his hand, and Mimi tried to reorganize her thoughts.

Who had spoken last? What had they been speaking about? Could Sirius remember? Because Mimi certainly couldn't.

"I...I can't remember what I was going to say," Mimi said finally, laughing at herself. Sirius allowed himself a small grin. "I just...honestly, Sirius. Really. I don't want you to be unhappy," she managed, with a tone of decisiveness. "And I think you and Melody should be together."

Sirius studied her carefully. "But it still bothers you."

Mimi hesitated. "Yes. But--oh, Sirius, I know there's nothing I can do to stop it. You and Melody should have been together a long time ago."

Sirius stared over Mimi's head and out the window. "Maybe," he agreed. "But still. It's not all right if it's not all right with you."

Mimi sighed. "It's as all right with me as it's ever going to be," she conceded, feeling a pang in her chest as she did so. "And it's not fair to Melody for me to be so selfish. It's not--it's not fair to either of you."

He frowned at her. "Mimi, I really need you to understand that I care about you."

She stared at the ground. He did care about her, and she knew it. Just...not as much as you care about Melody.

"I know," she whispered.

Sirius tipped her chin up with his finger. He searched her eyes for a long time. Mimi wondered briefly if he really was a Legilimens, but shoved the thought aside.

Sirius nodded at her, finally, and released her chin. "Mimi...however long you want me to wait..."

But Mimi shook her head. "That's stupid, Sirius. We both know how you feel about Melody, and...I'm sure Melody's probably busy torturing herself right now thinking about you, so...just get on with it, will you?"

Sirius blinked at her. "You...you sure?"

Mimi could see, now that she'd alleviated him of his guilt, that he just wanted to get out of here and go find Melody.

Ouch.

"Yeah, I'm sure, Sirius," she said.

He looked at her and smiled. "You're more than I deserve, Mimi."

Mimi grinned, briefly and emotionlessly. I guess that's why you're not going to have me, then.

"Go on, Sirius," she said. "She's waiting for you."

"She can keep waiting," Sirius informed her. "I'm giving it a day for all of this to settle."

"Don't be stupid, Sirius," Mimi said, shaking her head. "We both know you aren't going to change your mind."

"No," Sirius agreed, and tipped up her chin. "But you might."

Mimi had to swallow very hard to keep her bottom lip from trembling. Sirius stared at her for a long time--too long--and Mimi was afraid she would burst into tears again, and that wouldn't help things at all.

She also found herself wishing--stupidly, irrationally--that he would kiss her.

Sirius was so close to her--his hand was still cupping her chin--and Mimi could feel her heart beginning to pick up speed. It made no sense--after the conversation they'd just had--after the way he'd admitted his feelings about Melody--after the way she'd been acting toward Remus--for her to want this, but she did. She briefly imagined herself wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing his mouth down to hers, but Sirius moved closer to her and saved her the trouble.

He kissed her softly, once...

...on the cheek.

Well...well...shit, Mimi thought, and could not return Sirius's grin as he backed away from her.

"Thanks, Mimi," he said, now apparently oblivious to her pain.

"You're welcome," she mumbled, and forced a grin before he turned and walked out of the classroom.

Damn him, she thought, uncharitably. Stupid ass. Stupid...horrible, sodding, selfish, pompous...blooming...ASS.

Bloody...sodding...GIT! she yelled, internally, before her knees gave out under her and she collapsed on the floor.

"Damn it!" she shrieked, and screwed up her face, thinking she would burst into tears. But, for once, her tears wouldn't come, and she just sat on the floor of the classroom for a while, growing sick and depressed and dusty with emotion.

Wendy was beginning not to miss Lin anymore. At first she'd felt guilty; Lin was so miserable and Wendy was deserting her. But it wasn't as though she hadn't tried to get through to Lin. She had. She'd discussed this with Lucy, many times, and the girls had come up with this conclusion: Lin just wasn't interested in being got through to. If she wanted to suffer in misery, then she could suffer in misery. Wendy wasn't going to beat her head against the wall trying to drag Lin from her depression.

And the people Lin was associating with now...what kind of girl did you have to be to want to hang out with Bridget DeBeauvois, for goodness' sake? Not that Wendy agreed with Lucy about her being a "French cretin" (she didn't think being French had much to do with it); she just thought Bridget was exceptionally rude. If that was the kind of company Lin wanted to keep these days...then Wendy wasn't sure she wanted to spend any time with her, that was all. Any girl crude enough to attack Lucy in the stands during a Quidditch game...well, suffice it to say that Bridget was exactly the sort of girl Wendy's mother had forbidden her to hang out with when she was younger. Wendy's mother tended to look down her nose at those sort of people.

Wendy's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Lucy, who sat down across from her, beaming intensely. Wendy was curled up in a large armchair near the back of the Gryffindor Common Room, pretending to read her Divination book. Lucy had deep circles under her eyes, and her dark brown hair was in disarray, but she looked happier than Wendy had seen her in ages. The swelling in her chin was nearly gone, and she looked deeply excited about something.

"What's in the bag?" Wendy asked, noticing a small red satchel on Lucy's lap.

"My new project," Lucy announced, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've been working on it all morning. Here--take one."

She pulled something small and shiny out of the bag and tossed it to Wendy, who examined it curiously. It was a silver pin that vaguely resembled a Prefect badge, emblazoned with the letters "FPC."

"What--what's FPC?" Wendy frowned.

"It stands for 'Future Prefect Candidate.'"

Wendy stared at her blankly. "Please tell me you're joking."

Lucy grinned. "Only partly."

Wendy raised one eyebrow quizzically, and Lucy continued.

"That's what you're going to tell people it stands for. Go ahead, put it on."

Wendy hesitated. "Where's yours?"

"I haven't put one on yet. Come on--we'll put ours on together."

"All right," Wendy said, but hesitated again. "What does it really stand for?"

"What it stands for," Lucy replied, pinning one of the badges to her robes, "is the Fully Pure Club. It's for us pure-bloods who support the pure-blood cause. Well--aren't you going to put yours on?"

"Oh...yeah," Wendy said, fumbling with the pin. She wondered what exactly Lucy thought the "pure-blood cause" was.

Lucy beamed at her. "Wonderful. I knew you'd like it."

"Um," Wendy replied. "What do Gillian and Rachel think of it?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen them yet. I think they're working on some big Ancient Runes project together." She shrugged. "Who knows? I'm just glad I found you--I'm so excited about this. I just had to talk about it with somebody!"

Wendy nodded, and waited for Lucy to start talking about it, but Lucy just beamed and examined her shiny new badge proudly.

"So. What's the purpose of the club?"

"Well, it's for pure-bloods only, obviously," Lucy began, squirming in excitement, "but it's going to be more than just that. I think it'll be a great way to get back at Bridget for what she did to my chin." She scowled. "People like her won't be allowed in. Oh, she's a pure-blood of course, but she's not like us. We're going to have regular meetings, and get to know everyone of our kind from the other houses. Well--maybe not Slytherin." Lucy pulled a face. "I don't think they have the right idea about things."

"Our kind?" Wendy echoed.

"Yeah. I think it'll be helpful, don't you? I mean, to have a whole group of people we can really trust. It's getting hard to trust people anymore, you know." Lucy glanced around the common room suspiciously, and then leaned forward, whispering, "You never know who might be a spy." She leaned back in her chair and clutched her bag of pins. "That's why I figure we ought to start building trust now--that way once we're out of Hogwarts, we'll know exactly who to turn to if we need help."

"Help? What...what do you mean?"

"Oh, honestly Wendy. Don't you pay attention to anything?"

Wendy blinked. "Are you talking about...You-Know-Who?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Well, of course I'm talking about You-Know-Who! The way things are going now, by the time we get out of Hogwarts the world will be a completely different place. Daddy says the Minister of Magic's started running investigations on people at the Ministry--trying to figure out if they're spies, you see. He says the Minister's targeting pure-bloods," she added darkly. "I don't think that's acceptable. He's a pure-blood, too--shouldn't someone be investigating him?"

Wendy didn't think the Minister was in league with You-Know-Who, but Lucy did have a point. "Yeah," she said softly, fiddling with her pin. "You don't--you don't think Dumbledore will mind?" she asked suddenly, thinking of the club.

"Of course not," Lucy replied, grinning wickedly. "Why should Dumbledore mind if a bunch of the younger students decide they want to be Prefects?"

Mimi slumped into the Ravenclaw Common Room, feeling morose and dejected, and sank onto the couch in defeat. Several third years looked at her oddly, but no one said anything, so she just sat there for a while feeling unusually depressed until Lily tramped into the Common Room, her arms full of large, thick books, looking equally dejected.

"Hullo, Mimi," Lily said rather dully as she passed by the couch.

Mimi mumbled something in response and Lily stopped, turning to frown at her friend. "What's the matter? You feeling all right?"

Mimi tried to shrug dismissively, but she ended up just looking miserable.

"Aw, Mimi, what happened?"

Lily dropped her books by the end of the couch and sat down next to Mimi, who just shrugged again, and began picking at her nails.

"Come on," Lily urged. "Tell me."

"It's stupid," Mimi mumbled.

"No, it's not," Lily said, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It's about Sirius. Isn't it?"

Mimi was a terrible liar. She'd managed to fool Sirius, but she didn't think she could handle more than one deception in a day--especially not if she was trying to fool Lily.

"Yeah," Mimi agreed quietly. "It is."

"What happened? Did your talk with him go badly?"

Mimi fidgeted. "Yes. Well...no. I mean...kind of."

Lily sighed. "Mimi, just tell me."

"All right," she said, after a moment's hesitation. "Sirius...said everything I thought he'd say. Basically. It wasn't a surprise, really...I mean, I knew he wanted to be with Melody, I just...." Mimi swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I didn't think I'd react to it the way I did."

Lily frowned. "Mimi, I thought...I thought you wanted to be with Remus."

"I do," Mimi whispered. "Lily, I do, I really do, but...but I don't know. I...." She fiddled with the sleeves of her robes violently, wrapping and un-wrapping them around her finger. "Sirius still makes me feel things," she said, so softly Lily almost couldn't hear. "Things that I...I thought you were only supposed to feel for one person at a time. And...I don't know why. I mean, it doesn't even make sense, does it?" Her voice was getting louder now. "I mean, he's been gone for a month, it's completely stupid, and I knew that he was going to...well, it's obvious what's going to happen. Don't you think? He's going to be with Melody and I'm going to be with Remus and it's going to be...um...very lovely. Won't it?" she asked, looking desperate.

Lily reached over and took one of Mimi's hands. "Mimi, what did you say to Sirius?"

Mimi's gaze slid away. "I said a lot of things to Sirius."

Lily squeezed her hand. "Mimi. You know what I mean."

Mimi stared very hard at the floor. "I told him I wanted him to be happy."

"And?"

"And...and nothing. I'm not what's going to make him happy, Lily. I just told him what he wanted to hear."

"Oh, Mimi," Lily murmured, shaking her head. "You're just making yourself miserable."

Mimi stuck her chin out stubbornly. "So?" she demanded. "Would you rather I make Remus miserable? Or Sirius? Or Melody? How about all three?"

"I would rather you told Sirius the truth."

"The truth? Do you think that's what he wanted to hear? He didn't want the truth from me, Lily, he wanted my blessing! So I gave it to him, and now--well, I just hope he's happy now!"

"Mimi, you're never going to be friends with Sirius again if you sit here holding a silent grudge against him for dating Melody."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with Sirius again!" Mimi spat. "Maybe friendship's not enough anymore!"

"Mimi...what about Remus?"

"Oh, what about Remus?" she snapped.

Lily blinked. "You don't mean that."

Mimi sighed, deflating again. "No," she agreed. "Not really."

"Mimi...this is stupid. It's not fair to either of you for him to go on thinking everything's all right when it's really not. You should tell him," she urged.

"Teenagers are stupid," Mimi muttered. "And it doesn't matter, Lily. If he cared--I mean, really cared--he would know that everything was not all right. If he cared about me the way I want him to care about me...he'd know that. But he doesn't. So it doesn't matter. I mean...if he cared about me the way I wanted him to...." Mimi looked up and shrugged. "Well, you'd be having this conversation with Melody instead of me, wouldn't you?"

"Nah," Lily said, grinning wryly. "Melody would be sobbing too hard to speak. She's far more theatrical than you are."

Mimi looked away from Lily. She hadn't been here to see Mimi's performance right after Sirius left.

"I'm sorry," Lily said, misreading her expression. "That was rude of me."

"No, it's all right. Lily...I know I'm being stupid about all of this. I really am. I honestly don't understand why I feel this way, because I thought...I thought it had all blown over and everything was all right and I just wanted to be with Remus now, and...talking to Sirius would just be a formality, you know? The last part of our breakup, I guess. Where we both admitted it was a ruse and that we liked other people all along and it was finally going to be all right.

"But...I don't know. It just didn't feel like a ruse anymore. It really...hurt."

Mimi's face crumpled and Lily wrapped her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Meems. I thought everything was starting to go right for you."

Mimi gave a great sniff and leaned back, wiping away her shallow tears. "Me too," she said, and smiled wryly. "And I...I don't know what I'm going to say to Remus." She looked rather ill at the prospect.

"Don't worry about that yet, Mimi," Lily advised. "Remus is patient. He'll wait. Sirius, on the other hand," she frowned, "won't."

"He's waiting a day, he said. I told him not to, but...he insisted. He said he wanted all this to settle first. And...make sure it was all right with me, or some such nonsense."

Lily's gaze softened. "Oh, Mimi, don't you see? He really does care about you. I think you should go talk to him again."

"Not a chance, Lily. I don't think I could handle that more than once in a day."

"Mimi, you have to."

"No I don't."

"Fine. Let me talk to him, then."

Mimi's eyes widened in alarm. "Lily--no. You can't. Promise me you won't."

Lily's mouth hardened into a thin, annoyed line. "I can't promise not to talk to him, Mimi."

"Then promise you won't tell him anything I said. Promise me."

Lily hesitated. "I promise," she mumbled finally. "But Mimi--I really think you need to get this straightened out."

"It is straightened out," Mimi insisted. "Sirius has what he wants. He'll be happy. And I have what I want," she continued quickly, before Lily could interrupt her. "I just...have to wait for my hormones to catch up with my brain, that's all. I'm sure they'll get it right soon enough."

Mimi stared pointedly at the floor, and Lily gave her a very reproachful glare.

"Sirius, I need to talk to you."

Sirius was standing in the Potions section of the library, whistling cheerfully as he selected several large, odious Potions books from the shelves. "Fire away, Lily," he said, grinning, and resumed his whistling.

"Sirius, I'm worried about Mimi."

Sirius's whistling trailed off slowly. "Oh. Er...is something the matter?"

Lily glared at him. "You know perfectly well there's something the matter, don't you?"

Sirius avoided her gaze as he heaved one more book off the shelf and carried his stack over to a remote study table, where a stack of parchment and several other opened books were waiting for him. "Um...perhaps," he admitted. "But I don't see why it matters."

"Oh, so it doesn't matter that Mimi's practically...wretched over the thought of you going out with Melody? You're just going to stand around and whistle because you're happy you're getting what you want, with no thought to how Mimi feels?"

"It's her own damn fault," Sirius snapped. "If she insists on lying to me, then I'm going to insist on taking her for her word."

Lily's glare intensified. "Sirius Black, that is disgustingly selfish of you."

"You know what, Lily?" Sirius said, slamming his books onto the table. "I don't care. I've had just about enough of girls lying to me about their feelings. Melody lied to me first, and that's what got me into this mess, and now Mimi insists on lying to me, too, because for some reason she--I don't know, enjoys torturing herself or something. Like I bloody know what's going on in her mind."

"Oh, so the whole mess with Mimi was completely her fault? Like you never lied to her by going out with her?"

Sirius hesitated. "I never actually told her I felt anything about her. Not until--not until I really did, anyway."

"You don't always have to speak lies, Sirius. Just going out with her was enough of a lie."

"It was a mutual lie!" Sirius snapped, and Lily fell silent.

"I guess it was...for a while," she agreed.

"Yeah, for a while, and then we thought we might try to make it not a lie, and then I screwed things up--I know. I'm not saying I don't feel horrible about it. I'm just saying if Mimi wants to lie about how she feels now, she can damn well lie, and then see how she feels when she receives the consequences for it."

Sirius carefully avoided Lily's gaze when he said this, and she set her jaw angrily.

"Sirius, that's horrible. Don't you care about your friendship with her at all?"

"Of course I do!" Sirius roared, losing his temper. "Why do you think I bothered talking to her about it? I spent half an hour trying to convince her that what I wanted was the truth, and for us to be all right again. But apparently she didn't want either of those, so...." He shrugged. "It's no more than she deserves," he said, but mumbled it.

"You should talk to her," Lily said, "since she doesn't want to approach you again."

"And what's that going to solve? She's just going to lie to me again."

"Not if you call her out," Lily insisted. "If you know she's lying she won't have a choice."

"Tried that already," Sirius said. "She lied anyway. Pretty convincing, too. I suspect some of it had to be the truth, but--still. I'm not stupid. I could tell she wasn't really all right with everything."

"I wish I had a tape of this conversation," Lily muttered, and shook her head. She sighed and thought for a moment. "Well--all right. I guess I can see your point. If she lied the first time, what's going to stop her from doing it the second, or the third, right? And...Sirius, I really think she does want you to be happy, she just...wants that happiness to include her."

"It does, though," Sirius insisted. "She's a good friend."

Lily gave him a look. "Sirius. You know what I mean."

Sirius's cheeks flushed slightly. "Yeah," he mumbled. "But still. What do you want me to do about it?"

Lily mulled this over for a moment. "Just...wait. Please. Not forever--a few more days, at least. Until this weekend, perhaps? I know it'll be torture for Melody, but...it'll be good for Mimi. If you give it more than a day, I mean. She needs a while to get her head on straight, and I have a feeling she's just dreading seeing you and Melody walking around like a couple of turtledoves...please, Sirius? Can you do that? For her?"

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, nodding, his voice a little rough. "But...I don't know quite how to explain this to Melody."

"Don't worry about it," Lily advised. "She's the root of this mess. I think she can stand to wait a couple more days. Don't get me wrong," she said quickly, noting the look on Sirius's face, "it's not that I don't know she's agonizing over it. Believe me--I know. But still...I think she's being a tad melodramatic. And it's not going to kill her to wait until the weekend. Maybe she'll even focus on her homework for once, to get her mind off it."

Sirius gave a little half-grin. "All right, Lily. We have a deal. But don't forget--if Melody asks, this is all your fault. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Lily affirmed, grinning, hoping her plan would be enough to set Mimi's head straight.

"There you are!" Lucy said, as Gillian and Rachel entered the Common Room. "You missed dinner," she accused.

"We know. We're sorry," Gillian sighed, plopping down in the chair next to Lucy's. "The Ancient Runes project took a lot longer than we thought."

"We had to steal food from the kitchens," Rachel added, shoving the last bit of a muffin in her mouth. Some crumbs fell into her light brown hair, and she wiped them off in annoyance.

"Did we miss anything exciting?" Gillian leaned back in her chair, her eyes drooping tiredly.

"Well, you missed me being brilliant," Lucy announced, and pulled out her bag.

Gillian perked a bit. "Oh? What've you come up with now?"

"These," Lucy replied, tossing both Gillian and Rachel badges.

"What are these?" Rachel asked, turning the badge over and considering it amusedly. "FPC? What's that stand for--Fun and Pretty Club?"

Lucy laughed. "Even better," she announced.

"There's something better than being fun and pretty?" Gillian joked.

"For us there is," Lucy said, and Gillian and Rachel exchanged a glance.

"Oh, just tell them already," Wendy said, rolling her eyes.

Gillian's gaze slid to Wendy, and she noticed that Wendy was already wearing one of the shiny "FPC" badges. She pursed her lips and turned her attention back to Lucy, who was offering an explanation, but her mind was bubbling with annoyance. Since when did Lucy tell Wendy things before she told Gillian?

Once Lucy had finished outlining the basics of the Fully Pure Club, Gillian fastened her pin on proudly. Lucy beamed at her and looked over at Rachel expectantly.

But Rachel did not fasten her pin on proudly. She held it in her hands and stared at it, frowning.

"What's the matter?" Lucy asked. "Is there something wrong with the pin?"

"No," Rachel said softly, and looked at her. "It's just...my mum's a Muggle, Lucy. You know that."

Gillian frowned. "I thought your mum was a witch...wasn't she?"

"Mother was," Rachel corrected, "but my mum isn't."

"Your step-mum isn't, you mean," Lucy said.

"She's still my mum," Rachel whispered, staring down at the badge again. "I can't wear this."

Lucy glanced at Gillian worriedly. "Well--well you don't have to wear it of course. It's just--sort of a good idea, that's all."

"Here." Rachel held out her hand. "I don't want it."

Lucy stared at her for a minute, and the other two girls stared at Lucy, anxiously. Gillian saw Wendy fiddling nervously with her pin, and rolled her eyes and flipped her hair haughtily over one shoulder. Gillian wasn't going to give up her badge just because Rachel didn't like the idea. She thought Lucy's plan was brilliant.

"You're--you're still going to come to the meetings with us, though...right?" Lucy asked, slowly reaching out to take the pin from Rachel.

Rachel shrugged and stared at the floor. "Maybe."

"It...it won't be the same without you," Lucy urged. "And...it's not really so much a pure-blood thing as it is just a...a trust kind of thing...."

Rachel shrugged again, briefly. "I guess so."

"I just thought...pure-bloods and all...the Muggle-borns probably don't trust us anyway...."

"I think it's a great plan," Gillian interjected. "I think it'll be lots of fun--and it's not like we're saying anything against Muggle-borns, Rach. It's just a good way to get to know people...right, Lucy?"

"Right," Lucy agreed, looking relieved.

Rachel lifted her gaze and looked around at their expectant faces. She shrugged again. "All right," she said softly. "Just as long as I don't have to wear the pin."

"No, not if you don't want to," Lucy said quickly, reassuringly, and Rachel smiled timidly.

But Gillian felt a twist in the pit of her stomach. There was an uneasy sense of disunity, suddenly, and she didn't like it. Since when did Rachel protest their brilliant plans?

But Lucy went on, excitedly. "This is going to be awesome, ladies. Let's start spreading the word."

Lily was starting to get a crick in her neck. She'd been hunched over textbooks for the last several hours, and she didn't feel like she was getting anywhere. She'd found "Gryffindor" in various indexes dozens of times, but none of them ever focused on Laurelle--or even Patrick, really, though she had found one small snippet that discussed his somewhat untimely death at the hands of German soldiers during the early Napoleonic Wars.

But...nothing on Laurelle. And, for all its apparent value and power, absolutely nothing on the necklace.

She looked up "Delany," too, and found some things on the brothers Kruger and Steven Delany, but nothing on...

"Jumping toadstools," Lily breathed, as she thumbed through the index of Little-Known Wizards of the Nineteenth Century. There she was: Delany, Livana. Lily's heart skipped excitedly, and she flipped through the pages eagerly, hoping for something--anything--informative, something substantial--finally, after almost a year of searching, maybe she'd find something that would--

"Two paragraphs?" Lily said, staring at the book dumbly. "That's it? This could be the most important passage I've ever read in a book in my entire life, and all they have is two paragraphs?"

She briefly considered throwing the book across the room. She also envisioned herself stomping into the office of whatever poncey-tart editor decided that Livana Delany was only worth two bloody paragraphs and hexing him until his head came out his rear end.

But then she composed herself, and read the small, two-paragraph entry on Livana.

DELANY, Livana.

Livana Piermont Delany (1856-1882) is best known for her work on lycanthropy. Her interest in this field stemmed from her own experiences as a werewolf, an affliction from which she suffered since childhood. Her experiments focused primarily on methods of reversing or subduing the effects of her monthly transformations, but progress in this area was cut short by her untimely death.

Her research spanned many other fields, including alchemy, dark arts defense, ancient magic, and a particularly in-depth set of reports on enchanted necklaces, but little of this research is considered credible. The distrust of werewolves in wizarding society hurt her reputation as a scientist and historian during her lifetime, and the stigma continues posthumously.

Lily breathed out slowly.

Perhaps she didn't hate the editor so much anymore.

"A werewolf," Lily murmured, and looked down at her hands. "That would explain the scratches."

If only I could read Livana's damn writing, Lily cursed silently. Then maybe I'd be able to see some of her research....

But now, at least, she had something to work with. She needed to find Livana's reports on enchanted necklaces, and now that she knew that they existed, she hoped the search would be somewhat easier. Lily also now had clues as to where to look for other things on Livana. Anything on notable werewolves--or other things on nineteenth-century wizards--would be a good place to start. Maybe Remus knew something helpful about werewolf literature.

Lily bit her lip and considered this. She could talk to Remus about it...but she wasn't sure he knew that she knew about him being a werewolf yet, and she wasn't exactly sure this was the right time to bring it up. Maybe she could ask James to ask Remus for her or something. That might work better.

In the meantime, however, Lily was tired of looking through textbooks, and besides she had to have a talk about a few things with Melody before the girl went completely insane about Sirius. Lily groaned. Much as she hated the textbooks, she wasn't much looking forward to the conversation with Melody, either.

But...ah, well. These things had to be done.

Melody was buried deep in her Transfiguration homework, and it wasn't helping a bit. She practically had spells coming out of her ass, and it still wasn't enough to get her mind off Sirius.

Why? she moaned internally, and imagined Lily rolling her eyes and calling her melodramatic. Melody slapped this imaginary Lily upside the head and continued her moping. She couldn't help it. And what did Lily know about it, anyway? What did she know about waiting in agony for the boy she loved? The boy Lily loved followed her around like a slightly deranged Niffler who thought Lily was a large pot of gold.

And Melody...well, Melody had nothing. Except her stupid Transfiguration book. Like she cared about Level 7 Solidifying Spells when true love was on the line. Honestly. She grinned mildly at her internal commentary, but the smile faded quickly. Underneath the sarcasm and the melodrama, she was beginning to feel a little hurt.

It had been four days since Sirius's talk with Mimi. Four days. Lily had attempted to explain the situation to her, but as far as Melody could tell, Mimi and Sirius were getting along fine. Mimi wasn't lobbing things at Sirius's head, anyway. So what, exactly, was Melody still waiting around for? Was Sirius awaiting a sign from the gods? A big fancy present to give to Melody when they finally got together? The coming of the Apocalypse? What?

Melody hunched over a piece of parchment and tried to shove her thoughts away, scribbling furiously. Maybe if she wrote long enough...and hard enough...maybe if she concentrated until her eyeballs popped out and her brain imploded...maybe then she'd be able to stop thinking about him. Maybe then she wouldn't see his face every time she closed her eyes.

Maybe.

Or maybe she'd just go insane. They'd lock her up in an insane asylum, where she'd have dreams about him every night, and rave insanely about the sexy-haired boy whose name she could not remember but who she saw every night in her sleep, and whose presence in her dreams she could not quite explain. Except that he really did look very sexy and kiss very nicely and...

Damn it. This train of thought isn't helping any.

She tried, desperately, to slip her brain back into study mode. Sometimes, if she concentrated hard enough, read long enough, and actually focused on writing worthwhile essays, her brain switched off its 24-hour "I Miss Sirius" network (or at least muted it), and she was able to get some decent work done. If she was lucky.

Today was not shaping up to be a lucky day.

She scribbled out several sentences of her essay in frustration after realizing she'd written the exact same thing three times in a row.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, crumpling up the piece of parchment and tossing it into the fire. She shoved her Transfiguration book off the couch and noted with satisfaction the aggravating thump it made when it landed. She shoved all of her parchment and quills off the couch as well, and plopped back onto the pillows in defeat. If she couldn't keep her mind off Sirius, she might as well just give in...for now. Daydreaming about Sirius wasn't so bad. It was the part when she stopped daydreaming and realized how unfulfilling daydreams were that stunk.

But she wasn't going to dwell on that.

Melody snuggled up against a few pillows and sighed, imagining Sirius...he'd come through the sliding panel in MHQ, she imagined, and discover her poring over her homework, frustrated beyond all reason. He'd gently take the book from her hands and remind her that it was Saturday, and there was no point doing homework on Saturdays, not with all of Sunday still stretched out before her. This speech, of course, was all really just a pretense, because Sirius wasn't really interested in Melody's study habits. He really just wanted her to abandon her homework to snog with him--which they began to do, at great length. Melody was beginning to reflect on just how unsatisfying fantasy snogs were when a noise from the other side of the room jerked her out of her reverie.

The panel to MHQ was sliding open, and Melody sighed, thinking of how long it would take to gather up all the parchment she'd just scattered across the floor, so she could vacate for whichever Marauder had come up to put MHQ to better use than she. It would be James, she imagined, preparing for some covert operation or another the Marauders were planning (because when weren't the Marauders planning a covert operation?), and she sat up, prepared to greet him and get out of his way.

But when she sat up, she didn't say anything. The sight of Sirius in the doorway shocked the words right out of her.

Melody blinked and shook her head, convinced her evil subconscious was just playing tricks on her. She'd fallen asleep. Surely that was it. Melody pinched herself. Ow, she thought, and her heart gave a little hopeful jolt. So she wasn't asleep, then. But still...what are the odds we'll end up snogging? she reasoned, and her stomach sank a bit.

For now, though, she was going to take the opportunity to stare good and long at Sirius, before he inevitably turned around and ran away. He'd become remarkably good at avoiding her lately...or at least at walking away from her with surprising speed and agility when she looked like she wanted to talk to him.

He wasn't walking away now, and Melody blinked at him in surprise. He wasn't looking at her like he usually did these days--shifty and nervous and like he wanted to get away. He was looking at her like he'd been looking for her, and now that he'd found her he just wanted to stand there looking at her for a while, so she let him. She thought about getting up, or saying hi to him, or some combination of the above, but she was afraid this would somehow ruin the moment, and she didn't want him to jerk out of whatever state he was in and have him run away again. So they just stared at each other for a while.

She didn't know quite what to make of Sirius. He just looked--how did he look?--relieved, maybe? She didn't know. She didn't care. He is so sodding gorgeous, she thought, drinking in the sight of him. She could hardly remember the last time she'd been able to look at him like this. With so much...want. He had to see how badly she wanted him.

But maybe Sirius was too busy looking back at her to notice. His eyes, which up until now had held on her face with a sure and steady gaze, were all over her, memorizing her details, appreciating the way her hair glowed golden in the firelight, and...various other things, Melody suspected. She got an achy, shivery feeling in her legs, and her head spun dizzily in anticipation.

Sirius had made up his mind about something. She wasn't sure what he'd been struggling with, or entirely why he'd been avoiding her, but the look on his face told her that he'd decided enough was enough. Enough waiting.

Praise the Lord, Melody thought, and slid off the couch, finally, afraid that if she didn't kiss Sirius right now she might never get the chance again.

Melody's movement snapped Sirius back to reality, and he blinked, as though realizing he'd just been staring at her for the last five minutes.

"Melody," he said finally, dropping his book bag on the floor.

That was all Melody needed to hear. She shortened the distance between them in a few short steps, and stared up at him earnestly. There was no point trying to hide her feelings anymore.

She felt shuddery, breathless, like she was either on the verge of some great fulfillment or a spectacular nervous breakdown. The feelings swarming inside her chest became so potent Melody wondered that they didn't siphon themselves into a sharp point, and shoot out of her chest and into Sirius's, tugging against his heart like some great emotional grappling hook.

But maybe she was already doing that, she thought, seeing the way Sirius was looking at her now. Maybe her eyes said it all.

And Sirius didn't say anything. He'd had enough.

His lips came crashing down on Melody's, delicious and hard and fiery with wanting. It was like being smacked in the mouth with a warm piece of pie, she thought--hard and sloppy and odd at first, but after the initial shock, so sweet it was impossible to pull away.

Sirius gathered her against him and explored her mouth with his. Their lips were familiar with one another, but they'd never quite been given the liberty to go on as they pleased, and Melody thought that hers rather ran away with her.

Her knees shook pathetically. She had to wrap her arms around Sirius's neck to hold herself up, and even that wasn't entirely effective. She couldn't help the goose bumps or the shaky knees or the fluttering stomach, it seemed, and frankly she didn't want to. Even Paolo had never made her feel like this. And even if it made her feel helpless and unstable and halfway like she was going to explode, she didn't want it to stop. Better to explode with happiness than implode with misery.

Because that's what Melody was, more than anything. On top of the shivering and the butterflies and the little bumps along her skin...she was happy. Her insides were ballooning with happiness, so much that she imagined if Sirius weren't holding her so tightly she would start to expand, and eventually become light and round like a helium balloon, drift off into the atmosphere, positively stupid with joy. Or...or something.

Who sodding cares? Sirius is...is...um...

Oh, sod it.

Melody stopped trying to think, because Sirius had begun exploring her neck and chest with his lips, and Melody was having a hard time breathing, let alone thinking. He came notoriously close to her breasts before working his way back up and investigating the other side of her neck, which produced much the same breath-disrupting results as before.

You sure this isn't a dream? she asked herself, vaguely, in between kisses. Well, fuck it, if it's a dream it's a damn good one and I'm going to enjoy it, she decided, and guided Sirius's lips back to hers.

Lucy was nervous. She was usually good at speaking in front of people, but she was anxious about today. She'd never given any kind of speech about something this important before, unless you counted her brief description of the club to Wendy, Rachel, and Gillian. She hoped she wouldn't mess it up too badly. More importantly, she hoped everyone came.

She was getting ready to hold the first official meeting of the Fully Pure Club. No one else had shown up yet, and that made her even more nervous. Granted, she was half an hour early, but still. Lucy surveyed the room, bouncing on the balls of her feet. It looked all right, she thought...the desks were arrayed in a circle so everyone could see each other, with one FPC badge laid neatly on each desk...if someone didn't show up, it would be painfully obvious. Or if an extra person showed up...hm. Maybe positioning the desks this way was a bad idea.

Lucy hastily put all the FPC badges back into her velvet bag and rearranged the desks so they were facing the front of the room, where a colorful banner displaying the "FPC" logo hung. Gillian, who was rather artistic, had spent the better part of two days fashioning it, and it looked positively brilliant. Lucy watched it for a minute as the colors shifted, the FPC letters glossing from bright gold to deep blue, the background shifting from murky red to murky black.

"Wow," came a flat voice from the doorway. "Crowded."

Lucy turned around and frowned. "Don't be sarcastic, Gillie. I'm nervous enough as it is."

Gillian shook her head and walked into the room, her red-gold hair swinging behind her. "What do you have to be nervous about? It's just a meeting. All you have to do is explain what we're about. It's not as though anyone particularly important is going to be here, either--unless you count Anthony."

Lucy squeaked and dropped her bag. "Anthony Hall? You got him to come?"

"That's what he said on Thursday," Gillian grinned.

"And you waited until today to tell me?" Lucy demanded, her face growing pale. She'd liked Anthony for ages. He was easily the cutest boy in her year, with his sandy-blonde hair...strong shoulders...the most gorgeous golden-brown eyes Lucy had ever seen.... She got knots in her stomach just thinking about him.

"Oh, don't get upset about it, Lucy. I mean, this is a good thing. Maybe he'll stop hanging out with that loser Lin and take an interest in you."

"You...you think?" Lucy tried to remember how much make-up she'd applied this morning. She hoped she'd remembered to put on some striking eye shadow. Her eyes were a deep blue, almost purple, and she enjoyed attracting attention to them. Anything to offset the disappointing brown-ness of her hair.

Gillian shrugged and sat down on top of the desk in the front of the room, flipping her hair over one shoulder. She was rather vain about her hair, and Lucy couldn't really blame her. She would kill to have hair so...so...brilliant. It was red, mostly, but it shimmered golden in the candlelight. Gillian wore it in a long mane down her back, and it took her hours to get all the tangles out after she washed it...but still. Lucy would sacrifice hours of her time, too, if she had hair like that.

"I hope so," Gillian said, jolting Lucy out of her moment of envy. She was still talking about Anthony. "He really could be one of us if he wanted. I don't see why he wastes his time with that pathetic--" Gillian cleared her throat and cut herself off as she saw Wendy appear in the doorway with her boyfriend, Thomas. Wendy wasn't really friends with Lin anymore, but she still got kind of funny when Gillian said mean things about Lin.

"Pathetic? What's pathetic?"

"Oh--nothing," Gillian lied. "Lucy's just nervous about the first meeting, that's all."

"Don't be. It's going to be brilliant," Wendy assured her.

"Where's Rachel?" Lin asked, fiddling with the drawstring on her bag.

"She was coming here with us, but she had to go to the bathroom," Thomas drawled. "I didn't feel like waiting for her."

Gillian rolled her eyes. "I don't blame you. She takes forever in the bathroom. I mean...what does she do in there?"

"Who knows?" Wendy muttered. "Everybody better get here soon, though. I have a paper to write on Mushrooms in Potionmaking."

Gillian screwed up her face. "It's Saturday. You can't write papers on Saturdays."

"Yeah, but Thomas and I have plans tomorrow."

"Thanks for waiting for me," Rachel snapped, walking through the doorway.

"I said I wasn't going to wait around for you," Thomas reminded her.

"Yeah, you said. Wendy didn't."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Wait around and...hum show tunes to myself? It would've been boring."

"Well, I might've gotten lost!"

"But you didn't," Gillian interjected. "So there's no point fighting over it."

"Um...is this the right place?" asked a voice by the door, and everyone looked over to see Anthony Hall standing in the doorway.

"Yes," Lucy said, rather breathlessly. "Come in. Why don't you have a seat? In fact, why doesn't everybody have a seat? Let's um...get ready for the meeting. Everyone else should be arriving shortly."

Anthony took a seat near the back, Lucy was disappointed to notice, but at least he was there. She grinned at him, probably too widely, and he returned the grin with a faint one of his own.

Well, he wasn't throwing bouquets at her or anything, but at least he was here, and he hadn't brought Bridget or Lin with him, so...that was something, wasn't it?

A few more people trickled in--though not as many as she'd hoped--and she glanced at her watch. Two-forty already. Well...if no one else was coming, she might as well get started. She took a big, calming breath, and began to speak.

"It's called the Fully Pure Club," Anthony said in disgust, taking off his badge and tossing it onto the table.

"The Fully Pure Club?" Bridget echoed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lin picked up the badge and looked at it sadly. "For people who are pure-bloods?" she guessed.

"Yeah," Anthony confirmed, but sneered. "But not just for people who are pure-bloods. Only certain pure-bloods. Only the ones that Lucy likes."

Bridget snorted. "Well, that's not a very broad category, is it?"

"Fully Pure Club," Jen, a friend of Bridget's, repeated. She shook her head. "I don't see how Dumbledore's going to allow it."

"The way I understand it, they're not exactly planning on asking for permission," Anthony replied, shaking his own head. "They're not even going to refer to it as the Fully Pure Club outside of meetings. They think they're going to fool Dumbledore by calling themselves the Future Prefect Candidates."

"The Future Prefect Candidates? That's an even lamer name than the Fully Pure Club," Jen said.

"Yeah, but at least it's something they might be able to get away with," Anthony pointed out.

"That doesn't make sense. Lucy's a Fourth Year. What does she plan on doing next year, after they've picked all the Prefects? She can't exactly be a future candidate then, can she?" Bridget asked.

"Oh, she's got that all figured out, too. The Fifth-Years are going to become mentors next year."

"But what about the Fifth Years next year who aren't Prefects?" Jen demanded.

"That would never happen," Anthony said sarcastically. "They're all pure-bloods. Why wouldn't they be Prefects?"

"So what exactly is the point of this club? Besides being a place where pure-bloods can go and talk about how brilliant it is that both their parents happen to be wizards?" Jen asked.

"Besides that...there didn't seem to be a whole lot behind it, really. Lucy went off on this speech about how the world's not safe anymore, and we need to know who we can trust. And because we're all pure-bloods and none of us were in Slytherin, I guess that means we're all trustworthy. And she made a point of picking lots of students who were younger than her, too--and there weren't any Prefects there, mind you. The oldest person in the room was Wendy's boyfriend, that Fifth Year kid Thomas, and I don't think he was even paying attention."

Lin was still staring at the badge, her mouth set in a hard, grim line. "They're doing this because of me," she said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"No, they're not," Anthony said immediately, crossing the room to sit down next to her.

"Yes they are," Lin insisted. "Because of people like me. Because they don't want what happened to me to happen to them."

"No, Lin, it's not--"

"Yes, it is, I'm sure of it. They think if they stick together as pure-bloods and shun the rest of us, You-Know-Who won't have any reason to attack them."

"But they're not...on You-Know-Who's side, are they?" Jen asked timidly.

"No, they're not," Anthony confirmed. "I think they're as much against him as anybody. They just...don't want to take the side of the Muggles. They're too afraid to stand up for something besides themselves. Lin, I think you're partially right. I think they want to try and stay enough in You-Know-Who's good graces so that he won't have a problem with them, but they don't want to join him, either. They're just scared."

"So Lin's right then," Bridget reasoned. "It is because of her."

Lin's face crumpled, and Anthony shot Bridget a glare. "No," he insisted, putting an arm around Lin's shoulders. "If anything, Bridget, they're doing it because of people like you."

"Like me?" Bridget demanded. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're a pure-blood," Anthony pointed out, "and you kicked Lin in the face. I think this is kind of her way of trying to get back at you--and all the people she thinks are like you."

"Like me how? I don't get it."

"I think I do," Jen said, frowning. "Muggle-lovers. You know...Mudblood-huggers."

"Please don't say that word," Lin said.

"Sorry," Jen said, her face flushing. "I wasn't using it to refer to anyone, I just..."

"I know. I just...don't like to hear it."

Anthony squeezed her shoulders. "Jen's right, though. They're trying to separate themselves from the pure-bloods who want to fight You-Know-Who. And...I don't think this was entirely Lucy's idea, either."

"D'you think her horrible friend Gillian had more to do with it?" Bridget asked.

"No. I think it was more her father. He works at the Ministry, like my father. They're not in the same department, but...well, they don't really get along. Lucy's father has all these ideas about...a conspiracy against pure-bloods in the Ministry, like the Minister thinks all of them are in league with You-Know-Who or something. Which is ridiculous."

"Well...no offense, Anthony, but why in the world would Lucy want you there?" Jen asked. "I mean, I'm not saying you're not a pure-blood, but still...you're obviously not like her. And...you're obviously going out with Lin, so...I don't see her reasoning."

Both Lin and Anthony flushed interesting shades of red. "We're not...going out exactly," Anthony mumbled.

Bridget rolled her eyes. "They haven't actually gotten around to it yet, Jen. They're being very obtuse about it. And anyway...I can think of a perfectly good reason why Lucy would want Anthony there, and I don't think it's because of his pure blood." She gave Anthony a very pointed look, and he scratched his head uneasily.

"She does have sort of a thing for him, doesn't she?" Lin spat.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Bridget assured her, "because I don't think Anthony's been looking at anyone but you."

Lin and Anthony looked away from each other and went extremely red. Jen rolled her eyes.

"Knock it off, Bridget. It's hard enough for them to admit they like each other without you embarrassing them all the time."

Bridget grinned. "Oh, but it's so much fun."

"Not for us it isn't," Anthony mumbled.

Lin sighed, and looked at the badge in her hand one more time. "Anthony, can we get rid of this please?"

"Yeah," Anthony agreed. "Here...give it to me."

Lin handed it over. Anthony looked at the badge and shook his head in disgust one more time, then chucked it into the fireplace.

Bridget smiled as the flames crackled around it. "Good," she said. "It looks much better that way."

They were going to talk eventually, Melody assumed. Just as soon as they'd gotten over their kissing-fest. They were going to discuss why Sirius had been avoiding her and what all had happened with Mimi, and eventually they were going to make their relationship official--hopefully sooner rather than later--but Melody wasn't quite sure when. Every time they broke apart, and looked like they might want to stop snogging and talk things over for a bit, one of them decided that talking was just not what they wanted to do, and resumed kissing instead.

Three years of pent-up desire does wonders for your stamina, Melody noted briefly when she got a chance to look at the clock. Two hours and no complaints so far.

She wondered if maybe two hours was too long to spend kissing someone, but shoved the thought aside. It wasn't just someone, it was Sirius. And Melody had never in her life felt so deliriously happy.

It had to end, though, eventually, and when they finally pulled apart Melody felt rather exhausted. She rested her head on Sirius's shoulder, feeling a little short of breath, and let her eyes flutter closed. They were sitting on the couch now, standing having gotten very uncomfortable, and they'd been in one position so long bits of Melody's legs were starting to fall asleep.

"Sirius," Melody said, after getting her breath back, "are you ever going to ask me...if...if I want to be...be your...y'know...."

"Oh, that," Sirius said, turning his face towards hers. "Yeah, I s'pose I could do that."

Melody grinned.

"Be my girlfriend?" he asked, tucking Melody's hair behind her ear.

Melody gazed at him for a moment, and said two simple words before leaning in to kiss him again.

"Hell yes."

Bellatrix decided to ditch Siegfried. At least for this meeting. He hadn't done any of the research, and he was currently too preoccupied with his bottle of gin to care what was going on. Not that Bellatrix wasn't drinking tonight, but it was just wine, and anyway she didn't plan on getting pissed. Wine just went so well with dinner, that was all. Well, she assumed it would, anyway, as soon as Monsieur Gerard appeared and the meal was served.

Bellatrix was currently seated, alone, near the end of a beautiful dining table. Three places were set, so either someone else was coming or Gerard expected Siegfried to be there. She hoped he wouldn't be too upset that Siegfried wasn't coming.

Siegfried was a good Death Eater, yes, but he had become completely useless in this particular venture, and was regularly too drunk to remember what he was supposed to be doing. She hoped Monsieur Gerard wouldn't expect him to be here and be in control just because he happened to be a man. After all, Bellatrix was the one who'd bothered to set up this meeting. Bellatrix was the one who'd done all of the research on Delany and her necklaces, and Bellatrix was the one who knew what she wanted to get out of Monsieur Gerard. Siegfried had meant to come, or so he said, but he was too inebriated tonight for Bellatrix to allow him out in public, let alone go to an extremely important meeting with an extremely important man who might hold the fate of their future with the Dark Lord in their hands.

Though she did worry about Siegfried, a little. He'd always enjoyed his drink before, but now he seemed to never stop drinking. Any excuse at all seemed like a good one for Siegfried to open up a bottle. Up too early--got home too late--work was tough--feeling lousy--out of pumpkin juice. As if there wasn't any water, Bellatrix thought bitterly, taking another sip of wine.

Monsieur Gerard arrived just then, however, and Bellatrix had no more time to mull over Siegfried's drinking problems.

"Monsieur Gerard," she greeted him, rising. "Thank you for having me for dinner."

"Not at all, Miss Black," Gerard said, taking Bellatrix's hand and dropping a kiss on the back of it. "I thank you for being prompt."

Bellatrix smiled and allowed him to seat her.

Monsieur Gerard got right to business. He ordered Siegfried's empty place away without bothering to ask if he was coming, and had the food brought to the table promptly. He encouraged Bellatrix to eat while he began talking.

"Lucifer Malfoy has already explained your situation to me. I understand that you need the girl to prove something to Voldemort. I do not care about that. The only thing I am concerned with is the fate of the girl's necklace." Gerard paused to take a sip of wine. "I can arrange for you to...encounter...the girl. All I ask is that you bring me the necklace. I am willing to compensate you handsomely for it."

"The necklace is an extremely powerful magical object," Bellatrix said. "How much, exactly, are you willing to compensate?"

"Oh, an obscene amount, I assure you."

Bellatrix raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"All right. Two million Galleons, if you insist on hearing numbers."

Bellatrix smiled. "That will do, Monsieur Gerard. Now, about these arrangements...."

"Ah, yes. At the moment, Miss Evans is attending Hogwarts, which makes it difficult to...ah...access her. However, I intercepted an owl that will reach the young Miss Evans shortly. She does not know it yet, but her family is planning to go to America over the Christmas holidays to visit with her relatives. Her Muggle relatives."

Bellatrix grinned wickedly. "How convenient," she commented, taking a sip of wine.

"I must warn you, however," Monsieur Gerard continued. "The necklace is...ah...elusive. I do not know how much you have researched it, but at times, it is impossible to get off the wearer. If this proves to be the case with Miss Evans, I suggest you do not push your luck. It may be better to wait until you have...disposed of the girl...before you remove it. And even then--react quickly. The trinket has been known to disappear without warning. And should it disappear...it will be impossible for any of us to retrieve. Also, should you return without the necklace, your compensation will be forfeit."

"I understand, Monsieur Gerard. Siegfried and I will do our best."

"I expected him to be here tonight. Is he...otherwise engaged?"

Bellatrix thought of the scotch bottle. "Yes. He has other matters to take care of."

"Please send him my regards. And enjoy your Christmas," Monsieur Gerard said, and lifted his wine glass to Bellatrix's in a silent toast.

Mimi was not having a great week. Melody and Sirius weren't being disgusting or anything, but they were still together. And Mimi, the rationality-impaired, was incapable of taking it like a mature, logical person. She hadn't quite mustered up the courage to speak to Remus about this, either. How in the world was she going to explain her lingering...thing for Sirius? How was she going to articulate her feelings for Remus and for Sirius? What way could she possibly phrase things so they made sense to him? Or even so they made sense to her?

And this weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend, too. How was she going to handle going to Hogsmeade and seeing Melody and Sirius around everywhere? Or worse...what if she didn't see them in Hogsmeade anywhere? She recalled the last trip she'd taken to Hogsmeade with Sirius. They certainly hadn't been within view of the student body, snogging in that carriage. She didn't think she wanted to wander around Hogsmeade plagued with those kinds of thoughts.

She could go with Remus, of course. She still did like Remus and everything, things were just...more complicated now. More complicated to Mimi, anyway. She couldn't quite get herself up to the task. The situation was far too complicated for its own good. If only she could somehow get Lily to work things out for her...after all, Lily was the one who'd convinced Sirius to wait until Saturday to talk to Melody about things, and that had been marvelous.

But that wasn't the point. The point was Hogsmeade this weekend. They were all meeting up at the Three Broomsticks at noon, as usual, and Mimi didn't want to be the only one there alone. Lily and James, Melody and Sirius, Arabella and Mundungus...even Peter was dating someone now; this Hufflepuff girl that Mimi didn't know very well. Some blonde Sixth Year. And...well, Remus would be there, but if he didn't go with Mimi then she didn't imagine he'd sit next to her, and then of course once they all left the Three Broomsticks, what were the odds he'd want to go off with her, and--

"Mimi?"

Mimi blinked and looked up from the library table where she was supposed to be studying. Remus was looking down at her curiously.

"Are you all right? You look like you're ripping your hair out over...History of Magic homework. Come now, Mimi. That's not hard, that's just boring."

Mimi grinned. "Nah, I was just thinking about...about stuff."

"Ah. Stuff," Remus stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, stuff always gets me too. 'S very complicated, isn't it?"

"Mm," Mimi agreed, and smiled up at him.

"So, Mimi..."

"Mm?" she repeated.

"What're your plans for Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Avoiding Sirius and Melody at all costs. "Oh...not much."

"Going with anybody yet?"

Just my stupid hormones. They're ruining my life. "Not to my knowledge."'

Remus grinned. "Shouldn't you know?"

"Well, you know...sometimes my mind leaves me. Who knows what I do while it's gone?" Like decide I still like Sirius.

"Well is your mind around now?"

"I think it just stepped in."

"Great. So if I asked you to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend, you'd remember, yeah?"

"Sure I'd remember. But it wouldn't really matter unless I said yes." Mimi said, grinning back.

"Oh, I think it's going to matter," Remus said confidently.

"You've been spending too much time around James and Sirius," Mimi scolded. Sirius. Damn him. "You're beginning to sound awfully cheeky."

Remus grinned again and leaned across the table. "Nah. Just confident. No harm in a little confidence, is there?"

"S'pose not," Mimi agreed.

"So?" Remus prompted. "You going to say yes, or am I going to have to say it for you?"

"Oh, I might have to think on it," Mimi teased, and Remus surprised her by leaning in and giving her a quick kiss. Her stomach gave a sharp, funny twist.

"How about now?" Remus asked as Mimi tried to combat the flush growing her cheeks.

"Um..." she began, and Remus kissed her again. That is NOT helping, she thought at him.

"Still thinking?" he demanded.

"Yes," Mimi said quickly as he leaned in for another one. She stopped his lips with her fingers. "I'll go with you."

"Excellent," Remus said, and Mimi stood up quickly to avoid another kiss. She couldn't explain it, but she felt...guilty now. It wasn't as though she was cheating on anyone, she just...wasn't being completely honest with Remus. And she didn't like the feeling.

"I'll...I'll see you on Saturday," she said, smiling and gathering up her things.

Remus stood up straight and raised his eyebrows, surprised. "All right," he said, and shrugged. "Guess...guess I'll see you on Saturday then."

"Yep," Mimi agreed, forcing some perk into her smile. She slung her bag over her shoulder. "See you later, Remus."

"I'll...see you," he echoed, still sounding confused, and she hurried out of the library before he could follow her.

Damn it, she cursed silently. Now I'm going to go to Hogsmeade with Remus and it's STILL going to suck. What in the world is WRONG with me?

Saturday morning was going wonderfully for Melody...until the mail came. At first she was excited to see an owl dropping a note at her place--the only mail she usually got was Quidditch Weekly--and thought it might be from one of her siblings, but when she saw the writing on the front her stomach sank.

It was from Hans.

She was sitting alone, as it was still early and none of her friends had gotten up yet. That was a good thing, because the letter was probably about where Melody and Hans were going for Christmas holidays, and she was sure it wouldn't go over well with Sirius.

Melody had nearly forgotten, in the midst of all her teenage drama and very recent supreme happiness, that she still had Hans to contend with. The reminder of her debt to Hans took the taste out of her scrambled eggs, and she stared at the envelope with an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

She still owed him so much money. And she was supposed to go with him over Christmas and--get engaged or something. But now--well, maybe now, since she was dating Sirius--

Melody bit her lip and thought about it for a minute. If she managed to convince her uncle that she should marry Sirius, then maybe she could convince Sirius that it was a good idea that he marry her. And then she might be able to pay her uncle back and save her family. Maybe. The big problem there was that she wasn't sure how much of the Black family fortune Sirius was privy to. Would he have gotten his inheritance yet? Or would that only come after his parents died? Sirius's parents were still fairly young--it would be a while yet before either of them kicked the bucket. She knew it was horrible of her to be thinking about Sirius's parents that way, but she couldn't help it.

She stared down at her right hand. She was still wearing the little diamond ring her uncle had given her, months ago, when he'd first told her about his plot to marry her off. She didn't know why she was wearing it. She hadn't, at first. Hadn't remembered. But ever since her uncle had accosted her in the Hog's Head...well, she felt it was better to go along with him. Even if she didn't want to take his crap anymore. Even if she was trying to fight him. She was still a little scared by him...even if she didn't want to admit it.

Melody took a deep breath and picked up the envelope. It was thin, so the message couldn't be that long, but it would still cause her a lot of trouble. Sirius knew her uncle expected her at Christmastime, of course, but that didn't mean he wouldn't resist the idea. He'd asked her to come home with him for Christmas this year, and she said she'd think about it.

And this...this right here in her hands, this was why. The letter from Hans.

She looked around the Great Hall nervously. Still none of her friends were up. None of them would be around to care. Or to yell at her.

Melody turned the envelope over and ripped it open hastily. Trying to keep her hands from shaking, she unfolded the parchment. The letter from her uncle was brief, as she'd expected.

Melody,

We'll be spending the Christmas season in London this year. I trust you have not forgotten your duty, and that you also have refrained from participating in other foolish escapades since October.

I will be picking you up at King's Cross Station as usual. I trust you will be well prepared for the holiday.

Regards,

H. Cauldwell

Well. At least he wasn't referring to himself as her uncle anymore. Uncle implied family, and he certainly wasn't acting like family to Melody.

She looked down at the ring on her right hand again and swallowed, feeling ill.

It was a good thing today was a Hogsmeade day. She'd have plenty to distract her, and she didn't want to think about Christmas any more than she had to right now.

They were all packed into the Three Broomsticks again, happily, sharing several six-seater tables that were pushed together. Madam Rosmerta brought out a dozen mugs of butterbeer and several orders of cheesy fries, and the teenagers attacked them happily. Lily looked around the table and smiled, taking a hearty gulp of butterbeer and shoving several cheesy fries into her mouth. Next weekend was the start of Christmas holidays, and taking a trip to Hogsmeade always seemed like the perfect end to the fall term. And here she was, with her best friends, sharing a drink before running off to buy presents as usual--and today, a little something more, since Lily had an appointment with Mr. Zorcoran to discuss her necklace.

Melody and Sirius sat across from Lily and James, Sirius and James exchanging playful insults, and Sirius leaning over to Melody every once in a while to whisper something funny into her ear. Melody smiled and giggled more in one hour than Lily had seen her smile in three months--really smile, that is, not the fake smile she put on when she was trying to flirt with boys she didn't really like. Not that the fake smile wasn't pretty, but...it didn't quite light up her face the way this smile did. She also wasn't bothering with her ridiculous hair and make-up routine anymore, and Lily thought this look suited her rather better.

Next to Sirius and Melody were Mundungus and Arabella. They'd been fighting lately, but things seemed to be going better today. They weren't arguing, at least. Well...perhaps that was because they weren't talking to each other. Lily frowned, and glanced down the table. Mimi and Remus were sitting next to Dung, and across from them were Peter and his new girlfriend Sophie, a blonde Hufflepuff girl. Lily strongly suspected Mimi was sitting on that end of the table so she wouldn't have a good view of Sirius and Melody. Although Mimi had to be improving, since she'd agreed to come with Remus.

To the right of Lily and James were Susie and Matt, a kind of odd addition to the group, but the Three Broomsticks was horrendously crowded, and they looked like they were getting along well enough. Dung and Matt seemed to be having some kind of involved conversation about Quidditch, and Arabella and Susie were complaining about Charms homework.

But still...it was Hogsmeade. And it was almost Christmas. And being here at the Three Broomsticks with all her friends was...pretty damn awesome, if she did say so herself.

Lucy was thrilled. The FPC had gone over even better than she had hoped--and with the exception of Anthony, everyone who had attended the first meeting was walking around Hogsmeade together today. Nothing could spoil her mood. Nothing except--except them.

Lucy scowled as she approached Anthony and Lin, who were holding hands and walking with the odious, blonde-haired Bridget DeBeauvois and a third-year Gryffindor girl with dirty blonde hair whose name Lucy couldn't remember. She wiped the scowl off, though, to smile at Anthony.

"You should have come with us," she said to him, halting, and the rest of the FPC halted behind her. There were nine of them now. Not a huge group, but still better than none. And certainly more intimidating than the group of four Bridget was in.

Anthony shrugged. "I had other plans. And I don't think I'm going to join the club anyway. It's not really my thing."

Lucy pouted. "Well...if you ever change your mind, you're always welcome."

"He said he's not interested," Bridget snapped, crossing her arms.

"I can speak for myself," Anthony said to her softly.

"Yeah, Bridget, don't be so overbearing," Lucy taunted.

"No one asked you," Lin snapped, and Lucy looked at her in surprise. "Just leave us alone. Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

"Of course we do," Wendy said, pushing her way to the front of the crowd. "And we'll leave just as soon as you get out of our way."

"I think it's the other way around," Lin said coolly.

Wendy's eyes flared open angrily. "Well, there's more of us than there are of you. The odds aren't exactly in your favor, are they?"

"I'll take those odds," Bridget said, and tried to step forward, but Anthony put out an arm to hold her back.

"Don't," he said. "Don't bother. This is stupid."

"You're damn right it's stupid," came another voice, and everyone turned their heads to see Rachel shoving her way through the FPC group. She walked over to the other side of the road. "This street is ten feet wide. Let's just go."

"That's not the point," Gillian said, looking at Rachel as if she were too slow to catch on.

"No, I think Rachel's right," Wendy said, staring straight at Lin. "It's just not worth my time."

Lin's nostrils flared as she pulled in a quick, angry breath, but she just squeezed Anthony's hand and stared at Wendy as she walked to the other side of the road to join Rachel. Gillian, her eyes in angry slants, turned to Lucy for her opinion.

Lucy looked back and forth between Anthony and the FPC for a second, and then shrugged. "No point," she agreed. "Let's just go." She looked at Anthony for a long moment and smiled at him as the rest of the FPC crossed to the other side of the street.

Lin, furious at the way Lucy was capturing Anthony's attention, tugged her hand out of Anthony's, grabbed his face between her hands, and pulled his mouth down to hers. Lucy's mouth fell slightly open as she watched them kiss, and it took a tug on her arm from Gillian for her to snap out of it and walk across the road to join the FPC.

"Don't worry about it," Gillian hissed into her ear. "You'll get him one of these days. Just wait for the right moment."

Lucy thought she mumbled something in return, but she couldn't really tell. She kept replaying Anthony and Lin's kiss in her head, and as she walked away all she could hear was Bridget's gleeful cackling echoing behind her.

Perhaps things weren't as peaceful as Lily surmised.

Arabella and Mundungus had excused themselves from the table a few minutes before Lily and James left the Three Broomsticks, and as they walked out the front door, Lily discovered why.

Bella and Dung were standing in the middle of the street, shrieking at each other, and a small crowd of teenagers had gathered to watch.

"--DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE SO UPSET!"

"Don't--don't understand?" Arabella sputtered. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING YOUR POCKET MONEY THE LAST SIX MONTHS, MUNDUNGUS? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IN THE HOG'S HEAD EVERY WEEKEND SINCE THE START OF TERM, EVEN WHEN WE WEREN'T ALLOWED OUT FOR HOGSMEADE WEEKENDS? WHY THE BLOODY HELL D'YOU THINK WE'RE STANDING HERE HAVING THIS ARGUMENT, YOU--YOU--CROOK!"

"I MAY BE A CROOK, BUT AT LEAST I'M AN HONEST CROOK!" Mundungus thundered.

"An honest crook? MUNDUNGUS, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN HONEST CROOK! THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED CROOKS!"

"I am too honest! I admit that I'm a crook!"

James snorted in amusement, and Lily hit him on the shoulder. "What?" he demanded, and Lily just shook her head at him. "I'm not the only one laughing," he pointed out, and Lily just rolled her eyes.

"You promised you were going to stop, Mundungus!" Arabella shrieked. "YOU PROMISED!"

"Well--you know what, I--I--I LIED!"

"WELL SO MUCH FOR YOU BEING AN HONEST CROOK, YOU BIG FAT--GIT!"

"Well, I may be a git but at least I didn't CHEAT ON YOU!"

Arabella gasped. "I never cheated on you!"

"Like hell you didn't!"

"Oh, yeah? Who'd I cheat on you with, Dung? Huh? Who?"

"Adam Johnson, that's who!"

"Well--well--that's just silly, is what it is!" Arabella sputtered, unconvincingly. "How could I have cheated on you with Adam Johnson? He's been gone for a month."

"It was before he left!"

"He was dating somebody!"

"Well, so were YOU, but that didn't stop you now did it?"

James clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter.

"What?" Lily demanded.

"I think that explains why Adam was single during Auror Training," James said, and Lily raised her eyebrows and looked back at Arabella to try to figure out if Mundungus was telling the truth.

Arabella's face flushed. "Well--well--he and his girlfriend were fighting, and she broke up with him the next day anyway!" she shrieked, her face glowing pink. Mundungus was beginning to look triumphant, and her anger flared up again. "BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP YOU FROM BEING A CROOK!"

"Oh, come on Arabella, IS THAT THE BEST YOU HAVE?"

"IT'S ALL I NEED TO HAVE, YOU SMARMY BASTARD!"

"Oh, that's real mature Bella, calling me names."

"You know what, Mundungus? I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! IT'S OVER!"

"GREAT!" Mundungus yelled. "Now if you won't mind getting out of my way, I have some business down at the Hog's Head."

"FINE!" Arabella shrieked. "I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN, YOU DIRTY PIG!"

She shoved past Mundungus and through the crowd, and started running down the road toward the Shrieking Shack.

"I better go talk to her," murmured a girl standing behind Lily, and Lily and James turned around to see Melody and Sirius standing there.

"Yeah...maybe you better," Sirius agreed.

Melody sighed. "I won't be long. I'll see you later."

Sirius leaned down to give her a kiss good-bye, and behind them Lily saw Mimi coming out of the Three Broomsticks. Mimi got an ill look on her face and turned her head, striding away from the door quickly. Remus hurried to catch her up, looking rather confused.

Lily sighed and looked back at James. The crowd around them had dispersed, and she could see Melody jogging after Arabella. Lily glanced at her watch.

"Is it time yet?" James asked.

"Nearly," she replied. "Better get going."

"Time for what?" Sirius asked.

"James and I are going to see Mr. Zorcoran to ask him about my necklace," Lily replied. "Dumbledore said he might know something."

"I want to come," Sirius said immediately.

"You can't both come."

"Why not?" Sirius demanded.

"Well--because Mr. Zorcoran's really only expecting me, and--"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lily, he won't mind. You're going to tell us everything he says anyway, aren't you?"

"Well...yes, but--"

"Great! Then let's go."

Sirius took one of her arms, and James, not to be outdone, took the other, and together they walked her down the street to Zorcoran's, even though she protested the whole way there.

Once they arrived, Mr. Zorcoran greeted them, and summoned another employee to take over his register. Lily looked at the long line snaking away from the counter and felt guilty taking Mr. Zorcoran away from his work on such a busy day. But he wouldn't have agreed to meeting with me if he couldn't manage it, she reasoned, and tried to think how she was going to explain her necklace as he led her, James, and Sirius to one of the back rooms.

"Well now," Mr. Zorcoran said when they were all settled. "Do all of you have enchanted necklaces you want me to take a look at?" he joked, looking at James and Sirius.

"No," Lily said, smiling. "They just insisted on coming with me."

"We're her bodyguards," Sirius deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your background check cleared, but we thought we'd better come with her, just to be sure."

"Sirius!" Lily protested in alarm, but Mr. Zorcoran laughed.

"Very well," he said. "Where is the necklace?"

"Here," Lily said, pulling the chain out from underneath her robes.

Zorcoran pulled a pair of large, thick spectacles and a small notebook out of his pocket. He flipped it to a blank page and scribbled a few notes with his pen--not a quill, Lily noted. "Gold?" he asked, and Lily nodded. "Twenty-four karat? Higher?"

Lily looked uncertainly over at James, and he shrugged as well. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I got it as a present, and...well, I'm just not sure. It's...it's very old, if that makes any difference. I was hoping you could tell me."

Zorcoran nodded. "Can I see it please?"

Lily traded another glance with James. "Well...that's one of the things about it, Mr. Zorcoran. It won't come off."

Zorcoran frowned and made a few more notes on his pad. "Has it always been this way?" he inquired.

"No. When I first got it, it was just a normal necklace. It had a clasp. But I didn't take it off for a while, and now...now there's nothing. And I can't pull it over my head, and...well, I don't want to break the chain, and there's been no real reason to take it off I guess, and--"

Zorcoran held up his hand, and Lily stopped. "That's a fine enough explanation," he said, and continued scribbling on his pad for a while. "Now then. Has the necklace displayed any sign of enchantment, other than its...reluctance to come off?"

Lily hesitated, running the chain through her fingers. "Well...there are the dreams," she said finally, and Zorcoran looked at her interestedly.

"Dreams?"

"Yes. I have...dreams. About other owners of the necklace."

"Dreams," Zorcoran said again, scribbling more onto his pad. "Very unusual. Very. But not unheard of. Please, continue. What happens in these dreams?"

"Well...not a lot, until recently. Mostly I just...sort of followed the previous owner around and...watched them go about their business. Kind of like...stepping into someone else's memory, I guess."

"Like in a Pensieve?" Zorcoran suggested, and Lily shrugged, confused.

"I don't know. I've never seen a Pensieve."

He nodded. "All right. So what's happened recently in the dreams?"

"Well...one of the girls I dreamed about...the last dream I had about her, she...well, she died in it. At least...I think she did. I don't know. After that I started dreaming about another girl who owned the necklace."

"And these girls were...like you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, not at all. They lived in...different times. Different places. In the past."

"I see," Zorcoran said, and spent several long minutes making notes on his pad. "I should tell you now, Miss Evans, that I am not going to be able to help you very much. I'm sorry if I'm getting your hopes up taking all of these notes, but they will serve a very important purpose, even if I cannot do much with them."

Lily's face fell, disappointed, and she stared down at her necklace sadly. "Oh," she said.

"If I could have the necklace for a few days, I might be able to run some tests on it, but I am reluctant to try much with it still around your neck. And, I must admit, jewelry is not my specialty. I don't sell much of it, you may have noticed. However," Zorcoran said, ripping the pages out of his notebook, "I can refer you to an expert. Not only does he make and sell his own jewelry--he is also an expert on the history of enchanted jewelry. He will take far more of your time than I will, but it would be well worth your time to visit."

"His name," Zorcoran said, scribbling something onto a blank page, "is Al Schmundertoe." He tore the page out and handed it to Lily. "This is his address in London. Do you think you can make it there over Christmas holidays?"

Lily looked at James, who nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"Good. I am going to send these notes to him, securely. You should owl him yourself once you know when you're going to be able to get to London. He will need at least a week's warning, I should think."

"All right," Lily said, folding up the paper he gave her and tucking it safely into a pocket of her robes. "Mr. Zorcoran...even if you're not an expert...can you tell me what you do think about the necklace?"

Zorcoran thought about this for a minute. "I think it's a very fine piece of jewelry," he replied finally. "And extremely powerful." He paused for a moment, and looked at her. Lily met his gaze evenly, and he nodded slightly before continuing. "Miss Evans, any magical object that can give you dreams--or transport memories, which may be the case here--is both extremely valuable and extremely dangerous."

Lily swallowed nervously.

"I suspect that the necklace has other enchantments on it, besides the one that induces dreams, and as the owner--and perhaps, from this moment, the unwilling owner--of such a jewel, it is in your best interests to discover exactly what these enchantments are, in case one of them goes awry."

Lily thought of Laurelle's death, and her stomach twisted itself into a sickening knot. "And...do you think Mister...um...Shundratee..."

"Schmundertoe," Zorcoran corrected.

"Schmundertoe," Lily continued, "will be able to find out what those enchantments are?"

Zorcoran thought about this for a long time before answering. "He is the only person I know whom I think capable of doing so."

Lily nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Zorcoran."

"You are welcome," Zorcoran replied, rising, and the teenagers followed suit. "I wish you luck. I hope Al will be more helpful to you than I have been."

He held out a hand, which Lily shook. He smiled and bowed them out of his office.

Lily left the store feeling deflated, and frowned down at her "L" pendant. "Well, that was pointless," she said irritably. "I might as well have just stayed in the Three Broomsticks for the rest of the day, drinking butterbeers."

"Oh, come now, Lily," Sirius said, slinging an arm around her shoulder, which James immediately shoved off to replace with his own. James glared, and Sirius grinned at him cheekily. "Now you get to go see this Schmundertoe guy! It ought to be at least as helpful as your meeting with Zorcoran, and anyway, any man who has a name like Schmundertoe has to have a wonderful sense of humor."

"Or none at all," Lily argued. "If I had a name like Schmundertoe, I don't think I'd be very amused."

"Well, that's why your name is Evans, then, isn't it? Boring name with a boring sense of humor."

"Are you calling my girlfriend boring?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Prongsie."

"Prongsie?" Lily echoed.

"Yep, Prongsie. You know, with the antlers and everything?"

"Why d'you call him that?"

James looked at Sirius urgently, but Sirius ignored him. Instead he looked at Lily, grinning wickedly. "Oh, y'know...because he's so horny."

Lily's eyes bulged. She didn't know whether to laugh or smack him. She ended up emitting a snort of laughter, and then started giggling madly, her cheeks flushing a bit. "Sirius, that's horrible."

"Yeah, but you're still laughing," he pointed out. James just glared at him.

"I'll get you back for that one, Padfoot."

"Oh, he's Padfoot now?" Lily asked curiously. She'd heard these nicknames before, but never quite heard the explanations behind them.

"Yeah. You know, because he's so pussy-footed around the ladies."

Sirius shook his head. "Not quite as good as Prongsie, James. Sorry."

James looked at Lily for support, but she just shrugged. "He does have a point," she admitted. "I mean...he does have a girlfriend and everything."

"Yeah, but--well, it took him long enough, didn't it?"

"No longer than you," Sirius pointed out.

"It was a little longer," Lily argued. "But still, James...it was a little weak."

"Well...look what I had to work with," he mumbled.

Sirius grinned cheekily, and Lily shook her head at him.

"Don't be a baby, James," she said, kissing him on the cheek. James grumbled for a moment, but gave Lily a quick kiss on the temple and cheered up a bit.

"Hey now," Sirius said. "I need some of that. Where'd my girlfriend run off to?"

"She was heading over to the Shrieking Shack, wasn't she?" Lily said. "Running after Arabella."

"Yeah, that sounds right. If you lovebirds don't mind, I think I'm going to go find her."

"Bye, Sirius," Lily said, and he walked off. She slipped an arm around James's waist. "So," she said. "I still have to do my Christmas shopping."

"Me too," James agreed. "Might as well while we're here, eh?"

"Might as well," Lily agreed. "Might as well."

"What's that, Lily?"

"Letter."

"I see that," Mimi said, rolling her eyes. "Who's it from?"

"My cousin. Well, and my mum. There's two letters. Apparently I'm going to America for Christmas."

"You're what?"

"Yeah," Lily said, and handed one of the letters over to Mimi. "My cousin's family has invited us to stay with them. Since...since my dad passed and all. And my mum, who got the letter long before I did, sent another letter along to say that she accepted the offer."

"Wow," Mimi said. "You sound like Melody, going off to another country over the holidays."

Lily laughed. "Yeah, except my uncle won't be buying me three hundred pairs of shoes and then demanding them all back months later because he's in debt."

"Wait...what?"

Lily blinked and looked at Mimi. "Haven't you heard about Melody's psychotic uncle yet?"

Mimi shook her head slowly.

"Oh, Jeez, Mimi...this happened months ago...somehow I thought you knew. Weren't you at Diagon Alley with us?"

Mimi shook her head again. "I went with Susie and Matt this year, remember?"

"Oh...yeah," Lily agreed. "But then...when we got back to Hogwarts...I guess you started dating Sirius then, didn't you? So you weren't really talking to Melody...and since then...huh. I guess you haven't heard about it then, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Mimi agreed, "so tell me."

Lily gave a brief description of the way Melody's uncle had acted when Melody tried to get back to England to comfort Lily after her family's deaths. She then told Mimi about him coming to Diagon Alley to yell at Melody for returning to England against his wishes, and to tell her that she was going to spend Christmas with him whether she liked it or not.

Mimi's eyes widened. "I see," she said, when Lily had finished. "Well...that's not good for Melody, is it? Is she really going to stay with her uncle over Christmas, d'you think?"

Lily shrugged. "Who knows? I guess she'll have to decide soon, though, since we leave for holidays on Saturday. I guess I haven't really asked her about it."

Mimi shrugged. "What about you, Lily? How do you feel about leaving for Christmas?"

Lily considered. She'd spent most of last Christmas break at Potter's Cottage. And--well, she'd really enjoyed it there. She realized that she'd been rather looking forward to going back to the Cottage, and actually felt a bit disappointed at the prospect of going to America. It wasn't that she didn't want to see New York City or anything, and it wasn't that she didn't want to see her family, she just...

...had another family now, too. Hogwarts felt like her home. So did Potter's Cottage. And her friends...her friends were her family. They were no substitute for her father or brother or sister of course, but...she was comfortable here. Familiar. And America would be so...well, foreign. Not that she didn't want to see her cousin. She got on amazingly well with her cousin. And her aunt and uncle were perfectly nice people, and...Lily could understand her mother wanting to be with her brother and his wife over Christmas, since it would be the first one she was spending without her husband, and...and after losing two of her children....

Lily blinked to ward off her tears. But still, she thought. It won't be like home. And the more she thought about it, the more Potter's Cottage started to feel like home.

"I don't know, Mimi," she said finally. "They're...they're family. It's important to be around your family during the holidays," she added quietly.

"Yeah," Mimi agreed.

"What's this about the holidays?" James asked, coming up behind them. The girls were eating breakfast, and James had come over to say good morning to Lily. He was amazingly awake for a Monday, Lily noted, as he leaned down to give her a peck on the lips.

"I'm going to America," she informed him. "Has your mother told you?"

"You're going where?" James said, dropping down next to her in shock.

"Oh. Guess your mother hasn't told you then. Well, James...I'm going to stay with my cousin in America over holidays. Though it won't just be me, obviously...my whole family's going."

"Well...well...this is news."

"Yes," Lily agreed. "It's news to me, too. I just got the letter from my mum this morning."

"But Lily...when am I going to give you your Christmas present?"

"You can give it to me before I leave, silly," Lily said, laughing.

"When are you leaving, exactly? Because--well, because I kind of had plans for it, and--"

"Ooh, planning some big romantic getaway, James?" Mimi teased.

"No," James said, but he still looked a bit flustered.

"Let me see," Lily said, consulting her letter. "I'm going to be at Potter's Cottage for a few days before we leave. Hey--d'you think I can Floo to London during that time? I need to see that um...Shunder...fellow."

"Schmundertoe?" James offered.

"Yeah. That's the one," Lily agreed, and offered a quick explanation to the confused Mimi about her necklace.

"I think that should be fine," James said. "Just don't forget to owl him about it, like Zorcoran said."

"I won't," Lily assured him. "So...America for Christmas. This'll be new. Hey...James, have you heard anything about where Melody's going for Christmas? Last I heard, her uncle was still going to try to make her go with him, but...who knows?"

"Absolutely not. You're not going. You can't go."

"What, are you my mother now, Sirius? If I say I want to go, then I'm going. You don't have to get all worked up about it."

"Like hell you want to go," Sirius spat. "You're just going because you're afraid of your uncle."

Melody glared at him. "That is not why I'm going."

"Is it because of that ring?" Sirius demanded, grabbing her right hand. "I didn't even think you wore this anymore. Has he put some kind of Confunding Charm on it?"

"What? Sirius, no. I'm not Confunded."

"Are you sure? How can you prove it?"

"Oh--for goodness' sake, if you don't believe me--then here. Take my ring. We can wait and see if I feel differently."

"Fine," Sirius agreed, and stuffed the ring into his pocket.

Melody crossed her arms and looked up at him. "I don't feel any different."

"Just wait. This could take a while."

"All right. Well, in the meantime...Sirius, you're being a bit obtuse about this, don't you think? I mean...he wrote an awfully nice letter to me, and apologized for everything, and he wants to take me to London for Christmas holidays. I don't see what's so bad about that."

"And you believe him this time? Melody, he has always planned to take you with him on Christmas holidays. Don't you remember? Even when he was furious with you this summer, at Diagon Alley, he told you he was going to take you with him over Christmas holidays."

"Yes, I remember Sirius, but the difference is now he's actually apologized for being so rude over the summer. That makes all the difference."

So Melody was lying. So what? There was no point in telling Sirius anything until she had this all figured out herself...and she still wasn't entirely sure what her uncle was up to. She knew he wanted to marry her off, and that he was heavily in debt, but...well, she didn't know, something just didn't quite fit. After all, couldn't he have gotten Catalina to do this for him, if he really wanted? Why torture Melody?

And...well, what was the point in dragging Sirius into all this, when she knew he would just try to come up with a solution and talk her out of it? Of course, Sirius was kind of part of her plan...but he wasn't a definite part of her plan, and anyway he might stop dating her if he thought she might be getting engaged to someone else. And, damn it, she'd finally gotten Sirius, and she wasn't going to let him go that quickly.

"I want to see this letter," Sirius demanded.

"I told you, I lost it," Melody lied. Well, maybe that wasn't technically a lie. You couldn't exactly lose something that didn't exist in the first place, could you?

"I don't believe you," Sirius said, looking her over. "In fact, I don't believe a bit of it. Melody, what are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing," Melody lied again, she hoped more convincingly this time.

"Oh, bullocks, Melody. You're worse than Mimi."

"Worse than Mimi? How?"

"Oh...never mind. You're just both full of it, that's all. And I can tell when you're lying, Melody, so don't try it anymore."

Sure seemed to work well on you last summer, she thought, annoyed. "Look, Sirius," she said, sighing. "I'm sorry, but you're not going to change my mind. As much as I'd love to spend Christmas with you...I'm going to spend it with my uncle. You're more than welcome to come visit me in London, if you like," she added quickly, impulsively. And stupidly, she thought a moment later. What was she doing, inviting him to London? Hans would not appreciate her teenage boyfriend lurking around when he was trying to marry her to some old fat...geezer.

"I think I will, Melody," Sirius said, handing her ring back. "I think I'd like to meet the man who makes you tell lies about yourself and wear pretty rings so he can keep track of you. I just hope I don't meet the Melody he's trying to turn you into."

Melody's hand closed around her ring, and she watched him walk out of the common room sadly. Was he right?

He may have been her boyfriend, but he was still Sirius, and he could still see right through her.

And she was afraid that, over Christmas, he would use that particular trait to expose all of her lies about her uncle. The worst part was, she couldn't quite tell if she was afraid that it would happen...or that she secretly hoped it would. Because carrying around all these lies was beginning to become a burden Melody didn't want to take with her anymore.

And Sirius...well, Sirius was beginning to seem like the only thing that mattered.

Melody and Lily weren't the only ones getting important mail. On the last Thursday before holidays began, James received a very important package, and called an official Marauder meeting to unveil it. Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius met up in MHQ on Thursday evening.

"All right, what's the big surprise?" Remus demanded, sitting down at the table.

"You don't sound very excited about this, Moony," James scolded, setting the package down on the table in front of him. "Don't you want to know what's inside?"

Remus shrugged. "Sure I do. I'm just a little...preoccupied."

"Girl trouble?" Peter guessed.

"Why would he be having girl trouble?" James asked. "Things are going all right with Mimi, aren't they?"

Remus shook his head. "I don't know."

"She likes you though, doesn't she?" Peter pressed.

"I thought so. She's just...been acting really weird lately. Every time I try to talk to her, she's...not quite there."

"Her mind's going then?" James joked. "Tragic when it happens at such a young age."

Remus didn't laugh. He just looked irritated.

"Oh, come on, Moony," James continued, slapping him on the shoulder. "She'll come around."

"I thought she already came around," he grumbled, leaning his cheek against his fist.

"I think I hear a musical number coming on," Sirius said, speaking finally. He walked around the table to stand next to Remus. "Allow me to play the world's tiniest violin for you." Sirius began imitating squeaky violin noises, and Remus whacked him on the arm.

"Not funny, Sirius."

"Oh, come off it, Moony. I agree with James--she'll come around eventually. You know girls. Sometimes they get moody."

Remus couldn't argue with that. "I just wish I were going to see her over Christmas, that's all."

"Why don't you?" Peter asked.

"Because...she's going home," Remus said, as though it should be obvious.

James shrugged. "So are the rest of us, but you're still going to see us, aren't you?"

"Mimi's house isn't exactly connected to the Floo Network," Remus pointed out.

"Well, I'm sure you'll work it out, Remus," James said, giving him a supportive whack on the back.

Remus mumbled in agreement, and the Marauders turned their attention to the package lying on the table.

"So what's in it?" Peter asked.

James cleared his throat and straightened his tie pompously. "Well, comrades," he began. "It is a tale of great cunning and bravery. A tale of stealth and intrigue. A tale of--"

"Sirius taking the package off the table and opening it before James has a chance to give us a long-winded speech about it."

"I object, Padfoot. It is a tale of none of those things--now, give me that package, or I will be forced to steal it away from you and then hit you with it."

"You can hit me with it all you like; I doubt it'd hurt much," Sirius replied, balancing the package on his pinky.

"Very well, Padfoot. You leave me no other choice." James dove across the table, and, as promised, wrestled the package from Sirius.

It ripped open in the process, and James quickly pulled the slinky fabric out, wrapped it around himself, and promptly disappeared.

He pulled off his shoe and whacked Sirius with it.

"Ow!" Sirius howled, and whirled around, trying to locate James. Luckily, this wasn't hard, as James was exploding with laughter, and Sirius pulled the cloak off and glared at him, rubbing his head.

Remus and Peter stared at James's brand-new Invisibility Cloak in astonishment, and ignored Sirius as he pulled off his own shoe and whacked James with it.

"Wow," Peter breathed. "Where did you get that?"

"Well, if Sirius had let me tell the story," James said, whacking his friend back, "you would know that already, wouldn't you?"

Sirius shrugged. "What can I say? I couldn't handle suspense."

"Well, now that the suspense is over, can I tell the story?" James demanded.

Sirius sighed dramatically. "If you must."

Lily had brewed another cauldron of Dreamless Sleep Potion, but she wasn't sure she wanted to take it anymore. It meant she wouldn't have the nightmares, but...it also meant she couldn't have the necklace dreams anymore. And she was sure that if she kept dreaming about Livana's world, she'd find out something about the necklace...something substantial...because, as she now knew, the papers that Livana was scribbling out were research notes of some kind--notes about her necklace. She was sure of it. If Lily could only manage to read Livana's handwriting, then maybe she'd learn something.

She sighed and stared down at the bottle of potion in her hands. She thought of the conversation she'd had with Naomi during Auror Training.

Sooner or later you're going to have to face it.

Sooner or later, she repeated to herself. Sooner or later.

And better sooner than later, if she was going to meet with that Shunderschmoe...shumdertoe...whatever-toe fellow.

Lily, hands shaking, capped the Potions bottle and set it on her nightstand. She burrowed deep under her covers, praying for the necklace dream instead of the nightmare, and surrendered herself to sleep.

Livana was scribbling again. Her hand was already cramped when Lily popped into the dream, and Lily wondered if maybe this time she'd learn something. It was especially difficult to try to read Livana's writing this way, with her eyes sliding back and forth between a textbook and the piece of parchment hastily, her gaze resting on the parchment barely long enough for Lily to focus on the words. Livana's gaze remained on the textbook longer, and it would have been easier to read--if Lily could read Italian. At least she thought it was Italian. Maybe it was Latin. Or Spanish. Or...something. The only foreign language Lily knew was French, and even that she didn't know very well.

Lily sighed inwardly and prepared herself for another boring, pointless dream.

Why am I having these dreams, anyway, if they're just useless memories the necklace carries around? Shouldn't there be a point to this?

Lily redoubled on her own thoughts. Wait...what did I just say?

Did I just think...about the necklace having memories?

Zorcoran had mentioned something of the sort, she thought, and it did make sense. If the necklace was bound strongly enough to its wearer that it could tell when they were in trouble...then it had to be bound strongly enough to its owners to retain some memories of its attachment. Didn't it? But that bordered on spooky, Lily decided. She didn't want to think about the necklace having a mind of its own.

Lily didn't pay much attention to Livana's work until Livana shoved everything aside, pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, and began writing on it. Slowly--neatly--legibly--Lily could read it! And--Holy Mother of Merlin, it was about necklaces! Not just any necklace, either--her necklace! FINALLY!

Lily read eagerly as Livana wrote, and wished only that Livana could write quickly and neatly, so she wouldn't have to wait so agonizingly long for the sentences to form. But still--she was learning. It was worth it. She thought she might swoon with happiness. If only she weren't trapped in Livana's body, she might have. But hey--Lily wasn't complaining. Finally, finally, she knew something!

Lily's (and Livana's) necklace, she learned, dated back to the early tenth century AD. Its origin was unknown, but most researchers (and there weren't many, from what Lily gathered) agreed that it came from somewhere in the United Kingdom. Some even argued that it came from Scotland--and that it was crafted by Godric Gryffindor himself. Livana herself believed that Gryffindor was the necklace's creator, and she promised in her opening paragraphs to prove this by the end of the essay.

The necklace was part gold, but Livana did not know how much--and nor did any other of the wearers or researchers who'd studied it. It was so heavily laced with enchantments, she explained, that the chemical make-up was negligible, and nearly impossible to ascertain. She expected the necklace, having lasted nearly a millennium already, was magically prepared to last at least another millennium more, and as long as the magic lasted, so would the metal.

Much of the necklace's history was vague and shadowy, even to Livana. It popped in and out of records without any apparent pattern, sometimes disappearing for centuries at a time. It was listed, Lily learned, in most of the great treasure-hunting guides of Livana's and earlier eras, and Livana suspected that several times when it disappeared from the history books, it was being exchanged amongst the hands of thieves who wished to use it for unscrupulous purposes, instead of--as Livana explained--its true purpose: defense.

She claimed that Godric Gryffindor crafted the necklace to protect his wife, Loveda (luh-vee-duh, Livana emphasized)--though from what, she never specified. No one but Gryffindor truly knew the number of enchantments he placed on the jewel, and for centuries treasure-seeking wizards had been attempting to determine just how powerful the object was.

Evidence of the necklace's various enchantments came from eyewitness accounts of the necklace in action--or from the personal accounts of the necklace-wearers themselves. One owner wrote in her diary that when she got lost in the woods several miles from her home, the necklace tugged at her neck and pulled her gently in the right direction until she arrived safely back at her house. Another wearer described the warmth the necklace gave her on a cold January night when she was home alone and the firewood ran out.

Most accounts of the necklace, however--and these were the accounts that interested treasure-hunters--were not firsthand. Stories of necklace owners turning invisible, or just plain disappearing, when put into dire straits. Of girls flying without broomsticks, traveling through time, or miraculously producing large quantities of gold when their families landed in harsh poverty. Of the necklace mysteriously disappearing from the neck of its owner when unscrupulous characters, having disposed of the creature who owned the necklace, tried to get their hands on it. (The cases in which the villains managed to kill the girls, Livana warned, were rare, and were not examples of the villains' triumph over near-ancient magic, but rather the necklace's failure to fulfill its duty as a pendant of protection.) Most important, Livana stressed, was the theory that the necklace, at the height of its powers, could even protect its wearer from death. This alleged trait, Livana surmised, was what made the necklace worth hunting for in the first place. (She personally did not believe that the necklace could truly protect the wearer from death, since there was too much evidence of the necklace failing its wearers in the past.)

Livana was deeply interested in how the necklace had come to be in her possession. She went back to the necklace's origins and discussed how, for nearly two hundred years, the pendant had remained directly in the hands of the Gryffindors. Each Gryffindor woman passed the necklace down to her daughter--or, if she had no daughter, to her son, so that he could bequeath it to the woman he loved. At this point, the necklace's pendant shifted shapes, to fit the initials of its wearer. Not until later, when the descendants of Gryffindor realized the necklace's true and potentially terrible power, was the necklace's pendant sealed so that it could neither be removed from the necklace or shifted into any letter but "L," the initial of the necklace's true and rightful owner.

This enchantment, Livana explained, was a newer, weaker magic, still overshadowed by the original enchantments Gryffindor himself laid down. It was cast by the Gryffindors in the hopes that it would limit the number of wearers--and therefore the number of legends--about the jewel. They warily anticipated the number of unscrupulous men who would attempt to lay their hands on it in the future, and their enchantment seemed to have worked well, pushing knowledge of the necklace's power into obscurity.

But the necklace had more curious qualities still. Some of the wearers described themselves as being able to cast magic with it, or use it as a source of power to strengthen other magic that they cast. Some owners described, like the first examples Livana mentioned, simpler things, like tugging them in the right direction when they were lost--or when they'd lost something. Some described strange dreams they had.

Others did not note anything unusual about the necklace at all.

Livana could not quite explain this phenomenon. If the necklace was crafted for protection, why did it not protect every wearer equally? She'd gathered from her research that it provided some amount of magical protection for every Gryffindor woman who'd owned it--but Livana herself was not a Gryffindor woman. She was married, she explained, to a descendant of a Gryffindor woman, but she was not a Gryffindor herself--and yet the necklace had exhibited more proof of its power to her than to many of its previous owners.

What makes the difference? Lily wondered, and Livana did not seem to have an answer.

Nor, it seemed, did she have time to finish her essay. Her writing was interrupted by the same man who'd barged in on Lily's last dream with Livana--only this time Lily felt biting disappointment when she realized that Livana was done writing for the day, and the dream world was slipping from around her.

The train ride back to King's Cross wasn't the greatest in Lily's memory. She enjoyed herself, of course, but she was a bit apprehensive about what the Christmas holidays would bring. She'd never been outside England before, and she didn't know if she liked the thought of being so far away from home on Christmas. She'd much rather be at Hogwarts--or Potter's Cottage--or even in London, where Melody would be--but no. She was going to visit with her family. Which wouldn't be so bad, really. She just couldn't shake off the feeling that she would have a much better time if she stayed in England with James.

But there wasn't any point in worrying about it, was there? Lily turned her attention to James, who was telling a story about Auror Training to Sirius, Melody, Peter, and Peter's girlfriend Colleen. Remus had insisted on riding with Mimi, who was sharing a compartment with Susie and Matt somewhere.

Lily laughed at James's punch line and tried to forget her worries. There was no point being nervous about the future. What was going to come would come. She just tried to enjoy the ride back, right here, right now, sitting in a warm, cinnamon-scented train compartment across from James, the boy she loved...

...to kiss.