Domino One

Chapter Fifteen

"Sleep"

"Rest easy, easy, love of mine,

For quickly comes the Star's own time

When freedom's not just your own choice

But hearing a far greater voice.

Hear its words, see its signs,

Cherishing what still is thine."

He loved to watch them before killing them. In disgusting fashion it amused him, seeing people live lives with the satisfaction that they would be alive for at least five more minutes ... another hour... to see the next sunrise. Some were wise enough to recognize life for what it was - a candle, meant to live its energetic existence for a set of time but easily extinguished by the opening of a window, the press of a snuffer, the steamy breath of a mortal's mouth. They were the ones that did not count on anything. But their wisdom did not save them.

Tapping his wand against his thin, twisted lips, Lord Voldemort watched his target with pale green eyes. A man of massive size, he wheezed as he hobbled toward The Cat's Cry, one of Knockturn Alley's most exclusive (and therefore most dangerous) inns. The man was in distress, but not in fear of his life; his unimpressive swagger gave away his pomp and conceit. He just needed his second wind. A few of the Death Eater's larger minions were already waiting inside the bar, ready to drag the double-crosser to Voldemort's feet, in the dark, shadowed alley in which he stood. Twisted minds produce twisted thoughts: the man who was Tom Riddle wondered if he should let him catch his breath before killing him.

He was neither surprised nor impressed to realize that he was not alone. There was no need for sudden movements or anger, not at the moment anyway. The distinctive 'click' expensive shoes and the smell of evil and roses told him exactly who it was.

"I am busy," he said. "Leave, or stay only if you wish to learn something."

The Death Eater replied quickly. "I have an opportunity to take care of the Seer sooner than expected."

"Which seer?"

"Ana Anblick."

The dark lord continued to run his wand over his mouth as he blew air through his pointed front teeth with a pleased sigh. "The Guardian. She is no seer. What is this opportunity?"

"The Yule Ball. There will be more student activity, and many chances to blend into a crowd. The castle will be full of visitors, just like the original plan. Except that this one," the Death Eater emphasized suggestively, "will be much sooner."

"Have you consulted the Medium?"

"No, my lord. Your judgement is superior."

A body burst through the doors of The Cat's Cry with a loud clamor. Two burly men followed it as it rolled around on the ground and tried to get away. He was picked up, one Death Eater clinging to each arm as they approached the alley.

"It is," he agreed. "Your judgment, however, has proven to be quite insufficient."

The Death Eater was wise and made no response.

"Tell me," he continued, "how many times have you failed on the simple mission to exterminate this Pest?"

"Twice."

"Twice," sighed the Dark Lord lazily, stepping back into the ally to make room for the approaching crowd. The fat man was wheezing, and begging for mercy. "This man," he signaled to his next victim, "betrayed me only once." He bent down to face him. "Isn't that right?"

The man cried out that it most certainly was not. He then begged for mercy. Contradictions.

"One weak brick can bring down the whole fortress," he said, his voice like a hiss. "He betrayed me only once, my young servant, and he will not betray me again."

"I never betrayed you, my lord," insisted the Death Eater moving toward him, expensive books scratching the pavement urgently. "Failed you. Twice. But never betrayed."

"Which is why," replied that dark wizard, "you are still alive. You are most fortunate to have parents as wealthy as yours. You were born into a good family of pure, powerful blood, and they have been most generous to me. You would be wise to thank them, because without them, young or otherwise, you would be dead." He turned back to the fat wizard, kneeling at his feet. Giving a nod to his minions, they let go, and he produced the Avada Kedavra curse on the weak brick. He fell over dead in an instant.

"The plan will stay as it is. We will take care of the Guardian at the Medium's direction, as we have planned and awaited for many months. Thus is my judgement."

Looking briefly at the body in the alley, Voldemort blew softly against the tip of his wand, extinguishing a flame already gone.

* * * * * *

It was the perfect day for a ball. Snow ambled to the ground from great grey clouds and vines of holly and ivy stretched throughout the corridors, sending a prickling feeling of joy along the back of the necks of students anticipating the night's events. The Yule Ball, at Ana's special request to Dumbledore, had been opened to students of all ages, including Heidi Weathersby. Dumbledore had been most flexible with the restrictions for the first years. Ana had spent nearly an hour coming up with a list of reasons why Dumbledore should grant her petition without her having to reveal her tragic knowledge of the young Hufflepuff. She was prepared to shed blood for the trivial manner. But the old wizard nodded immediately, a hint of laughter in his eyes as he agreed. It had all been too easy, but Ana didn't ask questions. So went the old seer adage ... 'If the stars shine brightly, enjoy it while it lasts.''

Heidi Weathersby. By Ana's account, if she couldn't stop her from dying, the least she could do was let her live while she could. She was a bubbling first year, and found a date almost immediately. (Ana could only smile at an eleven year old's notion of 'a date.') She would have a wonderful time.

Faces beamed, mistletoe hung, ornaments glimmered and Severus Snape glowered with each passing minute.

"If I hear one more sleigh bell," he hissed over his bubbling potions cauldron, "if I see one more Santa hat, if I have to listen to one more blasted Christmas Carol, I swear that I will-"

"What?" interrupted Ana. "Turn green and fuzzy and steal everything?"

Snape, startled, gave her a dim glance. "I was going to say incinerate the whole bloody school. What do those muggles teach you?" he added, as if pondering some green, fuzzy kleptomaniac.

Ana smirked slightly as she glanced at the whiteboard. Equations covered every available inch in red and green ink, neatly balanced and organized, with the exception of the illegible scribbles that Snape had written. Squinting, she overlooked the next piece of the project, grabbed some materials and threw it into the cauldron. Before she could even turn around, the cauldron erupted into a whirlwind of flames, only missing Ana by inches. When the miniature Pompeii died down, she looked woefully into the cauldron to find it completely empty - even of ash, and four hours worth of materials.

Snape looked up, his eyebrows lowered in hidden amusement. "Too many scales," he said off-handedly, as if she didn't know.

Ana glared, not hiding blame. "I only followed your equation."

In turn, Snape looked at the board. He read outloud, "A mixture of a liter of bat blood plus five 5 ridgeback scales at the temp-"

"-That's a six," Ana insisted, stepping up and looking at the board more closely. The number was quite disorganized.

"It's a five," he replied dimly. "Ask anyone and they'll agree."

Glaring at him as she walked to the door, she stepped into the hallway. Seeing a house elf, she directed him into the room. He stepped merrily, the bells on his shoes ringing with Christmas cheer. All Ana had to do was look at Snape to keep him from 'incinerating' their lab guest.

"What does this say?" she demanded of the house elf.

The small being looked at it and shook her head. "I don't know, miss. I don't know anything about potions."

"Can you read letters?" she asked impatiently.

The elf nodded. "(L).... BT ... H-E-M... plus 5 RD-SC -"

Ana sighed. "It's a five?"

The elf shrunk back at her acidity. "It seems as such to me, miss."

A dark chuckled escaped Snape's curled lips. "See there, Seer?" He turned to the house elf. "Get. And take those damn bells off." The house elf was gone in an instant and a twinkle of sleigh bells.

"You loosing your touch?" asked Snape, most craftily.

"You loosing your small-motor skills?" Ana retorted, erasing the white board and rewriting the equation in legible letters.

"Ouch," he muttered, a chill in his voice. "Miss Life of Gryffindor's not in the Christmas Spirit? What's the matter? Unfortunate incident with your dress robes?"

"I'm not going to the Yule Ball," she said patiently, erasing and rewriting other key parts of the dry-erase board.

There was a stunned silence - or as much of a silence that a Snape would give by being caught off guard. "You're joking." He grew very quiet for a moment. "Then I suppose.... Oh... I see...."

Ana glared, not wanting to take his bait. "You see what?"

"I see then, why Berenice has suddenly come to Hogwarts. I suppose she'll be accompanying your pet to the Ball..."

Ana gave him a scrutinizing glance. "What?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" asked Snape innocently. "How silly of me. I shouldn't have said anything."

Ana felt ill. Slowly, she put the cap back on the marker, and set it down on the tray.

"Oh, don't look so distraught, Seer. What's the worst that can happen?" But the curl of his lips said it all.

Ana raised an eyebrow of her own to this as she delicately grabbed a few ridgeback scales from the table and examined them. She shrugged. "Nothing worst than this," she muttered as she tossed the scales into his cauldron, sending flames shooting towards the ceiling. Before the blaze could die down, she left the laboratory.

* * * * * *

Kezia stepped through the diamond gates and was warm once more. It had been snowing, but the everlasting of LeBab Tower was with her, and it melted away the freeze. She brushed the white flakes that had dusted her velvet cloak to the floor as a Centaur approached.

"Devinon Lys Ome, sabzen mêtri her."

Glancing up at the greeting, she returned it as she unslipped the binding cord at her neck and gracefully guided the flow of the cloak into her arms. "Mêhene, sabzen mêtri her." Kezia granted him the cloak as she smoothed her clothes with her hands.

"Dy Devinon Lys Ome, dyy visojn sabzeni, Djett cemján selone," the Centaur announced invitingly. The thought of food tempted the Guardian as she stopped her smoothing, too far in thought. But in the end, she declined the invitation, though her stomach growled with the force of hours of neglect. The centaur bowed and backed away at her decision and Kezia approached the Tower. She had not even reached the grand pillars of the Great Hall before she stopped and turned back.

"Mêhene," she called to the centaur, who approached with immediate and eager obedience, "ê cejá dox earn."

Mêhene bowed low as he set off the immense, white corridor with light but sound steps echoing behind him. Kezia smiled to herself. Maybe some fruit would help her concentrate. Hurriedly, she approached the Tower through the corridor, itself so large that it cast the illusion that it wasn't a room but a frosted courtyard or the inside of a summer cloud. The two centaurs that stood guard to the intricate gate bowed low as she entered. There was something magical in those gates that called to Kezia as she crossed. Sharp, white edges created a never ending vine, full of flat, smooth, white flowers that were carefully etched and polished into countless infinities. Forever. The white material was of bones of the Guardians whose eyes had closed. Kezia always walked through silently, out of honor and respect to those who had seen all there was and more. But the centaurs who bowed were not silent; they wished her all-seeing eyes as they gripped the alabaster latches.

Beyond the gates, the most glorious structure on Earth welcomed her with a rush of energy. A round table stood in solemn wait, and with it, one True Seer. He sat back in his white throne, his head resting against the pearly headrest as it housed closed, meditating eyes. Even from a distance, he seemed as white as his surroundings, though he wore rich robes of green and silver. But he had the look of a man who wasat the very, very beginning the long process of getting ready for a lifetime of sleep. Kezia loved the man, but so much exposure to death had loosened the Earth's lease of terror. She feared death, but she also saw passed it. And so did he. He opened his eyes.

"Kezia," smiled David with eyes that reminded her that he was yet young, "you received my message?"

"I did," she nodded, fidgeting nervously with her nail. He had been most mysterious about their meeting.

He laughed from his side of the table, a jolly, amused laugh. "Kezia, Kezia, I can practically taste your nerves. You have nothing to worry about. Come. Sit by me."

His laugh always seemed to help her relax. Smiling, she approached her friend of many years and sat at the throne on his left. In his lap was a familiar object that she had not seen for many years. He held it up as she lowered herself into the stone throne and wore a look of times past. "Do you know what this is?"

She very much wanted to know where he had gotten it. It was in very good condition - the leather binding still wearing the same bright colors it did when it was first presented to her. The cover was divided into four sections by a great 'X'. One quarter black with a green snake. Another, yellow with a badger. Another, red with a lion. The final, blue with an eagle. It was her Hogwarts memory book of the year that she graduated. She chuckled in low-throat embarrassment as she reached out for the artifact, hoping not to blush. But David held it beyond her grasp and grinned.

"Not so fast, there, not so fast... I seem to recall seeing a picture here," he said with not-so-vague conspicuousness. Thumbing through the old book, he found it - Kezia's picture. She smiled and waved as she bobbed across her small frame.

"I look so young," sighed Kezia as she shook her head.

"Oh, go on," laughed the elder. "When you're my age, you'll know the meaning of young. This was hardly a decade ago.

Kezia's eyes widened. "Ten years? Has it been ten years already?"

"This June," he nodded.

"Ten years in the Circle..." she muttered dreamily.

"-Ten years since Hogwarts," David responded with more emphasis.

Kezia blinked out of her reverie. "Sorry?"

"Ten years since you graduated from Hogwarts."

The woman nodded, but studied him carefully. "There was nothing for me at Hogwarts, not when compared with the Circle."

"Ah, but that's not what this book shows," countered David. He thumbed through some more pages. "You were a quidditch player?"

Kezia nodded, a devilish smile on her face. "I always seemed to know just where the snitch would turn up..."

"How long did it take for the school to figure out what was happening?"

"A year. My first year. That's the only season they would let me play."

David stopped at another picture. It was Kezia, wearing a small crown on her head, and dancing with a tall, red headed boy of a similar fashion. Kezia mused at how long her hair had been - had it been down, it would have touched her hips. "That was when I was voted Yultide Princess."

"What an honor that must have been," smiled the older Guardian. He turned a few more pages. "Ah," he said, laughing slightly as he found a picture of her eating dinner in the Great Hall. A crowd of close friends pushed around her. "So you were quite popular, I see."

The smile on Kezia's face sank slightly as she viewed the picture. In the presence of familiarity, she let down her mask, and nostalgia crept into her deep purple irises. "Yes," she nodded, her voice pointedly even. "Yes, I was popular."

"Where are these people now?"

"These two," she said, pointing out a young boy and a young girl with one smooth waft of her hand, "are married. They are expecting their next child soon." Kezia stopped to think. "-Or maybe they've already had it..."

"Boy or girl?"

Kezia thought some more, her eyes still dim. "I looked once... -I think, anyway. Maybe I knew then, but I can't remember."

David nodded, accepting. He pointed to another young gentleman. "And this one?"

"With Voldemort," she answered quietly.

"Pity," said David with sincere empathy. He shook his head as he pondered. "Why?"

Kezia frowned. "I don't think I know that either."

"I see."

Forcing a change of subject, Kezia reached for the book, which David gave her readily. She thumbed through, smiling at random pictures. "Where did you get this?"

"It found its way to me over time," he answered as he watched her, his green eyes soft and calm. "Just as it has found its way to you now."

"So why has it found its way to you?" the younger asked, trying not to rush their conversation.

David just smirked silently. "It's a book of happy memories, Kezia," he answered with Centaur vagueness. "But I wonder if Miss Anblick will have anything comparable, ten years from now."

"I'm sure she'll have just as many memories as the rest of us."

"If her mind's as bright as her eyes, she will," was the response. "But are the memories that she'll have going to be of quidditch matches or crystal balls?"

Kezia sighed. This was not a new conversation. "David, if I can just keep Ana going another few months, nothing will get in the way of her decision."

"Is that your worry? Her deciding not to join?"

"Just look at Omri."

"But he's not your worry. And neither is Ana. Your worry is you."

Kezia looked at him, but said nothing.

He continued. "I've seen her schedules, and your reports. The girl just barely gets to any of her classes, and she's already awake more nights than she ought to be."

"She's strong, though," replied Kezia. "All those lessons I needed in how to compose myself, and how to see this and that and then from above, below, through ... she doesn't seem to need so many. She really is amazing in how so much seems to be built into her mind already. Just look at her spoken Centaur! Extraordinary."

"Talented, yes," he agreed. "She may even surpass her family expectations. But Kezia, look at that book you are holding." He spoke as her eyes drifted downward. "So many happy memories, unhindered by overwhelming studies. And you were just as gifted - you still are! What are you trying to do here Kezia, because I know you and your mind, and this training is not without motive."

Kezia raised her eyes from the book. "If she is kept busy, she will have less time to concentrate on the horrors around her. She is not yet used to death, or pain, or suffering."

"So you reason that by keeping her going, she'll learn to move on?"

"Yes."

"On the Circle."

"Yes."

David thought for a long while, scratching the side of his face in his daze. "Your reasoning seems logical. Unfortunate, but logical. But what about her life, Kezzie?"

"She lives."

"Good to hear," laughed David through a grimace. "But honestly..."

Kezia brushed some of her long, blond hair out of her face as she sighed uneasily. "The transition is not an easy one. To go from a life of a child to a life of a noble is a dream come true and a nightmare. Friends are far away and unable to understand. Soon, they become distant memories, and faces in newspapers and yearbooks. It took me a long time to get accustomed to my life here. So I'm trying to start the transition in a place where she can still be with her friends and be what she is destined to be."

David nodded. "This is where your plan is flawed."

"How?"

He frowned slightly. "Because she's not here yet, Kezia. I understand what you are trying to do, but she is not ready for such a life."

"It will be much easier on her this way," she insisted. "As long as she keeps seeing the Circle as the only place where she can be free from her misery-"

But Kezia drifted off at the look on David's face. His green, seeing eyes snapped to attention, though Kezia had spoken very evenly and without the slightest give. Though David could not read her mind (as it was between all True Seers), his wisdom and gifts alerted him otherwise.

"Misery?" he asked, his voice very low. There was an anger flashing through his eyes, but he spoke gently, and with warning. "That's it, isn't it. You're showing her that she can't be happy anywhere but at the Circle. You're doing all this intentionally, but not out of training. You're practically forcing her into the Circle."

Kezia frowned. "That's my job, David. That's what all of you sent me to do! You sent me to find out if Ana was a True Seer, and she was. Then you sent me to train her. And I did, and I am. And now it I have to bring her here. And I am doing that, too."

"So while you're pushing her here, what are you not telling her?"

"Many things."

"Unwise, Kezia. Very unwise. I'll ask you again. What have you not told her? Don't make me guess."

Kezia clenched her jaw tightly as she shook her head. "The way I'm handling things, the things that I am keeping private are inconsequential."

David's voice and face were silent against his raging green eyes. "Omri was part of the Circle. And he knew the rules. He knew them well, and he left. You are manipulating a young girl. You are forcing her into an agreement before she knows what she's even agreeing to!"

"It's what Vespera did to me," she shrugged.

"Yeah, and she will never be allowed near promising Seers again! Heavens, Kezia, you went through the pain of that manipulation and you're inflicted it on another person?"

"Manipulation is what we do every day," she responded calmly.

"Well yes, divine manipulation, at the will of the stars, but Kezia... there are other ways to do this.... Now, tell me, what haven't you told her?"

Sighing, Kezia stood. "David, I'm a grown woman, and have spent an entire decade within the Circle. Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"You most certainly do!" he scoffed, letting anger lace his voice. "And that is disgraceful. The situation with you and Charles was unfortunate, but let it ...." He never said go. He stopped again, his senses sharper than logic would dictate. Suddenly, a sadness washed over him that was visible even in the would-be shadows on his face in the bright room. He cut to the chase. "Does Ana have a boyfriend?"

Kezia started walking away.

David did not move to follow. Closing his eyes, he ignored the sound of a centaur bringing in a platter of food. He muttered to himself. "Hyl di wyrin... sabzen bestal ye, hyl di wryin...." Not a third time... Stars help me...not a third time...

"Something wrong?" asked a voice very much unlike Kezia's. David did not have to open his eyes.

"How long have you been here, Vespera?"

"I was out on the balcony," came the curt reply. He opened his eyes to see her standing across the diameter of the great table. Her robed arms were folded across her chest as she examined him dully. "And a vision came to me."

"And what did it show?"

"The storm clouds that linger out side of the castle formed a great cyclone that picked up the mountains around us. Everything was spinning out of control," she continued, showing uncharacteristic emotion, "and then, in the middle of the whole swirl was an old lady in a rocking chair, cackling menacingly."

David smirked. "And what does that tell you?"

"Never to watch The Wizard of Oz right before bed," was her humorously bland reply. "But I did see a vision, and I did see a great disturbance to the tower. And now I see you, and wonder. What's wrong?"

"Kezia seems to have taken to your conversion tactics. She is going about the training of Ana in the very wrong way. She hasn't told her many things, I'm afraid. She may even be in a relationship."

Vespera was silent as she turned on her heels and gazed upon the giant white hall with glimmering black eyes. Her eyes met the pillar of Kezia's heritage, the line of the Devinye Lys Ome. "And this worries you?"

"It is a most troubling way to complete the Circle. Very risky, especially with the Anblick history."

Vespera paced, her head bowed as she thought. "I don't think it will get that far. I've observed Ana from time to time, and she is far from the impressionable young girl Kezia was."

"Still, we cannot assume that she will ask all the right questions."

"You're right," acknowledge Vespera. "We cannot assume that."

"So what should be done? We must speak with Kasek."

Vespera gave no answer to this. Only paused in her pacing to study the marble floor.

"You don't agree," sighed David.

"No, I don't," she said simply. Her eyes raised to meet his in a way that would frighten anyone outside of the Circle. "It is vital that Ana join the Circle as soon as possible. We already have a line of buyers that are anxious to hear about Voldemort's defeat, and we will not be able to see that without the Seventh Seer. We need her. If we tell her what Kezia has not, or if Kasek makes Kezia admit to the things that have not been said, Ana will most certainly not join the Circle."

"Maybe not immediately. Once she gets over the fact that she was misled, she'll realize that the Circle still is the most important thing."

"But that is time we haven't got."

"There will always be buyers."

"But there won't always be necessary deaths. Just think of all the deaths we've had to prevent, and how many people we've saved from Voldemort's regime. The numbers will only grow."

David gnawed thoughtfully on his tongue. "So you think that we should let Kezia continue?"

"For all we know, Kezia could only be neglecting a few details," shrugged the black-robed guardian. But the two glanced at each other and looked away. It was another assumption that could not be made.

* * * * * *

She had heard people say makeup really didn't that much of a different. But judging by James's face as she walked down to the Common Room, she proved popular theory wrong in an instant. He smirked at her bed head, gray morning face, and perhaps a little at her enormous puffy cloud slippers.

"Good afternoon, Miss Evans," he greeted with a smirk.

"It's not afternoon yet," she insisted as she glanced at the grandfather clock. "It's officially morning for another fifteen minutes."

"I stand corrected," he gave as she plopped into the easy chair across from him. "Sleep well?"

"Beautifully. I got up just in time to get ready for the ball tonight."

"Just in time? You have over six hours."

"As I said, as long as I don't dwindle, that's just enough time. Let me guess. You, and your "Marauders" are going to go eat lunch, take over the quidditch pitch for a few hours, ultimately cause mayhem, have a small crisis or two, hide Peter's dress robes, head to the kitchens for a snack, do something terrible to Snape, and make it back here fifteen minutes before the ball to make yourselves look utterly smashing."

He sighed. "Ah, tradition. It's the last year for it, too! As long as we find Remus in time, it sounds like a plan."

It was the small things she always noticed. Two minutes out of bed and she was already playing Head Girl, mother, and concerned friend. "You lost Remus?"

James gave out an amusing whimper, sounding like a guilty eight year old. "I swear, it was Sirius's turn to watch him!"

She couldn't help but smile as she pushed some of her bushy red hair out of her sleep trodden face. At that moment, the portrait opened, allowing Remus to enter.

"He-" started Lily, but was interrupted by the beautiful, blonde cyclone that followed him.

Berenice burst through the door and, spotting James and Lily, charged towards them with frightening force. "James!" she squealed, approaching him and hugging him close. "And," she said, turning toward Lily, "and...err...."

"Lily," Lily muttered dimly.

"Lily!" cried Berenice, attacking her in a hug, kissing her on each cheek. "I'm so glad to see you? How have you been?" She did not wait for a response. She grabbed Lily's arm. "We have so much to catch up on, you and I, and we'll be sure to talk when we're getting ready for the ball!" She paused, analyzing Lily's messy hair. "Oh, dear Lucy, I'm sure we can fix your hair, don't you worry... you'll look lovely by tonight. Of course, you couldn't be the prettiest, but then we'll do the best we can. Come, come, let's get started..."

Lily, or rather, "Lucy," found herself being dragged toward the girl's tower. All of a sudden, Berenice stopped, and looked back.

"Remmy, dear, where are those house elves? They were supposed to bring my bags."

"I'm sure they'll be up soon," Remus reassured her with a polite smile.

"Well," she sighed, "I suppose it is hard to find responsible house rodents these days. I'm sure Lucy will let me barrow some of her beauty supplies, assuming she has some..."

At that, Lily was tugged once more up the stairs, leaving behind a glare at James, who was laughing stupidly at his girlfriend's misfortune...

* * * * * *

Ana came prepared. As the Centaur took her winter cloak with wide, awe-shy green eyes, she smoothed her black dress and dried the snow from her black shoes with the help of a well-executed charm. Her black dress had last been worn the day of her mother's memorial, several years ago. She had to modify it to fit her aged figure, and fit it did. Millions of galleons in her Gringotts account and still no time to spend it... such was her disappointment as she dressed for her trip to the grandeur that was LeBab. Her school robes were hardly worn anymore; she didn't feel like a school girl, and preferred the other selections of clothing whenever possible. Unfortunately, her flowered dress was a summer dress and the rest of the clothing consisted of sweaters and jeans. So Ana wore her death clothes to LeBab Tower. The only other option would have been her Yule Ball robes from years past.

She glowered. She didn't want to think about Remus or his date.

"Bringing the cold in with you?" asked Kezia as she approached. She wore a concerned look.

Ana glanced behind her at the monstrous diamond doors. "Well, it is frozen outside. Not much I could do."

"I meant you, Ana. Your anger is like ice today," she said in counsel. "What happened?"

Ana looked at the hall in front of her and then back and the diamond doors, now purple in the setting sun. But turning back to the white gleam of the Untouchable Palace, she realized her place and her past. "Nothing, Kezia," she insisted. And she did feel quite better. Her head rested a little higher on her shoulders as she stood and walked gracefully through the place which she could inherit.

"Are the Others here?" she asked, noting to herself that she referred to the as if she was included.

Kezia noticed it too, for her violet eyes glimmered with smiling laughter. "Just two today, David and Vespera, though I have yet to see her. I imagine Kasek and Michael will be arriving shortly, but Tomas has business in Vietnam."

"The war?" asked Ana.

Kezia nodded. She was becoming more lax with what she could and could not say. "The war," she confirmed. "Voldemort seems to see it as an opportunity of natural distraction. A brilliant move, really. No one expected that he would try to recruit in such a publicized area, but he seems to have found it quite beneficial."

"The Purloined Letter," stated Ana as they approached the main tower.

"Sorry?"

"It's a short story by Poe," explained Ana, trying not to remember that Remus had read it to her last spring. "Letters were stolen and the theif's house was searched from top to bottom, and in the most conspicuous places. But the letters weren't hidden at all - they were kept on his desk, in plain view, were no one would even think to look. Who would look in the most obvious place?"

"Who would recruit in Vietnam?" added Kezia, making the connection.

"A very smart man," she sighed.

As they approached the doors, Ana received the greetings and well wishes of the Centaurs in alliance with their customs. Nervously, she touched the center of her forehead with the tip of her fingers just above the eyebrows. It was a brief move until her hands went away. It was a sign of respect, wishing them good Sight. The Centaur gazed at her with wide, blank eyes as it received the gesture.

Kezia whispered to her as they passed through the bone doors. "It's only custom for them to acknowledge our psyche. Centaurs are not psychic, after all."

Ana tried to dismiss a flush of embarrassment as she learned one more thing that she should never forget. Inside the Grand Tower, David and Vespera were gazing at them with anticipated interest. Their gazes were as intense as Ana's black robes against the pure gleam of their marble surroundings. She met them without fear; she felt like she had been gazed upon in such a way many familiar times before.

"Welcome back, Ana," greeted David as he stood, his green eyes instinctively trying to gather information about the young would-be Guardian.

"How are you, David?" she asked, continuing to walk until she was able to reach for his hand and shake it.

"Well, well." Ana could feel his exhaustion, but did not comment. He, however, was not so polite, for politeness was the way of unnecessary conversation that Guardians used when relating to people who had time for such things. "You're angry," he said. Blunt, but not rude.

If Vespera had a gentle bone in her body, it was well hidden. "Trouble in paradise?" she asked, her voice as shadowed as her eyes.

Ana frowned openly. "Is it that obvious?"

The three laughed, though Vespera's laugh came out in the form of a silent smirk. "We can pick up on your emotions just you pick up on others," Kezia reminded her. "Except that's all we can see, and it is more difficult with Guardians."

"So you must really be upset," prodded the nosy green-eyed man.

"And you, bored," replied Ana, daring for a moment of sass. Vespera snorted under her breath, forcing her grin into a subtle smirk.

"Oh, leave her be," sighed Kezia, sticking up for her in the end. "I have a lot of things I want to show you."

"Just so you know," Ana said as they started towards the balcony, "I would like to get back to Hogwarts soon. The Yule Ball is today, and I said I would try to stop in towards the end."

A voice called after them. "What?" asked David, very suddenly. "What was that?"

Ana turned back and gave him a questioning glance as she tried to imagine what she had said that was so interesting. "I said I wanted to get back for the end of the Yule Ball?"

Vespera seemed more casual than usual as her eyes drifted through Ana's. "You're just going to the end? Well, that's no fun. Your date must be very understanding."

Kezia spoke without speaking as she stepped back to Ana's side, her eyes meeting Vespera's with ice. Ana looked between them curiously. "I don't have a date," she said quietly, her anger and hurt lost in the curiosity of her surroundings.

"No date?" asked David, raising his eyesbrows. "Stars should always be followed, I should live forever, and girls as pretty as yourself should have dates to the Yule Ball. I've heard quite a bit about it."

At Ana's loss for explanation, the four were left in glass-fragile silence.

"I've been busy," Ana admitted finally.

"Apparently," said David, seeing the great shame.

"You should let her go, Kezia," suggested Vespera, her voice almost in a sing-song state. "You've taught Ana all she needs to know, I'm sure," she said, her eyes full of challenge. "Ana knows how to spend her time."

Ana looked from the two older guardians to the Kezia. This was all so strange to her, to be in a place as beautiful as this and to get such feelings of challenge and opposition. But she could not be sure those were the feelings she was receiving. The emotion was clouded and layered, and Ana did not have enough time to analyze it properly.

"Ana may go when she wants," shrugged Kezia as she put an arm around Ana to guide her back to the balcony. "It's her life, after all."

The balcony that held LeBab Tower looked down on clouds and snow capped mountains and up into the clear array of the heavens. Few places on Earth offered such a view, and for this reason, LeBab was destined to be in that very place. The sun had just set on the unfathomable palace, and the stars were beginning to sing.

Ana stood, listening, watching, feeling, and touching all that the stars had to show her. The power was so great, that for one of the first times in her seeing career, Ana sensed that there was nothing beyond her visions. She had always been able to tell that she was standing on Hogwarts lawn, in her divinations tower, or in the Great Hall. But on the balcony, Ana felt no restrictions. Her psyche was free, and she saw many things. It consumed her so that she was almost upset when Kezia brought her back from her very real reverie.

"A little bit at a time, Ana. Do not go too far into your powers yet; your body will not be able to handle it."

"My body was handling it just fine," Ana smiled as she listened to more of the star song. Kezia couldn't help but smile as well.

"It's good news, then?"

"I've been seeing a lot about a child."

"A child?"

"Yes. I think it might be the future of two people I know at Hogwarts."

"And what do the stars say about this child?"

Ana's eyes glittered as she turned them on her mentor. "Great things, Kezia. I see nothing, but I can feel the light of peace emanating from his waiting soul. It's as if he somehow can bring a great joy to this world."

Kezia frowned. "How?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, still wearing the smile.

"Well, will he be a leader? An inventor?"

"I don't know!" Ana laughed. It felt so good to laugh and forget the troubles around her. And that was what was to be with this child. She thought for a moment before laughing again. "I just don't know. But he will be great."

Kezia beheld Ana for a moment. Gazing back up at the stars, she remarked, "It's good to see you smiling like that. I haven't seen such a smile in a long time."

It was comments like those that made the feeling disappear, though Ana could still feel it within her. "I haven't had reason to smile." In a flash, as if designed by the stars, Ana's mind wandered to Remus, and the thought of holding Berenice in a close dance. They evaporated.

"Is it that Heidi girl?"

"Heidi Weathersby," muttered Ana, as even the memory of the smile left her. "Yes, that has been difficult. Why would the stars show me such a thing, Kezia? That she is to die? What am I supposed to do with this information if it is supposed to happen?"

"You will figure it out soon enough," shrugged the Guardian. "Some things I never understood myself. Once, when I was in Paris on business - this was towards the beginning of my Guardianship - I was told that there was going to be two people who were going to have an affair behind their spouses' backs. Of course, I didn't have the first clue why that was important at the time. It took me until about a year ago before I made the connection."

"Which was what?"

"-That the people involved weren't the important part of the message. It was the action. At the same time I was working with two people in Rio who were highly successful entrepreneurs. Once they started seeing each other, their business lives became completely second-rate. It was the stars way of showing me that the two shouldn't have been together."

"So you went back, years later, after you figured out the message?"

"No!" laughed Kezia. "When I didn't understand, the stars told me in different ways that the couple in Rio shouldn't be together. They're patient like that."

Ana was not so patient. "Funny, they're still not telling me anything about Heidi Weathersby."

"Maybe they're not trying to tell you a message about her. Maybe it's a message meant for you," offered Kezia.

Ana blinked. "For me?"

"Maybe the stars are just getting you ready for what you'll have to face in the future?"

"Drowning?"

"Dealing with the deaths of others?"

Ana frowned. "Like a practice run?"

"Could be," nodded Kezia. "But you'll probably be the one to confirm that."

They were silent for a while more before Ana spoke again. "I was told that some seers could see to Heaven. Is that true?"

"There are records of such. It seems to happen after many years, as the powers reach their most advanced stage. Kasek has not even reached that level."

"What do the record say about it?"

"Nothing," replied Kezia. "It is kept most confidential, and is not to be written down, if only for lack of words."

Ana was disappointed. "But why? Why not tell people? Show people?"

"It's just the way things are done, Ana. Heaven on its time, and the Earth on a time of its own."

"It would be a comfort," she replied softly. Visions of Heidi's death started surrounding her. "Especially for the people who don't deserve to die."

"All people die, Ana, and neither goodness nor purity nor importance can change that. But where this world has gone wrong is that death is not the end. There is much more after death, Ana, more onto eternal beauty and rest that no words can describe. It is the sun setting after giving light to the world. Death is only the flight from one place to another. Humans just fear it because they only see the one side."

"But some have seen the other."

"Many. And not even giving a first year a chance at going to the Yule Ball can equal up to the wonders that Heidi will see in the next few days."

Somehow it made Ana feel better. Though the balcony was thoroughly charmed, it had seemed cold. But now, it was warm again, and Ana's eyes returned to the heavens. A voice filled her head, one that she had not heard for quite some time, and was never supposed to hear in the first place. It was the voice of William Potter, speaking to his son for the very last time...

"You'll get along, and so will we, and we'll be back together again before you even realize we're gone..."

The thought of the Potters weighed Ana down so heavily that she had to lean against the white castle walls. She thought about Elizabeth and her husband, and how they had shone on the world while they lived. And now, it was their time to rest.

It was almost unbearable. Her mind began to swim. "Kezia, if you don't mind, I would like to head back to Hogwarts."

Kezia turned an eye on her. "What's wrong?"

Ana really didn't know what to say. The Tower suddenly seemed too big, and herself, very out of place. Elizabeth Potter seemed to haunt her shadows, and Ana very much needed to get away. "Nothing," she insisted to Kezia. "It's just that there's the Yule Ball, and I promised I would at least try to make it..."

"You know you can't lie to me," Kezia said, giving her a very curious look indeed. "I may not be able to read your mind but I can tell a lie when I see one."

Ana became angry. "So shoot me. I have to leave." At that, she turned on her heels and left the tower, almost knocking Vespera over, and forgetting her cloak at the door.

* * * * * *

Hogwarts gave her no sanctuary. Though LeBab was almost entirely white, it seemed to hold more joy and color than any other part of the world Ana had ever seen, in person, subconsciously, or psychically. But any feelings Ana experienced in the Castle of Sight were magnified in a place so familiar to her and the Potters. It wasn't that she could feel the Potter's anger. She could imagine what Mrs. Potter would say if she awaited her on the castle steps. She would take her hands in hers and look her deep in the eyes. "You did what you had to do, Ana," she would say calmly, but sadly. "But now he's your responsibility. Whether you want it or not, it's your job to make sure that you made the right decision."

"But did I make the right decision?" Ana would ask.

"I don't know, did you?" Would be Elizabeth's reply. But Ana could feel the look of her eyes in her voice. It was the same disappointment that had weighed her down since the lie was conceived.

And now, she felt small. The world consumed her as she stepped across the snow, her footprints disappearing behind her. Dozens of people had tread across the lawn, but in an act of beautification in honor of the Yule Ball, Professor Dumbledore administered a charm to keep the snow looking fresh and untouched. It was as if no one had left or arrived for some time, and the worlds in and outside of Hogwarts were like dreams and realities. Except to the young True Seer, wearing her problems where her cloak would have been, the lives both in and beyond Hogwarts seemed a terrible mixture of both.

She ascended the stone steps carefully, though the ice had been well cleared. It was almost dusk, after all, and the wind chilled the world around her so completely that a misplaced charm might turn irrelevant. But despite her feelings, the world had not yet grown so cold (or the spell, so poor).

Inside Hogwarts, the candles burned bright with festivity. She could hear the rumbles of the Yule Ball meal being served in the Great Hall. Her feelings lightened by the cheer in the air, Ana let her mind wander into the room. It was ablaze with color. Professor Flitwick had outdone his decorations from last year, as garland hovered over the hall in a vivid vine of glitz and glitter. The tables were draped with red velvet coverings and the gold dishes had been brought out, filling the room with the joy and warmth of a fire hearth on Christmas morning. And the dress robes represented every color in the rainbow.

It was the end of the meal, and Dumbledore was speaking. "... as is tradition, it is time to announce the Yuletide Prince and Princess. The two students who have been chosen this year are, of course, students who have represented their abilities without holding any other office here at Hogwarts, whether it be an honorary student, such as the Head Boy or Girl, or Captain of the House Quidditch Teams. These students have been chosen on the basis of student and faculty votes, and are those who this institution feels needs to have more credit due to them than opportunity has given us in their seven year's attendance. The Yuletide Princess this year had demonstrated extraordinary responsibility both inside and outside of the classroom in managing tasks that most Seventh Years are unable to handle. She has shown her service to time and time again to the faculty, and is a fine young lady, most deserving of this award. Would our Yuletide Princess, representing the Slytherin House, Janelle Steel, please step forward to receive your award."

The Slytherin House had erupted into thundering cheers as soon as the Janelle's name was announced. Ana couldn't help but smile; her heart had leapt slightly when the Princess was being described. It had almost sounded like herself. But Ana remembered that most people didn't know what she did, and she shouldn't expect to be honored for it. The thoughts of the Potters and of Heidi Weathersby surfaced as Dumbledore continued. There was a definite twinkle in his eye.

"The next young man," he began, a very obvious smirk on his face, "will be here in spirit, after he graduates, and I find it both intolerable and enlightening that he will remain in my memory as long as it functions. He has become a personal friend of most of the faculty (though many of the faculty may correct me later), having spoken with them on many occasions (-often times against his will)." Dumbledore became serious, for a moment. "Though I never, ever, tolerate pranks at this school, I must say that in my decades of history here," his eyes twinkled once more with laughter, "this individual has displayed some of the most creative in the stunts I have ever encountered...."

"YOU SHOULD SEE THE ONES YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT!" exclaimed Peter from the other end of the room. Sirius, very, very, red, pulled him down into the chair. Ana, out in the corridor, watching with blazing blue, psychic eyes, laughed openly, as did many of the students in the Great Hall.

"Yes, Mr. Pettigrew, I fear to ask. But this gentleman, as we all know, has proven to be an honorable person (if a little too playful), a dedicated student (with incredible luck)," -more laughter ensued- "and a person who hold to friendships with more faith than I have ever seen, even," he said, with the very small hint of a shadow in his eyes, "if his actions are misplaced. Representing Gryffindor House, it is my honor, Sirius Black, to bestow the honor of Yultide Prince onto you."

Whistles, catcalls and cheers nearly shattered the windows as Sirius stood, beet red under his dark curls, and approached the front of the Hall. Ana couldn't help but speak into his mind.

"No one better, Sirius."

He faltered in his steps and looked around briefly. "Where are you?" he thought.

"In the hall. I just got back. Keep walking, you look like a dope."

"Wouldn't want to be out of character," he thought as Ana read his mind. Ana smiled at him and the ease at which she read his mind blindly from an entire room away. It was becoming as easy as blinking.

The first dance of the evening followed just after the coronation, and was led off by Sirius and Jenelle. Slowly, James and Lily, as the Head Boy and Girl, joined, followed by the rest of the school. But in the vision of the hundreds of students flooding the Great Hall, two stood out, more than Ana would have expected.

Berenice looked amazing. Her robes were of a voluptuous red, with her extraordinary blonde hair spilling down her back in swaying curls that mimicked her movements on the dance floor: graceful, syncopated movements that displayed the entity and grace that made her who she was. She was Berenice, and she had not changed. She flaunted over her date with side-blind attention as she smoothed his robes and tucked stray layers of his shaggy hair gently behind his ears. It burned Ana, burned with the heat of her rival's red chiffon robes, to know that Berenice had returned. But it killed her to know that Remus was enjoying himself.

He looked smashing, as he always did in her eyes, though he was very much plain in comparison to most at Hogwarts. He wore green-gray, or gray-green, depending on the light, which was just enough to pick the small green hues out of his shining hazel eyes. Always a perfect gentleman, he held Berenice at a responsible distance, and made cordial conversation as they danced, both with elegance beyond their years. Both were perfect - too perfect, for Ana. Remus was always flawless, but that was just who he was. But Berenice bothered her, for Ana knew that Berenice was far from the angel she resembled. Something in the back of her mind screamed, "EVIL!" But that same voice also said, "get your hands off my man!"

The light danced around them as they twirled in time with the waltz. Berenice was laughing as she spoke to him, though Ana didn't care to listen to what either said or thought. She watched, feeling a horrid presence entwining its lurid fingers around her heart. Such an intense emotion seemed foreign to her, as it had been some time since she had felt anything so concrete. It was like poison in her blood, and Berenice was the source.

As they danced, Berenice played gently with the hairs drifting down onto the back of Remus's neck. Though she tried very hard to block it, she see her lips grow dangerously close to Remus's ear as she whispered something in soft-spoken French. Remus smiled and replied in a similar manner. This went on with some time, Berenice brushing his shoulder, his neck, his chest, and what seemed to Ana, every other place on his body.

In the corridor, Ana stood, rigid with mounting fury. "Diplomacy..." whispered a gentle voice in the back of her Guardian mind. But the whisper was overcome by what seemed like perfectly good logic. "Remus is yours! Not hers! You could take her."

"No I couldn't," Ana responded to herself mentally. She still lacked dueling skills.

"Yes you could."

"How?"

"By the power only you possess!"

Ana thought, still watching the sickening scene of Remus dancing with the French leech. She paced, and thought, and thought... and thought... and thought...

And she understood. "Powers of the mind," she laughed to herself.

"There ya go, big thinker."

She couldn't suppress a smirk as she focused all her energy into her moment of sabotage. It took patience, but not to wait for an opportunity. Berenice provided plenty of those. Rather, patience was required to find the perfect moment. She concentrated so deeply that it was almost as if she became Berenice. She could feel her emotions and hear her thoughts as if she and her were one. This was going to be amusing.

The moment came. Berenice had been anticipating it for quite some time, edging toward it with snake-like craftiness. She had flirted, and now, her and Remus were caught in a smile. Ana could feel the dark excitement in Berenice as she closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. But before anything happened, a not-so mysterious voice seemed to enter Berenice's mind. And it was not her subconscious. It was a foreign voice, all together, full of bite and laughter. .

"I would not do that, if I were you."

Ana watched as Berenice jumped back. Remus, too, was quite startled, though he seemed slightly thankful that the kiss had not occurred.

Realizing her blunder, Berenice tried to smooth it over with a smile. "Did you say something, Remmy?"

Remmy. Ana rolled her eyes.

Berenice was sending sharp glances around when he answered. He was giving her a very odd glance. "No, not a thing."

The dance just ended, and Remus led her off the dance floor. "Are you all right?" he asked, noticing how choppy her grace had become.

His date nodded, and smiled again as she stepped close to him. "You are so sweet to care about me," she said as she ran her hands along the jacket of his dress robes. She sent him an alluring look with her baby blue eyes. Ana watched, forcing herself to be amused.

"You'll regret it if you get any closer to him." Ana spoke again. She made a mental note to do this to people more often.

Berenice flinched, and gave Remus a furious glance. But noticing his surprise, she changed her mind and looked around her. "Which one of you said that!" she demanded of the first and second years students who were seated at the tables around them. "I know it was one of you!"

Remus frowned in his contemplative manner as he put a diplomatic hand on her bare shoulder. "Berenice? No one said anything." Meanwhile, he gave a glance to James and Lily, who were approaching swiftly - Lily first, with her wand out, and James after, trying to grab it out of her hand.

Confusion rushed over the witch's face as she tried to maintain her stately composure. "But I heard it. Someone said..."

"Said what?" inquired Remus as she lost her words in thought.

"Said not to..."

James and Lily arrived. "How are you two doing?" asked Lily, sending Berenice a cold look. Ana would consider thanking her later.

"Did we miss anything?" asked James, trying to sound more pleasant than his girlfriend.

"The voice... it told me not to..." But Berenice stopped. She sent another look around her. People were staring, but her eyes flashed with the smugness that slowly built its way into a smirk. "There was no voice, was there."

Remus blinked. Then shrugged. "I didn't hear anything."

'Voice?" asked James. Ana sensed danger as he thought.

"Then there's no reason," smiled Berenice in her very "Berenice" way, "that I shouldn't do this!" At that, the blonde beauty threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately.

At first Ana froze, as she watched them, her own mouth hanging open in shock. They stood there, kissing among an excited and giggling group of younger students, and it wasn't until Remus's hands found their way to her arms that Ana followed through on her threats. Blocking out everything else, and channeling the connection between their mind, Ana let go.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

When Ana first started reading minds, she was amazed at how much of a headache it produced in her inexperienced mind. It turned out that when messages are sent from one mind to another, the sender needed to take special care not to put too much power into the connection, for a whisper in thought is as common speech in mind-speech. So, as Ana figured, watching Berenice break off the kiss and fall to her knees, gripping her head in writhing pain, a scream in thought must be ten howlers in her rival's mind. She smiled to herself. She stopped screaming.

Once she determined that Berenice would be okay (which was very quickly), Ana turned on her heels and proceeded up the stairs to her Divinations Tower. The stairs were like her red carpet, welcoming back a great warrior after conquest. She couldn't help but strut; Berenice would not try to kiss him again, and no one was watching.

- Except for her reflection in the mirror at the end of the hall.

Ana smiled as she approached it, strutting a little more and grinning at herself. "I showed her," she informed her reflection with a dazzling, burgundy-lipped smile. Lily's all-day makeup charms lived up to their claim. But a moment looking at Ana, and the revelation hit her.

"Heavens," she whispered, "I look like a Slytherin."

The smile fading from her face, the memory of having a loud voice in her mind haunted her. It hurt, beyond a pain-killing potion, because it affected the psyche. Potions cannot touch the psyche of True Seers; there was no dreamless sleep potion that Ana could use. At the thought of that, she wondered if she could have not screamed so loudly.

She thought, she should not have screamed at all.

Her mind wandered back to the Great Hall where Remus was seated directly in front of Berenice, handing her a goblet of ice water as James, Lily, Dumbledore and McGonagall looked on. Remus was being insufferably sweet as he gazed at her with worried hazel eyes. Ana wanted to search his mind, just to see if she was even a glimmer of a thought to him. But she refused, and felt very weak and small. The voices echoed in her head.

Horrible person.

"I don't want to be a horrible person," she murmured to herself as she made her way shakily to her Tower. She kept walking, across the room, passed the fireplace as it sprang to life, up the stairs, through the doors, and out onto the balcony, cold, but shoveled free of snow compliments of the house elves. Shivering in the dark night, she looked at the cloudy sky, and white, glittering snowflakes that fell from it.

"But I am," she realized. "I am horrible, and I am alone."

Snowflakes blanketed her hair and she wondered in the very, very far corners of her mind, when it had started snowing again. She felt ill.

"What have I done?" she spoke to no one. "Who am I? Is this what being a Guardian is all about? Solitude? Power? Control? ... Loneliness ... "

She looked around her. Nothing except the snow, darkened by the black evening, stirred around her. Even the fire in the room behind her offered no warm flicker. The wind did not blow, and Hogsmeade was a ghost town. Slowly, Ana lowered herself to the stone floor, giving no shock to the chill of the rock as it penetrated her nylon. Her thin linen skirt and rayon blouse offered no warmth, but it all seemed too irrelevant to Ana. She leaned up against the marble railing and closed her eyes. This was how it was going to be.

* * * * * *

"It was fun while it lasted," shrugged Remus, as he stood out on the front steps of the castle, watching the coach take Berenice back to her exclusive room at a bed and breakfast inn at the far corners of Hogsmeade. She had lasted a little over an hour after the attacks before deciding to call it an evening. And even then, she went fighting, (and asking Remus to "see her to her room").

Lily glared. "No, Remus. No it wasn't. The girl is mortifying, and I haven't the first idea why you invited her." Pausing, she expressed her burning anger in her eyes. "I let her use my hairbrush."

He shrugged. "And it's appreciated. But next time you have a beautiful woman throwing herself at you when you're in need of a date to black tie affair, you'll understand."

Her expression dimmed. "The next time a beautiful woman throws herself at me, I'll let you know."

"Will you let me know, too?" asked James with male intrigue.

"Pervert," she muttered, smiling just as much as she would allow as her boyfriend hugged her in the cold air. She had forgiven him for not telling her that Remus had invited the horrid witch to the Yule Ball only because James found out when she did, that very morning.

"Too bad about the headache though," remarked Remus. "I had the most beautiful date in the history of Hogwarts Yule Balls."

"Arguably," pointed out James as he hugged Lily closer.

"Oh, honestly," grumbled Lily, rolling her eyes (even if she was smiling).

James glanced at Remus, who was studying the interchange between his date and himself. "I'm sure Berenice will be just fine."

"It was all so strange. She almost looked ready to pass out. I still think she should have gone to the H-Wing. Headaches like that don't happen so suddenly."

The three became silent for a moment as a few students passed by, heading for a midnight stroll along the shoveled paths around the castle. James made sure to give them all the "Head Boy look", just to be reminding them that he would be patrolling later. It was an unfortunate duty, and an even more unfortunate sight seeing first years snogging. But such was life. He turned his attention back on Remus, who was stepping back into the castle. Moving to follow, he felt a small tug on his hand. Lily was looking at him with questioning green eyes.

"He has figured it out, hasn't he? He knows what upset Berenice so much?" she whispered under her breath as leaned into him and kissed the corner of his cheek bone.

James let his head rest against Lily's as he pulled her close. "He has to. I don't see how he wouldn't figure it out. He knows Ana like the back of his hand."

"What are we going to do?"

"Talk to him, I suppose."

Lily was silent for a moment. "It should be you. I don't like Berenice in the slightest, and I still believe Ana and he are meant to be together. I'll take first Snog Patrol. You go talk to him."

James whimpered playfully as he inhaled the sweet aroma of her hair. "But I like it here."

Lily giggled. "Go on," she shoved him away gently. "And give me your robe coat, it's freezing out here."

He complied, putting an extra warming charm on it for her and hurrying inside with a quick promise to meet up later. Yet even in the few seconds without the warmth of his jacket, the cold chilled him to the bone. It was an unusually cold night.

Remus was halfway up the grand staircase by the time James approached. He raised an eyebrow. "You lost part of your robes."

He grinned. "Lily has that effect on me."

Lily was like a sister to Remus and he had no interest in hearing about what happened to James's clothes when they were together. "No visuals, please."

James just smiled further. "It looked like you and Berenice were getting pretty close back there."

Remus did not smile. "I suppose."

I suppose. It was the sort of thing only Remus would say. James thought it had a mature ring to it, but so did Remus, so it fit just fine. "Any plans to contact her in the future?"

"Heavens know she'll be contacting me, at the very least." The vagueness fit, too; the total number of owls had just surpassed 120, as of the day before the Yule Ball. "But it's a shame she was so ill."

James bit his tongue, wondering how to approach the subject. Then the most obvious way materialized: the straightforward way. "You do know what happened, right?"

His had expected a number of things. He was ready for Remus to deny that he knew, and be overall clueless. But Remus, naturally smart, was horrible at playing dumb. (He used too many big words). James also could imagine him getting defensive, and claiming that there was no way of knowing what had happened, though it was pretty clear what had. But Remus didn't say a thing. They reached the top of the staircase and Remus turned towards the Great Hall, back to the party, as if he hadn't heard the question.

'So he does know,' thought James, as he followed, relentlessly. "I can't believe you're being so calm about this. Ana honestly had no right to do that. She has no claims on you."

For a brief moment, Remus looked as if he were going to tear James to shreds. But he entered the Great Hall calmly.

Unsettled by the one-sided conversation, James proceeded. "Aren't you going to do anything about this?"

"Like what?" he demanded. "Slap her on the wrist?"

James frowned. "Well I know if I were you, and an ex-girlfriend did something like that to Lily, there would be hell to pay."

Remus flinched at the words 'ex-girlfriend' and 'hell.' "But you're not me," he said simply, "and I'm not you."

James stopped walking while Remus continued. "I suppose if you're not going to do something, then I will."

Remus spun around, glaring at him with calculating eyes. "Leave it be, James. Just leave it be. Don't play these games," he added, his voice shaking with anger and emotion, "because if you keep going back to her, you'll go nowhere but backwards."

James knew that half of what he said didn't apply to him. "I am Head Boy, and Ana has done nothing short of assaulting one of the guests in the castle. It is my duty-"

"- Don't do this," said Remus, interrupting with a quiet, steady voice. He stepped towards James with slow, methodic steps.

James turned and walked out of the Hall. "It's my duty."

"It's you shooting off your mouth, that's what it is," muttered his friend as he sped around him and tried to block the corridor.

"Call it what you will," retorted James, stepping around him and speeding up down the hallway that led to the stairs that led to Ana's tower.

Remus followed close behind. "It'll do more harm than good," he reasoned.

"It'll correct a poor choice in actions."

Up the stairs the two flew, sending comments back and forth. James had all but reached the portrait to the room when suddenly, a icy voice spoke from behind him. "Petrificus Quasius." Looking down, his legs became enveloped in a golden field of light. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

"Wonderful," snuffed James in ironic disgust. "I'm glad to see we're going to be mature about this."

"Remind me to bite your smarmy ass next full moon," Remus retorted as he walked around his friend. He met his eyes fiercely. "It's obvious that nothing I say or do is going to stop you from making sure you give Ana a mouthful. Just let me talk to her first."

James, soured by the whole situation, shrugged, dismally happy to have upper body movement. Pulling out his wand, he easily reversed the spell giving him means by which to storm passed Remus, if he wanted. But he folded his arms across his chest and moved to lean against the wall. "Be my guest."

* * * * * *

Time passes quickly and slowly for those who seek the end. It didn't take long for Ana to get cold, but it seemed to take forever for her to loose consciousness, or for her to die; she didn't care which. People were walking out on the shoveled paths around the castle far below, laughing and snogging, and making Ana's life a royal disgusting hell. But there came a point when she didn't seem to care anymore, and perhaps it was the cold, and perhaps it was something else, but she closed her eyes and just let herself be. The cold did not kill her, at least not quickly enough, whether because of her strength, her unwillingness to let go, the not-cold-enough evening, lack of time, or something greater, beyond all human capacity.

She noticed, though, as she sat in the freeze, that the world was quiet. For the first time in a very, very long while, Ana's mind was free of the whisper of the stars and of the thoughts of the world. And she imagined that she smiled, though her body did not respond. When she heard the sound of shoes scraping the stone balcony near her, it was a sound unaltered by any other, and it was beautiful. The voice that spoke seemed distant and airy.

"Ana?"

Something burning touched her shoulders and it ached against her cold skin. She made a noise of displeasure.

The voice swore as something touched her other shoulder with similar results. She felt herself being shaken. "Ana, wake up!" the voice demanded, clearer and more fierce than before. "Wake up!"

Lazily, she opened her eyes to see Remus, looking quite frightened, though she could not imagine why. "Hi, Moony," she said, thinking she was smiling.

Roughly, she was pulled to her feet. "Walk!" he demanded. His voice was most unpleasant. Ana tried to walk, and managed a few steps with his help. Stepping into the divinations room, she felt the change in temperature, though it was only slight, as the balcony door had been left open. But the fire was still roaring in the hearth. Ana felt weak, but Remus held her up as he shut the door. She closed her eyes as Remus picked her up and carried down the stairs. The temperature grew until it felt like it was burning. It felt wonderful, though, to be tucked in his arms, and to be far enough out of common sense to forget the rest.

Her reverie was broken by Remus's shout. "JAMES! GET IN HERE!" Dismayed by the sound, she groaned and buried her face in his shoulder, not bothering to open her eyes. But she heard a new set of footsteps and James's voice.

"Remus, what... Merlin... she's gray...."

"Get the settee over here." Ana vaguely heard a mumbling and the sound of furniture being scooted across stone. "She won't stop shivering." Ana wondered who they were talking about because she certainly didn't think she was shivering. "I think she keeps some blankets in the cupboards under the bookcase."

In a few moments, she felt herself being wrapped in clothes and stretched out on soft surface. She was quite comfortable as started drifting, but she could still hear James's authoritative voice. "We need to get her to the H-Wing."

"We can help her here," argued Remus.

"Remus, have you gone daft? She's clearly hypothermic. If she's been sabotaged, she -"

"James..." he said, frustration in his airy voice, "I don't think this is sabotage. The door was unlocked. She doesn't have a mark on her... I think...."

There was a pause before either spoke. It was James, very quietly. "I see..."

"Get Lily, she knows more medical charms than the rest of us, and I know a thing or two about hypothermia. While you're out, have Sirius or Peter go to the kitchens and bring a hot beverage."

"Tea?"

"No caffeine. It can be bloody boiling water, for all I care, just make it hot."

"Right."

Ana didn't hear James leave. But she did feel someone help her roll over and stretch out next to her. She knew it was Remus by the way he held her.

"What did you go and do?" he asked, his voice whispy as he held her closer. He muttered warming charms against the blankets and the settee as he held her, resting the steaming warmth of her face against hers. It was then that she realized just how cold that she was. She felt herself shivering, and her teeth chattering. A helpless cry escaped her, still sounding foreign, but very much real.

"I know, but it's for your good," he said quietly. "You'll thank me later."

She didn't know when Lily arrived, but when she heard her, it was as it she had been speaking for some time.

"... know, you two are taking some very big risks by not taking her to the H-Wing. I have a right mind to go get Madame Pomphrey myself."

Remus was most firm. "There will be uproar if anyone finds out this happened. Think of Dumbledore. Think of Kezia Doppelle. Think of Ana!"

Ana muttered sleepily at the mention of her name. "Wha abouut meh?" Someone smoothed her hair. Opening her eyes, Remus was still holding her.

"Well, there are no other warming charms that I know of," responded Lily, ignoring Ana.

"Then use the ones you do know," was the James's gentle response. "They'll probably work better than ours."

Ana did not hear the charm, just felt a shock as burning heat surrounded her. She writhed and squirmed in Remus's arms as she tried to adjust to the overwhelming temperature.

"Not so hot! It has to happen gradually, Lily!"

"Well, I'm not the expert on hypothermia, now am I."

Ana felt the temperature subside some, as she drifted off again.

* * * * * *

The next time she awoke, she felt more awake, and was being sat up, sitting across Remus's lap. She held her head up slightly to see a steaming mug being set in his hands. She gave him a glance, his hazel eyes were urgent. "Sip this. It's steaming lemon water."

"It's the best we could do," said a small, squeaky voice that was out of view. She knew it was Peter. He kept explaining, babbling as she took very, very small sips of the drink. "Sirius - cause you know he's had experience with hypothermia, livin' so far north - said that water was most important, more important that hot chocolate or other drinks, because water's what your body needs most and there's not many water based drinks that don't have caffeine, and Remus said, 'no caffeine,' so we decided that boiling water would work... it was my idea to have the lemon, 'cause I know you like lemon, and - "

"-Peter, it will do just fine," replied Remus.

The drink seemed to revive Ana some. And her tastebuds were not so effected that she couldn't taste the potions under layer. As warmth spread through her, she sighed. "Curry," she said quietly, her voice clearer than it was before. It was a key ingredient in most warming potions, as she well knew. The lemon was a nice touch.

Sleepily, she rested her head against Remus's shoulder, not caring that he still held her. Slowly, parts of her body were awaken by hints of warm life. It started in her torso and moved to her thighs and forearms.

"You should drink some more," whispered Remus. She could feel his hot breath against her cold nose. She shook her head. Something in her didn't feel like talking.

"You've been a big help, Peter," she heard Remus say. "You too, Sirius. She'll be just fine. Her temperature never got too low, and it was climbing before the warming potion."

"And you're sure that you don't need anything else? We could watch her for a while, if you wanted to get some sleep or stretch your legs or -"

"-Peter," Sirius interrupted, but Ana heard no more from either except the sounds of receding footsteps.

Neither she nor Remus spoke. As time passed, she could feel her body returning to normal, and whispers in her mind speaking up as they did at sunset. She also became very aware of Remus, and what she had done. Reality hit her like torrential rain, but she kept her eyes shut, and enjoyed where she was while she had it. Unfortunately, that did not keep the tears from coming.

"Have another sip," urged Remus as she felt the steam of the cup approach her face. Opening her eyes, tears fell free as she gazed up at the man she loved, so close as he held her like he had so many times before. His gaze was overwhelming as the mug disappeared to the coffee table that had been placed behind them. Slowly, his rough hands wiped away the tears that were now falling with ease. Ana tried to speak, but it came out in her bringing her head up and kissing him. Their lips brushed and tugged at each other as the kiss, at first abrupt, turned into one memorable one of many, one that made up for time of neglect.

Visions and feelings invaded Ana's mind, as her psyche regained full power, and she felt the full range of feelings, both hers and Remus's, and all the anger, and hurt and pain that they had shared. Visions of arguments, and Berenice and of herself, sitting alone on the parapet... then of James and her father, and Kezia, and Heidi Weathersby. Ana couldn't resist. She broke off the kiss, shielding her face with her hands and the blanket in which she was wrapped, as the sobs broke loose. The more she tried to fight them, the more it hurt, and the more she cried. So she let go and just cried. She cried so hard she wondered in the far, unimportant reaches of her mind if she was fully conscious or if she was still loopy from the cold.

Slowly, she felt two great arms wrap around her. "Come here," he whispered as he guided her to his shoulder. "Talk to me, Ana, if not for me, then for you."

But all Ana could manage to say as memories and visions and feelings overwhelmed her. "I'm sorry... God, I'm so sorry, Remus.... I'm sorry.... I'm just ..... I'm sorry...."

Apologies escaped her as she sobbed. She felt Remus hold her, rub her back gently, kiss her hair. Every time she thought she could control herself, she could herself crying once more, sometimes harder than before. Remus would speak softly to her, try to get her to calm down, but nothing helped. Ana's face, gray just a few chimes of the grandfather clock ago was now beat red and Remus's white undershirt was soaked with tears.

When the tears did start dying down, Remus toyed with her hair, now half in and half out of the once neat bun, and spoke. "Talk to me, Starling. What are you so sorry for?"

Ana fiercely fought a new set of tears. "Everything. It's all wrong, and it's my fault." More tears escaped her, and it took her a moment to compose herself enough to keep going, and she was oddly calm when she spoke, at first. Her blue eyes full of tears, she looked at him, her face just inches in front of his, and made her confession. "I am a horrible, horrible person, Moony. You just don't understand half of the things I do every day." Her voice shook, but she never blinked as more tears ran down her face. "I am horrible. If you think I treat you horribly, you should know what I do to other people... to Dumbledore... to...."

"James?" he offered. He looked at her directly, his face firm and set.

Ana was caught completely off guard, never mind that she had no guard in her broken state. Her tears froze, and she could feel her muscles tense up. Air did not come easily as her face fought for an expression, and her voice for words. "What?"

"You lied to James," he said quietly. "About his parents."

Again, speech was difficult. "You -- ..knew... -WHAT?"

"I knew. Parts I knew from James, other, from what you said to Peter, not too long ago on that same balcony that almost killed you."

"You were there," she muttered, feeling as dazed as she had been just hours ago.

"I was. And I heard every word."

Ana shivered as a nauseas feeling spread over her. Organizing herself, as she was tightly wrapped in the blanket, she stood, wearing the quilt, though careful not to get it too close to the flames. Immediately her head spun, and her legs felt extraordinarily weak and cold. She braced herself against the fireplace ledge, as the spinning left.

"Does James know?"

"No one knows except Peter and us."

For a moment, neither said anything. But when Ana spoke, it was with as much anger as she could muster through her hurt. Tears were flowing again, but she was turned away from Remus. "I... I am really sorry about Berenice. I had n-no right to do that. And I am sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you. If you can't tell that, then there's nothing more I can do or say to show you." Her voice was swift and choppy, but weak, and exhausted. "But if this," she waved her hand in reference to the events in that room, "is some sort of charade to make me feel more hor-horrible, I assure you, it has worked. You've done your damage. Leave."

Silence ensued that was not broken even by the crackle of the fire. Several moments passed and Remus did not move. Tears and hurt flowed more as Ana, tired of standing on weak legs, sank to the floor and curled up on the fire place ledge. She rested her head against the sharp stone wall as she hugged her legs close to her. Finally, Remus spoke, though quietly.

"I am here because you need me, Ana. For the first time since last year, I can feel it and see that really do need me."

"I always needed you," Ana said shakily.

"No," he replied gently, "no you didn't. You didn't need me to help you work through your problems with James's parents, you didn't need me to share your excitement over your Gringott's fortune - which I learned about from Lily, who was looking through some Caucus Resistance file you left on your bed. Face it, Ana, you're growing beyond me."

Ana froze. She couldn't find the words she needed as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. "That's not true," she whispered. "I am trying, but it's never going to be enough, is it? I have so much to do, so much to be, that I guess I can't have everything. I'm sorry I hurt you. But now my decision's made."

There was a pause as she could feel his pained expression looking away. Forcing herself to her feet, she waddled across the room to the small bureau next to the staircase. Throwing it open, she pulled out a half-full five pound burlap bag of tea leaves. Hugging it to her in the folds of the quilt, she walked back to the fireplace. Her tears eased some more as she let the blanket fall to the floor. She gave Remus a sideways glance as she smiled slightly. "I never did like tea." At that, she swayed back slightly and heaved the bag into the fire. It didn't take long for it to erupt into flames, sending ashes and a burning smell from the embers.

Remus was on his feet in a moment, standing next to her. "Ana?" he asked, somewhat horrified as he watched the flames.

But she was not finished. Stepping out of the confines of the blanket that surrounded her feet, she headed back for the bureau and opened another cupboard. One at a time, she selected mugs and teacups and threw them across the room, watching them shatter on the opposite wall. Dizzy with overexertion on her weak body, she leaned against the cupboard as she looked for other divinations artifacts she could dispose of. A deck of tarot cards sat on the fireplace mantel. She hated them; they were of no use to her and she barely used them, if then. She had no problem waddling over and tossing them into the flames.

Remus just watched, his eyes and mouth wide with shock. Ana kept going until there was only one item left in the room. The Anblick crystal ball.

She approached it slowly, as if she were a silent predator. Perhaps it was her rage, or her powers focusing on the divinitive outlet, but the crystal ball seemed to emanate more power than usual, tugging at Ana from the inside. Reaching out, she removed the lace covering and stared at her blue-eyed reflection numbly. She ran her hands over the glass as sentiment caught up with her. It was cold to her cool fingertips.

Remus's approach was inaudible, but Ana felt him pull the lace out of her hands. "It's a family heirloom," he said, placing the shroud over the artifact. "It's who you are." Slowly, he took her hands, and led her back to the settee, and wrapped her back in the quilt. "You'll be the death of me," he sighed grimly as he remained standing. After a short pause, however, he, too, sat down. A small laugh escaped him as he looked at her, his eyes gleaming like they hadn't for some time. "What was that?"

"Me clearing my schedule," she replied.

Even though understanding hovered around him, he asked anyway. "I thought you made your decision."

"I did," she replied. "No more divinations. Just you, if you'll have me back."

Remus frowned in surprise. "Ana, you can't just give up divinations. It's as much of who you are as the wolf is me."

"Exactly," replied Ana. "I am divinations, and you are the wolf. But Divinations is not what I am and the wolf is not you."

He grinned, despite himself. "You've gone completely batty." But he understood.

"I just realized something, as I was wondering how much Kezia's going to kill me," she smiled.

"What was that? That's she's going to really kill you? That she's going to kill you twice?"

"That," Ana laughed, "she won't even slightly kill me. I'm too powerful."

Remus tried to look serious as his eyes took on a look of adoration. "Ana, you ... er... realize you can't throw a curse to save your life? Or defend yourself for that manner?"

"It's on my 'to learn' list," she replied. "But that's not the power I mean. "The Circle needs me, you know. They're not going to do anything stupid. But it just occurred to me... I'm running the show. Kezia's already said that she's taught me everything I need to know about divinations, and I still haven't made up my mind whether I'll join or not."

Remus was dubious. "Honestly?"

"Yes, and I wish that everyone would start realizing that. The Circle assumes that I'll go with them, and the Caucus Resistance seems to think I will as well - hence the frequent visits."

"But, Ana, The Circle's very powerful."

"You don't even know the half of it," she muttered knowingly. "And I'm not saying I'm not joining. I'm just saying I just don't know. I'll go where the stars lead me."

"There haven't been any attacks for a long while."

"No, there haven't..."

Remus studied her. He knew. "But you know they're coming."

She nodded. "Soon."

Both became quiet. Ana stretched her legs out across his lap, tentatively. He welcomed them.

"You know you can't give up divinations."

"I know."

"So you just felt like breaking things and incinerating large amounts of tea?"

"That, and I wanted to make my point."

"Why didn't you just say what you wanted to say?"

"Because you wouldn't have believed me."

Remus looked at her blanket-covered feet and rubbed her leg, deep in thought.

"I'm yours, if you want me, Remus. I know you don't have a thing for Berenice."

"Heavens know I tried," he sighed. "I tried so hard to move on, and Berenice was there...."

"So why didn't it work?"

"She was too busy flirting to pay attention to anything that came out of my mouth."

"-Except your tongue. I'm sure she noticed your tongue."

Remus made a noise of disgust. He drifted off into silence.

Ana began to feel uneasy. "What are you thinking about?"

He replied quickly and honestly. "Whether or not this is really going to work. There will still be secrets, I assume."

Ana looked away. "You wouldn't want to know. It's bad enough for me to see some of the things I see, you just won't want to know."

"Like death?" he asked, referring to James's parents.

"Like death, and lies, and deceit, and evil..." she listed, feeling tired at the thought. She was becoming very serious as she gazed at him, eye to eye. "You realize that it's part of being a seer to see death and sometimes not being able to anything about it? You realize that part of what I'll be doing, and part of the horrors that..."

Remus put a hand over her mouth. "I never stopped loving you, Ana. I never ever stopped loving you. That's not the way real love works. You don't get made or disgusted and 'fall out of love.' I loved you when I first met you, I loved you when you were a bloody frog!" He smiled slightly, but his smile faded as his eyes became earnest. "And I love you now, even knowing what you've done. Do I disagree? I don't know. I honestly don't know. But I do know I love you."

The words hurt her as she felt tears welling up again. "You shouldn't."

"Peter's right, Ana. He was right on the balcony, when you two were talking. That's not for you to decide whether or not I should or shouldn't love you. The point is that I do. You're not a horrible person, either." He looked at her harder as she rolled her eyes and shook her head in disagreement. "You would be a horrible person if you were unable to see that what you did could have been wrong. The fact that part of you wonders whether or not what you're doing is right is what keeps you pure. And," he added, using the hand that cupped her mouth to turn her head back to him, "I would love you anyway."

Ana knew that wasn't true, but it was what she wanted to hear. Her vision became blurred with tears as he continued.

"That being said," Remus continued, as he had the floor, "I want to try again with us. I understand that there are things you have to do and that there are things that you won't be able to tell me. But don't shut me out, Ana. I want to know whatever I can, so I can help you. And I want to take it slow. Not start over from the beginning, because we've gone too far. I just want to make sure..."

"You don't want to be hurt again," Ana said into his mind. He nodded.

"Neither do I, she said, removing his hand from her mouth. She held it in her hand, and pressed it against the side of her face. They looked at each other for a long time. "I love you, too, Remus."

"I know," he replied, convincing her.

"I don't need to break more things?"

"No," he smiled, bringing out the aging eye lines that had grown deeper over the past few months. Ana smiled back, fighting a not-so-small urge to kiss him.

"So what are you going to tell Kezia?"

"I don't know yet."

"Are you still going to stargaze every night?"

"Probably a little."

"And the Caucus Resistance?"

"Que Sera, Sera."

He nodded. "Whatever will be, will be."

"See? I can speak French too," Ana said proudly.

Remus snickered. "You were listening to Berenice and me..."

"Of course."

"You knew what we were saying?" he asked.

"Naturally." But she had hesitated.

"We were talking about the people dancing next to us."

"Of course you were."

"If you understood French, you wouldn't doubt me."

"I understand French, and I don't doubt you."

He laughed. "No you don't and yes you do." He reached over and put the cup of still boiling hot "lemon water" into her hands. "Keep drinking," he ordered.

She did, slowly, amazed at how much of her energy was restored with her warmth. "What else is in this?"

"Don't rightly know," shrugged Remus. "Peter said he and Sirius threw some potions together with lots of lemon water and boiled them. Lucky they didn't blow anything up."

Ana nervously set the drink aside. "Yeah... like me... I think I've had enough of that..."

"Are you feeling better? You're not so gray."

"I'm still a little cold, and I'm tired, but I'll be okay."

He looked at her for a moment. "No more of whatever that was," he referred to the incident on the balcony.

Ana looked away. "I don't really know what I was thinking," she said quietly. And she honestly did not. "I didn't want to die - it's not like it was a suicide attempt." Doubt oozed off of Remus's gaze. "It wasn't!" she insisted. "I would have found a faster, more efficient way of doing things, if that were the case. I am a potions master, after all."

"So what was it, then?"

"I guess," she said, unable to keep from feeling embarrassed, but smiling at the joke, "making a point."

"There are better ways to make a point."

She smiled weakly, and briefly "Thank you for saving me," she said quietly.

"Thank James for being an ass."

Ana looked at him questioningly, but chose not to ask. She realized she probably did not want to know why James and Remus were coming up to see her in the middle of the Yule Ball. Leaning back some, she closed her eyes.

"Did you want me to help you back to your room?" he asked quietly.

Ana shook her head. "No, it'll be warmer here."

"Did you want me to leave you in peace, then?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "No," she said quietly. That was all that needed to be said. After a moment, both pondering this as they wondered about each other, Ana scooted over on the deep settee and made room for Remus to stretch out. Slowly, he did so, looking up at Ana intently as she rolled over, to face him. They looked at each other, only a few inches away, and enjoyed the feeling of closeness that had been absent for so long.

Eyes sinking sleepily, Ana kissed him. And Remus kissed her. So slowly, they moved, prolonging every movement and touch. But it didn't remain as such for long.

Remus abandoned all notions of restarting their relationship slowly almost immediately.

* * * * * *

It was daylight at LeBab Tower, but Vespera had followed the darkness to her home in metropolitan Rabat, Morocco. Her intentions were to look at the stars, but the stars told her to look elsewhere. Her looking glass led the way.

Made of the same material as crystal balls, looking glass artifacts offered the same magic, but varied in shape. Vespera's, in her extravagant and magically enhanced loft at the top of one of the higher buildings in the city, was flat, and square, resembling a picture frame without the frame or a television screen without the television. This was, in many reasons, why she preferred it. On hot evenings, she would pour herself an ice tea and stretch out the lazy boy recliner and just watch. Sometimes the gray fog within the glass would show her many things and other times nothing at all. But even when she saw nothing, she sat contently, watching the glass with intrigue, reminding herself that half of the rest of the world was doing the same thing she was, except with far less exciting programming.

The stars did not disappoint her that night. Immediately, visions started appearing of the young Ana Anblick, approaching death by cold. Vespera sipped at her ice tea as visions of her being rescued followed. She watched her and the strapping young man holding each other with a raised, black eyebrow. More intriguing was the burning of the tea and the tarot cards. And the kiss...

No smile. No frown. Vespera just watched, most interested in what she was privileged to see.