Harry Potter OOTP...a BIG let down

Whatever happened to the delight and, if you'll excuse the term, the magic in the "Harry Potter" series? As the characters grow up, the stories grow, too, leaving the innocence behind and confusing us with plots so labyrinthine that it takes a Ph.D from Hogwarts to figure them out. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" still has much of the enchantment of the earlier films, but Harry no longer has as much joy. His face is lacking the gosh-wow-this-is-really-neat grin. He has internalized the secrets and delights of the world of wizards, and is now instinctively using them to save his life.

An early scene illustrates this change. Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors, and in desperation he uses a secret spell to defeat them. But that earns the disapproval of his superiors at Hogwarts, and he is threatened with expulsion, because the spell is not to be used in public around Muggles. What is it, like a secret Masonic grip? When you're about to get your clock stopped by Dementors and you know the spell, what are you expected to do? Fall over passively and get Demented?

There will come a time, I fear, as we approach the end of the series (one book and two films to go), that Harry and his friends will grow up and smell the coffee. They weren't trained as magicians for fun. When they eventually arrive at some apocalyptic crossroads, as I fear they will, can the series continue to live in PG-13 land? The archvillain Voldemort is shaping up as the star of nightmares.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has reason to fear that playtime is long behind. As a wizard chosen in childhood for his special powers, he has reason to believe Voldemort has returned and will have to be dealt with. The Ministry of Magic, like many a government agency, is hidebound in outdated convictions and considers Harry's warning to be heresy; at Hogwarts, a fierce new professor of the dark arts, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), has been installed to whip Harry into line.

Her enemies include Harry's protector Dumbledore (Michael Gambon, looking as shabby as a homeless headmaster). Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) join Harry in fomenting resistance to Umbridge (sounds like "umbrage"), and soon they are mapping clandestine schemes to defend Dumbledore. Their plots, alas, seem more serious than the mischief Harry and friends would have thought up in earlier days. Yes, I know time passes, and the actors are eight years older than when they started filming. But if a kid starts watching "Potter" movies with this film, would he guess they used to be a little more whimsical?

By now, if we know anything at all about the "Potter" series, it's that nothing is as it seems, and the most unlikely characters have occult connections. Yes, but so many surprises have popped out of the hat that a veteran "Potter" watcher can almost, by a process of elimination, figure out who will surprise us next. For Harry, like many another leader before him, it is time to leave the nest and begin to work in the world. For the first time since we saw platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross, the city of London has a major role now, as Harry and sidekicks fly down the Thames and swoop past Big Ben.

That causes me to wonder, what is the practical connection between the world of magic and the world of Muggles? Will Harry, or should Harry, become a world leader? Can wands and spells be of use in today's geopolitical turmoil? Or are Hogwarts grads living in a dimension of their own? All will be told, I guess, in the final book in J.K. Rowling's series, and then the retail book industry will be back on its own again.

These things said, there is no denying that "Order of the Phoenix" is a well-crafted entry in the "Potter" series. The British have a way of keeping up production values in a series, even when the stories occasionally stumble. There have been lesser James Bond movies, but never a badly made one. And the necessary use of CGI here is justifiable, because what does magic create, anyway, other than real-life CGI without the computers?

As for the cast, the "Potter" series has turned into a work-release program for great British actors mired in respectable roles. Staunton is perfect here as the Teacher From Hell. Helena Bonham Carter looks like the double for all three of Macbeth's witches. And then take a roll call: Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes (in the wings as Voldemort), Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Warwick Davis, Julie Walters and the incomparable Maggie Smith.

My hope, as we plow onward through "Potters" Nos. 6-7, is that the series will not grow darker still. Yet I suppose even at the beginning, with those cute little mail-owls, we knew the whimsy was too good to last. Now that Harry has experienced his first kiss, with Cho Chang (Katie Leung), we can only imagine what new opportunities lie ahead. Agent 009.75?

Feast of love:Movie

DRAMA
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 9/28/07 (wide)
Running Length: 1:42
MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, nudity, sexual situations)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Selma Blair, Radha Mitchell, Alexa Davalos, Toby Hemingway, Fred Ward, Jane Alexander, Billy Burke, Erika Marozsan
Director: Robert Benton
Screenplay: Allison Burnett, based on the book by Charles Baxter
Cinematography: Kramer Morgenthau
Music: Stephen Trask
U.S. Distributor: MGM



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It's a little surprising to encounter a film like Feast of Love in multiplexes, because it is made for adults. After a summer of pyrotechnics and incredibly dumb scripts, it's a change of pace to find something that aspires to run for 100 minutes without a gunshot or an explosion. A romantic drama based on Charles Baxter's difficult-to-adapt novel, the film takes us along the rocky journey associated with falling in love. The screenplay combines philosophy, melodrama, and clichés to engaging effect. Feast of Love's greatest strength is that it's about people and involves universal emotions. It's not great art but it is enjoyable soap opera.

When it comes to romance, Portland coffee shop owner Bradley Thomas (Greg Kinnear) is not the luckiest man in the world. He thinks he has found his perfect mate in Kathryn (Selma Blair), but they haven't been married for long before her wandering eye falls on another woman. She departs, leaving Bradley with only a dog for a companion. Because he believes that love is what makes life worth living, he tries again. This time, it's Diana (Radha Mitchell), a realtor. She's smart, pretty, and enjoys spending time with Bradley. But she's having an affair with David (Billy Burke), who can't understand why she's considering marrying this milquetoast. Her evasive answer to his simple question - "Do you love him?" - says all that needs to be said about the long-term prospects of this relationship.

Two couples exist in Bradley's orbit. The first is Harry and Esther Scott (Morgan Freeman and Jane Alexander), an elderly duo whose only son died of a drug overdose less than a year ago. Harry is a college philosophy professor on leave from his job. He stops by the coffee shop every day for a cup of Joe and to dispense advice to anyone who wants it. He also happens to be Bradley's next-door neighbor. The other couple is Oscar (Toby Hemingway) and Chloe (Alexa Davalos), two twenty-somethings who work for Bradley and are madly, passionately in love.

Unpredictability is not one of Feast of Love's traits - it doesn't take a Magic 8 Ball to figure out exactly where these stories are going. After all, it appears that director Robert Benton agrees with Bradley's upbeat philosophy about love. The movie doesn't contain a cynical moment, which can make it appear a little naïve at times. And, even though there are moments of tragedy, the overall arc is ultimately life-affirming. Leaving the theater, I felt like I had spent an hour and a half in the company of people worth spending the time with. The film doesn't come close to the level of Benton's best-known productions - Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, Nobody's Fool - but the same view of humanity is in evidence. Benton deals in characters not special effects.

Charles Baxter's novel is difficult to adapt because of its ever-shifting point-of-view. Allison Burnett's version streamlines the narrative, keeping most of the major plot points and character arcs intact. The adaptation is truncated but the voice remains the same. Fans of Baxter's work should be pleased with the result. It's not as rich or deep as the novel but it is cut from the same cloth. And, while none of the actors will receive Oscar nominations for their work here, many of them - including Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, and Alexa Davalos - imbue their on-screen alter egos with vitality and something close to nobility.

As one might expect of a story that is so unapologetically romantic, depictions of the physical act of love are not avoided. There's plenty of sex and nudity, but it's handled naturally and tastefully. There's never the sense that anything is gratuitous and there's no mingling of sex with violence (something that happens frequently in mainstream cinema). If there's a problem with the movie's narrative structure, it's that the leaps ahead in time often skip key aspects of the characters' relationships. For example, Bradley and Diana's courtship takes about three scenes from their first meeting to his proposal. It's difficult to mourn the inevitable disintegration of that marriage when we have so little invested in it.

Feast of Love gains a sheen of erudition via the character of Harry, who often acts as the movie's seer. Like many wise men, however, he is better at advising others than sorting out his own emotional troubles. This movie is for those who believe in the healing, regenerative power of love. The experience of watching it is not unlike that of sipping from an insulated cup at the coffee shop where much of the action takes place: relaxing, familiar, and non-confrontational. Feast of Love may not be memorable but it is pleasant.

Halo 3!!The ultimate Gamester!!

From a certain point of view, Halo 3 is without a doubt the biggest game of the year. The combination of fan anticipation, marketing, and the skill of Bungie's design combine to create a game that's larger than life; if gaming has a blockbuster franchise to match the movie industry's punch, it's the tale of Master Chief. The importance of the Halo franchise to gaming is a very big issue, though, and one worth it's own article. Having played through the game, there's really only one question I'm here to answer today. Does it meet expectations? In a word: yes. It's not the best game ever made, and it may not even be the best game this year. Will it make the fans happy, and deservedly sell thousands of Xbox 360s? Very much yes. Read on for my impressions of Bungie's years-in-the-making epic, Halo 3.
Title: Halo 3
Developer/Publisher: Bungie / Microsoft Game Studios
System: Xbox 360
Genre: First Person Shooter
Score: 4/5 - This game is above average, and excels in the genre it supports. A classic for the genre and well worth a look for every gamer.
The Tale

I hope you were paying attention at the end of Halo 2, because the folks at Bungie don't waste any time getting new players up to speed. The action picks up right after the Gravemind's infestation of High Charity at the end of the previous game, and the Master Chief's escape from that doomed city in the Prophet of Truth's stolen Forerunner vessel. If that makes no sense to you, I refer you to Wikipedia for a brush-up on Halo's lore. That said, once you're in the thick of things you don't need to know a lot about the past two games to enjoy 3's story. There are a bunch of references back, and continued threads, but really ... it's a first-person shooter. There are aliens on Earth, trying to dig up an alien artifact. You have to stop them. Go to it.

If you are a fan of the previous games, the story of Halo 3 is going to satisfy your need to see things wrapped up. What it's not going to do is surprise you. The plot plays out pretty much the way you'd expect, though the writers do make some very mature choices towards the end of the tale that distinguish it a bit from every other hero's journey. I'm reluctant to say more, as I'm not sure what's common knowledge at this point, but there is one storytelling choice I wanted to point out as being particularly effective. Cortana, Master Chief's AI companion, was left behind with the Flood's master at the end of the previous game. Despite this, she connects regularly with the Chief in a form of psychic connection. This allows a sense of desperation to build throughout the title, and has a satisfying payoff late in the game.

Story is a really important component of the gameplay experience for me. Though I'm no expert, I do actually like the Halo metaplot quite a bit, and I was left well pleased by Bungie's conclusion. Suffice it to say that while you're not going to be blown away by any revelations, there are no cop-outs, no cheap tricks and (best of all) no meaningless cliffhanger endings. Just make sure you watch to the end of the credits.

Beware the Scarabs

In Halo 2 there's a sequence where you attack a building-sized walking tank in the shape of a multi-legged bug, with a giant laser on its front. It's an elaborate experience: rushing alongside it on rooftops, jumping aboard, taking out its crew, and finally destroying its core. It was, for me, one of the highlights of the game. In Halo 3 you take on these tanks at least three times, and at one point you're fighting two at once. That pretty much sums up the experience of gameplay in this title: it's like the other two, only a lot moreso. Everything is bigger, better, and very, very polished.

That polish is something that exists across the title, from moment-to-moment combat through to 'set piece' battles like the Scarab tanks. There are several set pieces like that spread throughout the game, areas that are more than just the movement from point A to point B with enemies in between. None of them are any more particularly challenging than the rest of the game, but provide exclamation points on areas of hard work and forward progress. There are also several vehicle sequences, more (it seemed) that even in Halo 2. Fast action in the Scorpion tank and Warthog return, but there are also sequences designed specifically to show off some of the new vehicles in this title. I felt these were much more seamless experiences than in the last game; jumping in a vehicle seems like the natural thing to do, not a decision forced upon you by game design.

The vehicle sequences - and the whole game, for that matter - would have benefited from some extra time in NPC boot camp. Once again, your AI assistants prove to be poorly equipped at driving, shooting, or doing pretty much anything other than getting in the way. This, frustratingly, is a step up from Halo 2, where they were incapable of driving without continuously flipping your vehicle. The AI is at least smart enough to get from point A to B now, but you're not going to enjoy the journey. The continued incompetence of the AI in moment-to-moment fighting is particularly frustrating because the Elite known as the Arbiter is your constant companion through most of the game. This is a shadow of the co-op play component, a reminder that it's always possible. All the Arbiter was good for in my experience, though, was waving around his energy sword ineffectually. The AI here wasn't as dumb as the grunts in Gears of War (who enjoyed mantling onto the side of cover the enemies were firing at), but they weren't much better.

The enemy AI, at least, isn't entirely ineffective. They seemed particularly adept at using some of the new toys added in since the last game. Brute chieftains regularly came outfitted with the pleasant addition of a ripped-off turret. These mounted weapons, a frequent sight in past titles, can now be removed from their housings and carried around to provide some heavy firepower. A chieftain with one of these in a secured location can mean regular trips through respawning. The ability to dig in and hold a position was greatly enhanced by this game's addition of 'equipment'. The new use for the X button (reloading is now down with the LB and RB bumpers), most equipment allows NPCs and PCs alike to better hold an area. The 'force shield' is shown off in the E3 2006 trailer but deployable cover (a tall shield), a regeneration aura (which keeps your shields charged), and even deployable turrets all allow for positions to be maintained more effectively than in the past. Other equipment is intended to bypass such advantages, like the power-draining opposite of the regenerator, a portable hover-lift device that can allow you a quick hop over enemy fortifications, and a placeable mine great for taking out drawn-in Grunts. I'll admit it: I didn't use the equipment as effectively as I could have, but it was always enjoyable to play against. Particularly the energy shield; Brutes always seemed somehow vaguely surprised when I popped through the translucent wall.

I regularly got unpleasant surprises throughout the game, and I feel like I need to point out a frustration Bungie has managed to preserve intact from Halo 2: checkpoints. Halo 3 features an autosave system that updates your progress every time you complete a specific objective; passing a point on the map, or activating a certain control panel. Most checkpoints, though, are reached by killing enemies, and you very specifically have to kill every enemy in a group. At several points I found myself frustrated by my inability to find hiding bad guys - I'd complete a long stretch of the game and die, only to find myself further back in the game than I had anticipated. On my way back to where I'd died, I would regularly encounter a checkpoint I hadn't used before. These additional checkpoints were there because I'd missed a single hiding Grunt, or one of those stealthy sniper enemies the first time through. It's always frustrating to lose progress, and even more so when you find you lost that progress because you didn't see the point in finding a single cowering trooper.

That frustration with checkpoints, though, is really my only complaint about level design and the actual experience of play. There is a lot less back tracking here than in either of the last two games, and levels themselves feature a great deal of variation. There's a far wider palette used to put together levels, and the greens and brilliant whites used in Halo 3 stand in stark contrast to the greys and browns that have dominated other next-gen shooters. Combat itself is just as much fun as ever, and it's unflinchingly fair. You never feel cheated by gameplay in Halo 3. If you screw up and die, you usually spend the few moments after your death and before you respawn going, "Yeah, fair enough." Pro tip: The loud beeping of your lowered shields should have told you to get behind cover. While everything is polished to a glistening shine, it's great to be able to say they really haven't changed the feel of gameplay that much. Nine million people didn't buy Halo 2 because of a marketing campaign: ultimately they bought it because Bungie puts together one of the best console shooter experiences, hands down.

One Fine Looking Suit of Armor

Halo 3 looks really good, especially in motion. That said, compared with a game like Gears of War or Lair, it doesn't particularly scream 'next-gen'. The water is pretty good, the explosions are works of art, and reflections off of the Chief's visor are satisfyingly accurate ... but for the most part the game looks a lot like Master Chief's previous adventure. That's fine, though, because (unlike in that title) the framerate is pegged at 60fps and never wavers. There was never once a stutter or slowdown, even with dozens of fastmoving objects on screen, swarms of enemies, or a speedy vehicle sequence. I also saw none of the 'texture popping' that I annoyingly associate with last-gen titles. There are also almost no loading times in the game. The only time you'll see a (brief) loading screen is when you start the game or load a new chapter. Otherwise from start to finish your gaming experience is essentially unbroken. Bungie obviously spent time working on the visual elements of the game, but not to the exclusion of equally important components like story and gameplay. The look of the game is conveyed more by the art style used in the varied environments that through sheer power; the graphics here get the job done, and look great doing it.


Firefly Stars and Heavy Guitar Riffs

One game element that needs no qualifiers is the title's sound presentation. Just as in the previous two games, no expense was spared to bring the world to life through sound effects, voice acting, and music. The sound effects are essentially identical to the experience a player may have had in Halo 2, with a few subtle improvements. The voice acting is extremely well done, with the likes of Keith David, Jen Taylor, Steve Downes, and David Scully reprising their roles. Jen Taylor's Cortana has some especially challenging scenes in this game, and I thought she did a great job with them. New (but familiar) voices also add their talents to the cast. Red vs. Blue viewers will recognize the name Burnie Burns, who is one of the voices of the generic soldiery, but fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly will have just as much to enjoy. Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin are also soldiers, and Nathan Fillion takes on the role of an NPC sergeant. I noted this during gameplay, actually, as Alan Tudyk's voice is ... distinct.

Martin O'Donnell composed the game's score, reprising his role from the two previous titles. If you've heard the moving music in the E3 2006 trailer you're already well aware of what that implies. Most of his compositions are much more low key, of course, but they nonetheless provide a welcome backdrop for the game's graphics, gameplay and story. The later levels especially benefit from this subtle but important reminder of what's at stake. The music serves as an obvious but not over-the-top pacing element. Ultimately Martin O'Donnell's compositions are the kind of music you'd be more than happy to listen to outside of the game; it's hard to see how you can pay a soundtrack a higher compliment.

Playback and Multiplay

The clearest sign that Halo 3 is a 'next generation' title is its online and playback components. Most startling are the game's video editing and level creation tools. The first time you'll play through the campaign, you'll find that you can relive the whole thing by reviewing the videos stored on your 360's hard drive. There's no need to set a special setting, it just does it automatically. From there, you can enter the recording and rewatch the whole thing, stopping to take screenshots or snip video clips. These clips and pictures are then viewable from your Bungie.net profile, proving your game mastery to awed onlookers. The real awe, for me, was stepping outside of the Chief to fly around the map as action progresses. If you recall a particularly cool moment - a really good grenade stick, for example - you can see what that looked like on the outside ... and take a picture of it. I haven't had much time or inclination to play around with the level creation tool (called the Forge), but it's incredibly robust. Think something along the lines of Gary's Mod for Half-Life 2, and you'll understand the possibilities in Bungie's generous tool offering.

I've talked extensively about the game's campaign mode, but for many gamers online multiplayer is the real reason to buy this game. And understandably so: if you participated in the Halo 3 multiplayer Beta a few months ago you're already well aware of that game element's polish level. The real draw for me, though, is the campaign co-op play. I played entirely through Gears of War three times because the co-op experience was so well done. Here Bungie has provided the opportunity for up to four players to participate in the entire campaign experience. Just as with the 'single player' campaign mode (which is really just co-op with bots), the entire experience will be recorded to your hard drive for later public mockery. Unlike in single-player, by doing a co-op session you and your team-mates participate in what the game's achievements call 'the metagame'. Players are scored on their play throughout the game, and netting a certain total score during a co-op session can earn you some gamerscore points.

As much time as the team has obviously taken on the game itself, it's great to see that they've fleshed out the experience with elements like this. Graphics aside, these playback and co-op components are truly what makes Halo 3 'next generation'.

Consider the Fight Finished

Halo 3, then, is just about everything a player of the previous games in the series could hope for. It looks good, it plays smoothly, and backstory fans are going to finally have some closure. There are obviously flaws, but none are so glaring or frustrating as to be worth more than a passing mention. Even the checkpoint thing, which I'm sure I have run into far more often than the average player, never stopped me from grinning at the chance to melee some more Brutes into submission.


In essence: Bungie has succeeded marvelously at bringing this trilogy to a close. The game's tight story is complete-able in Normal mode in about ten hours, and that feels just about right. At the end of the game you're left wanting more, but not feeling gypped. Folks who have been holding their breath for this since 2004 can relax; the only thing left to do now is play and have a good time. Halo 3 is fun. Any game - regardless of platform, generation, or genre - where you can finish up and immediately want to start playing again ... it's hard to call that anything but a success.

The Ipod Touch!!!Bling!!

Yeah, we know we're a little late with this one, but we see the iPod touch as a pretty major turning point for Apple's iPod line; when it was announced, we finally thought we'd found an iPod we could really get behind. For years technology enthusiasts pondered the possibility of an Apple-made widescreen, WiFi-enabled portable media device, and they finally did just that -- even throwing in a few things that, prior to the iPhone, we might not have expected, like a full-fledged web browser, internet video player (YouTube), multi-touch interface, etc. But after playing with the touch for a few days, it's become pretty clear that Steve was right when he declared that the iPhone is still the best iPod. Read on to find out why.

Late last year. iPods had fallen into a rut: the features were stale, the form factor of the flagship device basically stopped progressing, and it started to seem like Apple didn't care or understand where portable media players were headed -- or at least didn't seem to realize what such devices were capable of. So it came as no surprise that as soon as the iPhone was announced, people began demanding that same device, sans phone. And why not? Not everyone hates their cellphone, or wants to switch to AT&T, or lives in America (or select countries in Europe) -- and from a media player standpoint, the iPhone made the iPod technologically respectable again. Only a handful of other devices, like the Archos 604 WiFi, come equipped with that specific bundle of features (web browser, touchscreen, and WiFi).

Fortunately for that rather sizable group of potential buyers waiting for the phoneless iPhone, it was clear that Apple had invested an enormous amount of effort (and money) into creating its mobile OS X platform, and that all those development bucks weren't going to live on in only one product -- especially not a device that is ultimately beholden to deals with cellphone carriers. So the iPhone without the phone -- the WiFi-enabled widescreen iPod -- finally started to seem more like an eventuality than some distant hope. When it was announced a couple of weeks ago, the surprise was less that Apple had been working on this device after all, and more the myriad iPhone features unexpectedly absent. We'll get to that shortly.
Thankfully, as far as media playback goes, all the best stuff from the iPhone made the cut in the touch. It shares the same audio, video, and photo apps as the iPhone, which is a good thing since we still love the new Apple mobile media interface every bit as much as we did when we first reviewed the iPhone. The iTunes WiFi Music Store works exactly as advertised; search is fast, sampling tracks and downloads are easy, and syncing tracks back to your host computer is effortless. Apple really nailed this. To date, most over the air music downloads on a portable media devices have been tedious, if not completely impractical.

Also unchanged are our primary complaints about said media playback, the same complaints we've had about the iPod for years: we don't like managing our media through iTunes, and we don't like being limited only to those few codecs Apple supports (AAC, MP3, H.264, and MPEG-4). In fact, if Apple gave us greater codec support (or even just the option to add additional codecs ourselves) and mass storage support for drag and drop while adding media, we'd probably be able to overlook the other, smaller things that ail us about iPods.

Since the touch is an iPhone at its heart -- really -- comparisons on the software end of business were immediate and inevitable. We're going to assume you're at least casually familiar with the touch's progenitor, but if you didn't read over our iPhone review or haven't much used one yourself, we're happy to say the touch remains a rock solid device on the software end. We experienced far fewer crashes now than we did with the v1.0 iPhone firmware; the rest of the interface is just as responsive and reliable.

Apple has also since made a number of improvements to the touch which have yet to carry over to the iPhone. (We're expecting the iPhone to be brought to parity with the touch in its next firmware update, due in the next week or so.) One major annoyance, about which we took umbrage in our iPhone review, is that periods are unnecessarily difficult to type. No longer: the touch takes the BlackBerry approach, where pressing the space bar twice types a period automatically. This is a godsend.

Also improved: many of the clicks, chirps, and other system sounds have been tweaked, most often with the result of being slightly less grating than the noises of the iPhone. And, of course, the addition of international support in menus and keyboards means you don't have to be a US American to use the thing.

But it isn't what's on the touch that caused us to sit up and take notice so much as what's not on it. The iPhone's suite of apps set certain expectations for what the touch should include. Granted, we understand why the iPhone's mobile email app was omitted from the touch. While we still would have liked to have the option to email over WiFi, its intended purpose is as a portable media player, not a mobile communicator, so we can follow that line of thought. But why leave out its notes, weather, stocks, and Google maps apps? We know the portable doesn't include the same constant connectivity as the iPhone has with EDGE, but it's not like downloading music over the iTunes WiFi Music Store is a practical application in ways that checking for weather, or jotting down a quick note are not. The touch is still a connected portable device, after all, and what we see is Apple mimicking the limited feature set of the old, stale iPod line instead of fully realizing the touch's potential.

And let's not forget the touch calendar controversy. Why allow users to indulge in some PIM basics, like editing and creating new contacts, while not others, like editing or adding new calendar appointments? When we confirmed that Apple had indeed dropped calendar editing from the touch, we were floored. Not even because it's that essential a function, but because we can't possibly fathom why anyone in Cupertino thought to take something of value, however small, away from for no apparent reason.

For a company that continually emphasizes its software as being the core of what drives great consumer electronics, we just can't understand why Apple chose curb the touch's capabilities right at the outset.

Hardware
With the touch, Apple's hardware is, as usual, striking when compared with many of its competitors. Ever so slightly wider (about 1mm) and significantly thinner (8mm, which is no small feat) than the iPhone, the touch has far harder, sharper edges on its facade, and a sloping, almost difficult to grip rear. It even manages to leverage that space with a large enough battery to put out more than its advertised 5 hours of video playback -- we got about 5.5 - 6+ hours. But despite its impressive thinness, after the last few months of using the far more functional iPhone, the touch left us in want. It may be the ideal size for a device of this kind, but it omits many of the simple hardware niceties we've grown used to in the iPhone.

Hardware volume controls were highest on the list of things we miss. We could just as easily live without a mute switch on a media player, but losing the hard volume buttons is rather disappointing. Granted, Apple has made it easier to get to the media controls and volume when the device is in sleep mode; just press the home button three times (once to wake, two more times to bring up media controls without unlocking it). But what's wrong with a real volume switch, too? With no hardware controls, doing something as frequent and essential as changing the volume necessitates removing the device from your pocket. Furthermore, without hard volume buttons, you can't adjust the volume at all while playing music in landscape (i.e. Cover Flow mode). This is pretty basic stuff that drives us up the wall.
Also missing -- and missed: an external speaker. Yeah, we know not every media player has one, and it probably would have added some bulk to a device so slim as the touch. But sharing samples of songs, a bit of video, or -- duh -- YouTube now instantly necessitates friends adventurous enough to use your funky headphones each taking a turn watching Chocolate Rain or the Hipster Olympics. We know in the long run it's a relatively minor thing, but it's still disappointing.
But that's not all. While we appreciate the aesthetic sacrifice Apple made in in adding a proper WiFi antenna to the touch, the odd, asymmetric black corner on the rear looks off and misplaced. We wish Apple have just placed the antenna behind the touch's face, or possibly along the top or bottom of the unit, where its sleep / wake button or headphone jack is. It's a relatively minor aesthetic nitpick, we know, but Apple obviously holds its hardware design in the highest regard, and to us the antenna seems uncharacteristically out of place for an iPod product too pristine to even have hardware volume controls.

Then there's the matter of the display. Ours happened to be one of the "small number" of touch units with the faulty screens. It's difficult to capture in a photograph or even explain in text (so far the best shots we've seen came from Apple-Touch), but the result is dark shades -- especially black tones -- look almost inverted. At very least it's distracting, and at worst it makes some darker video almost unwatchable. We hope Apple gets these units fixed on the double, because for us this janky screen teeters on the edge of a return-your-unit-forever dealbreaker.

And then, finally, there's the shiny chrome back side, which is just as easy as ever to keep pristine and unmarred, provided you store your iPod in a vacuum or cover it in armor. We still don't get this. Yes, people like shiny gadgets, but the glee of that first five seconds of ooh pretty hardly outweighs the lifetime of fingerprints and scratches that the iPod's rear mirror finish accumulates. We thought Apple had learned its lesson when it gave the iPhone a matte aluminum back side. Guess not. We can't be alone in thinking chrome doesn't patina like an old pair of jeans. To us it just seems to look worse with time.

Wrap-up
It's hard to argue that there isn't beauty in simplicity, especially when it comes to consumer electronics. But there's such thing as too simple -- and sometimes too simple can turn into crippled. Most of our complaints about the touch have to do with what it lacks -- not in general, but when compared its big brother, the iPhone. Had the iPod touch come out first, the lack of a hardware volume switch, integrated speaker, and all those apps might have been perfectly passable, but now the expectations have been set, and we can't see how taking things away from users can possibly add value. Everyone in this industry is trying to give their customers more, but with the iPod touch Apple gave its customers less in what should have been the best iPhone alternative on the market. This time around, in Apple's obsession to edit, they managed to leave some of the best stuff on the cutting room floor.

The new Ipod Nano...Inroducing!!! Video!!

Pros: A massive upgrade to Apple’s smallest-screened media player, adding very good video- and game-playing capabilities to the previously music- and photo-only, popular iPod nano. Achieves better than promised battery performance, as well as nearly equivalent video and audio performance to the iPod classic, making better use of its smaller components. Though shape is different, and screen is bigger and more detailed, volume is not dramatically increased over prior nanos. Available in five colors and two storage capacities at very reasonable prices.

Cons: Screen and flash memory sizes aren’t ideal for video. Prior iPod Games, and iPod video accessories, are generally not compatible with this model. Mirror-finished rear casing returns, ready to scratch and smudge.

Three weeks before publication of this review, the world was absolutely convinced that Apple’s third-generation iPod nano ($149/4GB, $199/8GB) would be a massive failure. Leaked shots of the device revealed that it would give up its flattened tube-like shape for a nearly square enclosure with bizarre screen and Click Wheel proportions, and its rounded edges looked more like a cheap Chinese calculator design than something the world would expect from Apple’s vaunted industrial design team. Similarly, early estimates of the nano’s size suggested that it would be nearly equivalent to a Hobbit-like 5G iPod, only thinner.

Everyone was wrong. And, as was the case with the iPod mini and the past two iPod nanos, Apple got it right. With a 2-inch, 320x240-pixel display and twice as much storage as last year’s $149 and $199 iPod nanos, the third-generation model might not photograph well, but it is shockingly excellent when you see it in person—precisely the right combination of features for Apple’s asking prices. Even we’re surprised that it’s the first iPod since 2005 to earn our flat A rating

What’s the new nano’s appeal? It does virtually everything Apple’s new iPod classic does—and thanks to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, a little more—in a much smaller package, with your choice of five body colors. For the first time in nano history, it plays both videos and games, using the same files that work on the iPod classic. And it remains a strong audio player, if not quite the equivalent on quality of the larger, more expensive iPod classic. Though you sacrifice storage space and a bit of battery life, what you get is a truly awesome “take it anywhere, do anything” iPod, at an entry price that can’t be beat. Whether you’re looking for a gift, a second iPod, or just something to tide you over while you wait for the right new big-screened iPod to arrive, the new nano is likely to be your best possible purchase today.

Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV412!!

Toshiba's Qosmio line is known for high-end home theater features and high prices, and like the flagship 17-inch Qosmio G45, the 15-inch Qosmio F45-AV412 offers a wealth of multimedia extras, from an HD DVD drive (although not the recordable HD DVD drive found in the G45) to a subwoofer to media control jog wheels. For a desktop replacement, these are useful features, but we question their value on a midsized laptop with a maximum resolution of 1,280x800.

To include an HD DVD drive on the F45 for only $1,499, Toshiba cuts a few corners, including the use of integrated graphics and a slower processor than its 17-inch cousin. The biggest sacrifice is the smaller, 15.4-inch screen, which cannot support HD DVD's full 1,080p resolution. While movies will still look good at 720p, we are less satisfied with that output when we've ponied up for an HD DVD drive. The audience for 15-inch home theater laptops is still something of a mystery to us, but aside from the screen-resolution issue, you can't debate the fit and finish of the white, glossy Qosmio F45. It certainly stands out from the crowd and looks and feels like a much more expensive machine. In fact, aside from our issues with the choice of optical drive, screen resolution, and video-output options, there's plenty to like about this impressive system.


Price as reviewed / Starting price $1,499
Processor 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100
Memory 2GB, 667MHz DDR2
Hard drive 250GB, 4,200rpm
Chipset Intel GM965
Graphics Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate
Dimensions (WDH) 14.9 x 11.1 x 1.9 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 15.4 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter [pounds] 6.7/7.8 pounds
Category Mainstream


The Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV412 has a stark two-tone look, with a black lid offset against a white interior. As on the larger G45, the system has a glossy plastic finish--we generally prefer the matte look as glossy-coated cases can be seriously fingerprint-prone. A huge silver Qosmio logo sits on the back of the lid, so this isn't a laptop for those who would rather not broadcast their brand preference to nearby onlookers.

Like the Alienware m9750 and the Qosmio G45 (both larger desktop replacements), the F45 moves the optical drive bay to the front, making it easier to access--unless, like us, you had the system sitting on a laptop stand with rubber feet that partially block the front panel.

We were disappointed to see that the F45 ditches the G45's touch-sensitive media control buttons in favor of plain old click buttons. It retains the larger model's silver volume jog wheel to the left of the keyboard and an AV control wheel to the right. The controls are fun to use, but we found the blue backlighting annoying, until we figured out which button turns it off (it's on the row of buttons above the keyboard).

While Toshiba includes an HD DVD drive at a reasonable price, we agree with the common assessment that the HD DVD/Blu-ray format wars are far from over, and can't think of too many reasons why you'd want to tie yourself into just one next-gen format at this point. One high-end extra we do appreciate, however, is the 2.1 audio system, with two speakers on the keyboard tray and a subwoofer underneath. It still won't compare to a desktop audio system, but for a laptop, the sound is thick and rich.

More to the point, the F45's screen is not up to the task of playing back hi-def movies. The 15.4-inch LCD display offers a 1,280x800 native resolution that isn't enough to display the full 1080p resolution of HD DVD discs. We had a similar issue with another 15-inch home theater laptop, the Sony VAIO FZ180 and the HP HDX. On the F45, there's no DVI or HDMI output, either, so you can't output the signal to a big-screen TV (unless it has a VGA input, but that's not an optimal choice).


Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV412 Average for category [mainstream]
Video VGA-out, S-Video VGA-out, S-Video
Audio Stereo speakers w/subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data 4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader 4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader
Expansion ExpressCard PC Card or ExpressCard
Networking modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
Optical drive HD DVD DVD burner


We were pleased to see 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, but the lack of Bluetooth is odd for a mainstream system, and we would have expected at least a DVI output on a laptop with a high-def optical drive. Unfortunately, this is a fixed configuration system, so these are not problems that are easy to solve.

With a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 CPU and 2GB of RAM, the Qosmio G45 is a reasonably powerful performer, on par with Toshiba's recent AMD-powered Satellite A215. Stepping up the CPU a notch to a T7300, as in the Acer Aspire 5920G, yields slightly better results, but in real-world conditions, the performance differences between systems in this range are negligible. We were able to multitask, surfing the Web, playing video files, and working on office documents at the same time, with no slowdown or stuttering, as we'd expect from any dual-core laptop in Intel's T7000-series range.

Despite the lower resolution screen and integrated graphics, the Qosmio G45 ran for a measly 1 hour and 39 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included battery. That's not acceptable for a mainstream laptop that can be expected to do its share of road duty, but bear in mind, however, our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use. We're also much more forgiving with battery life on larger, harder-to-tote 17-inch models, which generally stay put.

Toshiba includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system, which included on-site service. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $249, although Toshiba is currently offering the extended plan as a free upgrade. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and driver downloads.

Sony Ericsson Z710i!!!

We have to admit that we're a little confused by Sony Ericsson's music phone strategy. Beyond the generally excellent Walkman MP3 phones, the company has put out a selection of other music handsets as well. Handsets like the Sony Ericsson Z710i aren't branded as official Walkman models, but they have just about the same music feature set nonetheless. So, like we said, it's just a bit confusing. Regardless, the Z710i accomplishes what it sets out to do. It's a quality phone and music player and the Sony Ericsson seems to have corrected design issues that plagued its phones in the past.

Design
Except for a color change, the Z710i is strikingly similar to the Sony Ericsson W710i Walkman. It has the same flip phone design with the looped antenna on the top of the rear flap. Like its predecessor, it's a tad boxy (3.4 by 1.9 by 1.0 inches). But it's a pleasant shape on the whole and it has a comfortable and solid (3.6 ounces) feel in the hand. The dark-gray color scheme is attractive, and it also comes in a lighter "metallic sand" version as well.

Compared with the W710i, the Z710i's exterior features are both improved and somewhat disappointing at the same time. We'll start with the bad news first. We dinged the W710i for its bland external display and we're going to have to do the same with the Z710i. Like its predecessor, the display is very large (1.5 inches) but the monochrome resolution means it doesn't support photo caller ID. It also won't act as a viewfinder for self-portraits, but Sony Ericsson redeemed itself this time around by adding a self-portrait mirror to the camera lens just above (there's still no flash though). You can change the backlighting time, and though the brightness isn't customizable the display remains visible in direct light.

On the upside, the display is great for using the music player with the phone closed. Since there's so much room, you can see the name of the song, the artist, and the album, plus the time remaining on the current track. Sony Ericsson also wins points for the music player buttons on the front flap. Though they're smaller than the music controls on the W710i and they lack the same rubberized texture, they're still easy to use. They can be a bit too sensitive, but the handy sliding control on the left spine locks the controls to prevent them being pressed accidentally.

The left spine holds a volume rocker and a dedicated camera button. Both keys are large and tactile, but the camera control is usable only when the phone is open. The Memory Stick Micro slot sits just below, but you're required to remove the battery cover to access it. A single speaker sits on the back of the rear flap. The speaker is in an awkward location, and it's too bad Sony Ericsson didn't include stereo speakers on a music phone.

The Z710's interior shares much in common with the W710i as well. In typical Sony Ericsson style, the display is thoroughly spectacular. It measures two inches diagonally (176x220 pixels) and supports 262,144 colors. Everything from text to photos to graphics shows up beautifully, even in direct light. Sony Ericsson's simple menu system also looks good. Only the brightness and the clock style are customizable, but the text size should be large enough for most users.

Below the display and the sturdy hinge is the well-designed navigation array. A large, tactile four-way toggle with a central OK button is surrounded by two soft keys, dedicated Clear and Back controls, and a shortcut for the Web browser. You can program the toggle to give one-touch access to four functions while another dedicated control opens a secondary menu of user-defined shortcuts. As with other Sony Ericsson handsets, the Z710i lacks Talk and End buttons; instead the soft keys perform those functions. Sony Ericsson is getting better with its keypads and the Z710i shows the company's progress. Though similar to the W710i in design, they don't feel as cheap and aren't as slippery. The raised keys are large and are lit by a bright backlighting. Just below the keypad are the Power button and a dedicated messaging control. Both keys are a bit small, but it's not a huge deal.

Features
The ZZ10's feature set closely follows that of its predecessor. The phone book holds a healthy 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers, e-mail and Web addresses, a job title and company, work and home street addresses, a birth date, and notes. And if you have more than 1,000 friends, the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to a group or pair them with one of 15 polyphonic ringtones. You can assign a photo or video ringtones as well, but keep in mind that they won't show up on the external display.

Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a timer, a world clock, a stopwatch, a calculator, and a voice memo recorder (space is limited by the available memory.) On the high-end side, the Z710i comes with a speakerphone (usable after you make a call), PC syncing, full Bluetooth with a stereo profile, push e-mail, a code memo for storing sensitive information, modem capability, and USB mass storage support.

Though it's not an official Walkman phone, the Z710i has just about the same music player, which is a good thing. Sony Ericsson is no slouch when it comes to music phones and the Z710i shows the company's strengths. It supports a broad range of formats, including MP3, MP4, 3 AAC, and WAV files. Opening the player takes you directly to the main menu, where you can organize music by artist, track name, or playlist. Settings include album/song shuffle and loop, stereo widening, and an equalizer. Unlike other Sony Ericsson music phones, however, the Z710i doesn't offer Sony's Mega Bass.

Switching between the cell phone and the music player is seamless, as music automatically stops when you receive a call. Hang up and press the dedicated music key, and your song picks up from the point you left off. There's an airplane mode that lets you listen to your tunes in flight with the cell phone turned off, and you can minimize the player while using other functions. The interface is a bit utilitarian but we don't need fancy graphics to enjoy our tunes. And for even more music fun, the Z710i features an FM radio with 20 presets.

Our Z710i's internal memory is on the low side--just 18MB--but some alternate versions may have as little as 10MB. And keep in mind that, since it's shared with other applications, your actual storage space may be less. If you're planning to use the music player frequently, we recommend investing in a Memory Stick Micro for extra space; our test phone came with a 64MB card but larger cards are available. Getting music on the phone is relatively easy using the included USB cable and Sony Ericsson Disc2Phone and PC suite software. The Disc2Phone software is unchanged from previous Walkman phones. As such, it's quite spartan, but it's easy to understand

Performance
We tested the quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Sony Ericsson Z710i world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobile service. Call quality was generally good with no voice distortion. The volume level also was admirable and we encountered little static or interference. It's worth noting though that the audio had a slight echoed effect, almost as if the sound was coming from the back of the speaker. It wasn't detrimental to our conversations, but it was noticeable just the same. On their end, callers said they could hear us plainly, though they could tell we were using a cell phone. Also, they complained of some wind noise. Speakerphone calls were decent and less muffled than on other phones. That said, the rear-facing speaker means we had the best experience if we rested the phone upside-down. We also tested the phone with the included wired headset and a Bluetooth headset, and had a satisfactory experience with both.

Music quality was admirable and on par with other Sony Ericsson music phones. As with the W710i we were really hoping for stereo speakers, but you can get stereo sound with the included wired headset. Sound quality was pretty impressive considering the headset comes included with the phone, which is a good thing since Sony Ericsson's proprietary connection prohibits against using a headset of your own. Fortunately, the music player interface wasn't as sluggish as on the W710i and unlike the W810i the Disc2Phone software didn't ask us repeatedly to install a driver. Music transfer time also shows improvement; it took just over a couple of minutes to transfer 40MB of tunes.

The Sony Ericsson Z710i has a rated battery life of 10 hours talk time and 14.5 days of standby time. Our tests revealed a talk time of only 8 hours. According to FCC radiation tests, the Z710i has a digital SAR rating of 1.36 watts per kilogram.

Eliza-Trilogie -2-Harry Potter and the Return of Eliza

Chapter One

The young shall grow old
Whilst the old grow older
And cowards will shrink
as the bold grow bolder
Courage is found in quiet hearts
For who can say where bravery starts?

(-The Legend of Luke, by Brian Jacques)


Peter Pettigrew paced back and forth. The dementor outside his cell ruffled his black robes in annoyance, then drew a rattling breath, sucking the emotions from the prisoner like sucking juice from an apple. Peter shuttered and collapsed.

It had been only two months since he had been put in Azkaban, three horrible months filled with nightmares, screams, and despair. Peter's gray robes were covered with filth, and he was almost unrecognizable. How long had some of the other prisoners been here? Years? Decades? Peter could only guess.

"I never was the brave one," Peter moaned to himself. "Why me?" Images, bits of memory flooded his brain. Sirius... how on earth did he stand this? He was in Azkaban for twelve years...

Sudden light flooded the prison. Peter, having nothing better to do, got up and stood on tiptoe to peak out of the barred window. A new dementor was gliding towards his cell. The other dementors stood, waiting. Peter had watched them enough to know they were facing a superior officer.

The dementor's hissing voice sounded. "Come. We are needed here no longer,"

"What of the prisoner?" the dementor that guarded Peter's cell asked.

"We shall have new prey. Come,"

The other dementors made no objection. One by one, all the dementors in Azkaban filtered out. Peter blinked, suddenly able to think of happier things... comforting thoughts he hadn't been able to remember in weeks.

From the other cells, Peter could see the eyes of other prisoners watching the strange procession, wondering what was happening. Some were mad. Others were merely biding their time.

Time slogged on. In what felt like hours (but could have been minutes), a new figure approached the cells.

The figure was dressed in black robes and moved with a grace and a beauty that made her seem to float. She was young, sixteen or so, and she was the most beautiful girl Peter had ever seen in his life. Her brown, curly hair was arranged cleverly, as to give the girl the look of a super model Amazon princess. The expression on her face was the most exceptional thing about her, despite all her beauty. She looked calm, in control, powerful, and superior.

Peter's eyes narrowed as he picked out her subtle resemblance to Severus, his old school enemy. He's seen this witch before. Her name was Diawna Eliza Snape, and she was second in command to Lord Voldemort, also rumored to be the Dark Lord's granddaughter.

Diawna stopped. Her cool, blue gray eyes flickered from door to door. Then, swiftly and gracefully, she strode to the far side of the prison and flung open the door.

"Ryan Lestrange," She said quietly, although Peter could hear her every word. "And Jaklin Lestrange. Welcome back into the service of Voldemort. Your positions as third and fourth in command awaits you both,"

Again and again, Diawna flung open the doors of the prison, announced to the prisoners that they were free, and let them walk out of Azkaban. Many were bewildered; others grinned broadly. Some just looked confused.

Peter watched as Diawna came closer and closer. Finally, Diawna stopped at his door.

"Wormtail," she hissed, sneering.

Peter flinched. He hated that name. That was the nickname James had given him fifth year. Years later, Voldemort had called him that, to remind him that he was Peter's new master and of his betrayal to James. Peter looked hopefully at Diawna.

Diawna glared coolly at Peter. "I'm not sure whether or not to let you sit here and rot. Your incompetence is astounding, and your stupidity is beyond mentioning, nothing to say of your lack of loyalty and bravery."

Peter shook. Would Diawna just leave him here? To starve in prison? He was the one to bring back Voldemort, after all. Surely that was worth something...

Diawna sighed. "I suppose you'll have to come," she said lazily, and flung open the door.

Peter blinked, grinned, and stepped out of Azkaban. He was free.


* * *


Wyrren Malfoy frowned. "Are you sure of this, James?"

James Potter nodded. "Azkaban has been completely cleared out. They've got an illusion covering it from the outside, so as to keep it a secret a bit longer, but it's deserted."

Wyrren scowled. She was sitting on a chair in the library, Madam Pince making a note to ignore the necromancer and continue on with her care of the books. Lily hovered beside James. Next to both of them was Justin, the ghost of a fifteen year old boy with brilliant red hair.

Lily sighed. "There are times, Wyrren, when I wish there were more necromancers around. I really wish there were more people who could see us,"

Justin shrugged.

Wyrren sighed. "What are you complaining about? I can make you solid any time I want."

"You'll knock yourself out again," James said.

"Oh... I don't think so. I've been practicing, you see. I don't think that spell will pose much of a problem to my health anymore." Wyrren stood up. "I need to see Dumbledore," she announced. "Unless, James, you'd like to do the honors?"

James closed his eyes. Really, Wyrren was stretching her powers much too far. "Fine," he muttered. "Just give me thirty seconds to get in his office,"

Wyrren nodded and started counting. James sped off through the walls and floors.

Twenty seconds later, he was hovering near the floor next to the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore didn't notice him.

Suddenly, James fell to the floor with a clatter. Dumbledore looked up at once and smiled. "James,"

James stood up, tapping his hand against the wood. His flesh was still cold, but in all other terms he was almost alive. "Wyrren's been over doing it again," James muttered.

"Any reason for this unexpected visit?" Dumbledore asked, putting his quill down and smiling.

James nodded. "It's about Azkaban, sir. It's been emptied. All the prisoners are gone,"

Dumbledore's smile vanished. "Are you certain, James?"

James nodded. "They've put up illusions around the outside, but it's empty. No dementors, no prisoners."

Dumbledore stood up. "I see,"

James waited. How long was Wyrren going to make him solid? When she had tried this three months ago, she landed in the hospital wing after only a minute or so.

Dumbledore turned around. "On a lighter note, how is Harry doing?"

James smiled. "Tomorrow's his birthday, sir. Lily and I wanted to take a break from spying, let Justin have a turn at it."

Dumbledore's blue eyes shone. "Ah, yes, I remember Justin. Arthur Weasley's older brother, wasn't he?"

"Yes, sir," James said. His hand was going transparent slowly. Either Wyrren was about to pass out again, or she was slowly releasing her power, the way it ought to be done.

"Goodbye, James. Say hello to Lily for me, when you get the chance," Dumbledore said.

James vanished from his sight. Dumbledore's smile faded. He sat down, frowned, and continued writing his letter.


* * *


The following night was dark and moonless. Harry Potter was sitting at the bay window of his new, humming 'Happy Birthday' to himself as Sirius and Remus sneaked around the kitchen, trying to find one more candle to top the cake.

"We just had to have fifteen candles," Sirius shook his head. "Fifteen. It could have been sixteen, like the little label on the box says, but noooo."

"Oh, stop complaining, Padfoot," Remus whacked Sirius on the head playfully. "Why don't you just transfigure one?"

Sirius blinked. Evidently, the idea had never occurred to him. "I was going to do that," he muttered.

Remus laughed. "Just don't set fire to anything."

"Me? Fire? Never," Sirius said, looking around for a stick to transfigure.

"Padfoot, sorry, but I trust you around fire just about as far as I can throw you," Remus laughed.

"One little incident," Sirius protested, grabbing a stick and looking around for his wand.

"You set fire to Snape's dinner," Remus said. "when he was trying to impress Lily with how cool he was,"

Sirius dropped his wand and shook with laughter. "Oh, do you remember his face?! Oh, that was funny,"

Remus sighed, shook his head, and transfigured the candle for Sirius, who was now trying to stay on his seat, he was laughing so hard. "There. Sixteen, finally,"

"I'll light them," Sirius offered.

"Over my dead body," Remus bent over Harry's birthday cake, which despite Sirius's lack of cooking skills, was looking pretty good. Fluffy, brown, chocolate frosting covered it, with white icing forming the words, 'Happy Birthday, Harry!'

"Ok, is Harry still in the living room?" Sirius craned his neck to look through the hallway once all the candles were lit.

"Ok... done! Ouch, hot hot hot hot..." Remus shook his hand.

"Burn yourself, Moony?" Sirius grinned.

"Ok, let's get this over to the living room. No, we are not setting fire to anything, Padfoot," Remus said.

"How stupid do I look?" Sirius asked grumpily.

"Well, from some of our little... expeditions back at Hogwarts I honestly can't answer that," Remus said. Sirius looked around for something small to throw at him.

Somehow Remus and Sirius managed to bring the cake over to the living room. Harry, who had been listening to them argue for the past ten minutes, turned around and put on the face of astonishment that he'd been practicing.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Sirius grinned.

Harry looked the cake over. "It's in one piece!" he said with fake surprise.

"Which, when you consider Sirius's cooking ability, is trurly a miraculous thing," Remus said. "Think you can blow out all those candles, Harry?"

Harry grinned and blew them out. Sirius served him up a piece, then gave one to himself and Remus.

"How come you got the chocolate flower?" Remus asked Sirius his arms crossed in mock outrage.

"I'm special," Sirius said. "How were your presents, Harry?"

Harry grinned. "They were great, thanks!"

Remus took advantage of Sirius's turned face to reach his fork under Sirius's arm and steel his chocolate flower. Harry started laughing.

"What?" Sirius looked around, then at his ravaged frosting. "Moony..."

Remus quickly stuffed the flower in his mouth and put a 'who, me?' expression on his face.

"You... you two are acting like a bunch of kids," Harry laughed.

"Who, us?" Sirius grinned. "Sorry, I never really grew up,"

"We know, Padfoot, we know," Remus said, patting his arm in a sympathetic manner.

"Ok, seriously though..." Sirius shook his head. "It's getting pretty late..."

Remus glanced at the clock and nodded. "I'd better be getting home... thanks for inviting me Harry, Sirius,"

"It was fun," Sirius said.

Harry nodded. "It was nice to see you again,"

Remus headed for the front door. That was when all the lights went out.

"What...?" Sirius drew out his wand. "Lumos!"

Sirius's wand glowed faintly, then faded into blackness.

"What-" Harry didn't get the chance to finish his sentence.

A brilliant, glowing figure entered the room through the wall. Harry put his arm in front of his eyes to keep himself from being blinded. It was a woman, it looked like, only... it didn't really look human. Her eyes were enormous, her ears were shaped like a bat's ears, and her nose was wrinkled forward, making her look like she had fangs. Her arms were incredibly long and graceful, and she wore robes made of starlight.

"The Watcher," Sirius said in an awed voice.

The figure nodded. "I am indeed the Watcher. So good of you to remember me, Sirius Black," Her voice echoed and reechoed and sounded mystical and far away.

Harry frowned. He was sure he had heard of the Watcher somewhere... he couldn't really remember where...

"What are you doing back?" Remus asked.

"I come to offer Harry my services. If you remember, Remus Lupin, I am still in dept." The Watcher turned towards Harry. "Harry James Potter. I am called the Watcher. Your father, James, did me a great service before he died. I am bound to repay him, however I can,"

"Great service, my foot. James saved her skin," Sirius muttered. "Harry, this is the most powerful magical creature in existence. Voldemort himself doesn't have one tenth of her power,"

The Watcher, whatever she was, stayed silent.

Harry turned back towards her. "You're offering me a wish? Like in Aladin?"

Sirius looked confused. The Watcher, however, nodded. "One wish,"

Harry frowned. "Exactly how powerful are you?"

"Power," the Watcher repeated the word. "I can control the strings of time. I can do almost anything,"

Harry bit his lip. What did he want, more then anything else in the world? The deepest desire of his heart... his mind flew to the mirror of Erised. Of course.

"Can you bring the dead back to life?" Harry asked. It sounded like a challenge.

The Watcher's light dimmed a little. She hung her head. "There is only one in the world who has the ability to do that. Alas, it is not me."

Harry nodded. Just as well... Sirius had the haunted look about his face whenever James was brought up. Still blaming himself, Harry thought grimly.

"However..." The Watcher paused. "However..."

"However what?" Harry asked.

"There is a way... who do you wish to see?" the Watcher asked. She started glowing brighter.

Harry thought about this for a bit. There were plenty of people he's like to see... his parents, his friend Eliza Diawna Snape, Cedric Diggory, Lee Jordan... "Eliza... Eliza and my parents," Harry said.

The Watcher shook her head. "One or the other, Harry,"

Draco is going to kill me, Harry thought. "My parents, then,"

"If I were to go back in time, just before they died, and bring them forward to the present, then, after a set amount of time, put them back at the same time I took them away..." the Watcher paused. "That might work..."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to keep from shaking. He had a chance... he'd be able to see his parents... but then, they'd be taken away again... was it worth it?

"How long?" he asked. "How long would I have?"

"I'll give you one year," The Watcher paused. "And I'll give them a makeshift memory, so they don't get too shocked at the situation,"

Harry nodded. "Do it,"

Chapter Two


The Watcher hurtled herself back in time, all the while laughing. These humans were so easy... so predictable. It made her work so much easier.

She stopped suddenly. She was standing in a house that was pleasant, clean, and old fashioned, at least, by human standards. Lily, James, and Harry were all asleep, not surprising, because it was roughly three o'clock in the morning.

The sound of a trash bin being knocked over rang out through the open window. James stirred.

"Lily, wake up!" he hissed.

"Hmm? What is it?" Lily blinked. "Is Harry crying again?"

James shook his head. "Someone's coming,"

Lily blinked. "Impossible... the fidielus charm..."

James rose out of bed. "I'm going to check it out," he whispered, grabbing his robes and dressing quickly.

Lily nodded and yawned.

James prowled down the stairs, his hand clutching his wand tightly.

The front door had twenty five warding charms on it. Most of them would take an ordinary wizard an hour a piece to figure them out.

James muttered something to his wand, scanning the door. He jumped back in surprise. There were only two warding charms left. Only one wizard in the world would have been able to get by them so quickly...

James whirled around and dashed to the stairs. "Lily! It's him! Run! Take Harry and go! I'll hold him off!" James turned around. The door flung off its hinges, smashing the coffee tables and chairs. The walls seem to buckle with the mere power of the spell.

Lily gasped and burst into Harry's room, grabbing the infant, then, sobbing, she sprinted towards the family room fireplace.

The Watcher edged in closer. She had to take Lily and James at the same time... just before James died...

A slog of glowing green smoke followed a tall robed man into the house. The figure flung of his hood, and his red eyes gleamed hungrily.

James's face turned white as a ghost. "Voldemort..." he whispered.

Lily, in the next room, lit a fire with her wand in the hearth.

Voldemort nodded, a small smile playing on his face. He drew out his wand. "Any last words, James?"

"Expelliarmus!" James shot the spell out like a crack of a whip. Voldemort blocked it.

"Not a good move, Potter," Voldemort said.

"Stupify!"

Lily looked around blindly for the floo powder.

Voldemort blocked this one as well. The spell ricocheted and knocked a huge hole in the wall.

"Crucio!" Voldemort roared.

James dodged to the side.

Lily found the jar, grabbed some of the powder, and threw it into the fire. She turned to grab Harry. Harry had crawled away.

Voldemort had caught James off balance. He grinned and pointed his wand at James. "Avada Kedavra!"

The jet of green light shot at James. James barely had time to whisper the word, "No..."


* * *


James opened his eyes. He was lying on a tile floor, face down. Beside him he could hear Lily.

"James..." Lily was panting. "James, where are we?"

James got shakily to his feet, then helped Lily up. "I don't know Lily... The Watcher!"

"Oh, no, not again..." Lily covered her eyes.

The Watcher just looked at them. James blinked furiously. "Come to try to repay your debt again?" he asked.

"My debt has been paid for, James," The Watcher said in her usual wavery, mystical voice.

James frowned. "What do you mean-"

The Watcher put one hand on James's head, the other on Lily's. James rocked back in shock. It was almost fifteen years in the future. Harry had survived the attack. He, James, had been, or will be, killed that Halloween morning. Voldemort had been defeated that night. Harry was now famous. Rough sketches of events that had taken place the past. There were some details, but not many...

The Watcher vanished. James and Lily blinked and looked around the room.

Harry held his breath. Sirius was looking guilty and happy all at once. Remus was grinning broadly.

Lily looked straight at her son. "Harry?"

Harry nodded. His mum looked so sad... James, after staring at Harry for a moment, turned to Sirius and Remus. "Hello, Padfoot, Moony,"

Sirius got to his feet. "Hello, Prongs," he said quietly, tears running down his face. Remus stood up as well.

Suddenly, Sirius threw his arms around James's shoulders and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Prongs, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry?" James let Sirius go. "Sorry for what?"

"The secret keeper... it was my idea to use..." Sirius stared at James.

James smiled grimly. "Yes, that's it," he said sarcastically. "It's your fault Wormtail was a traitor. Honestly, Padfoot! Have you been beating yourself up about this for years?"

Sirius looked away. "Azkaban isn't exactly a cheering place,"

James grew at least five shades paler. "Azkaban... no! You didn't... where's Peter?"

"He put the blame on Sirius," Harry said. "Escaped. My friend Eliza..." Harry choked suddenly. "Eliza caught him just before... before she died... Wormtail's in Azkaban."

James turned back to Sirius. "I suppose I should be the one apologizing to you, Padfoot," he said quietly, then turned to Harry. "So the Watcher gave you a wish?" he asked. Harry thought he heard a trace of a sneer in James's voice.

Harry nodded.

James grew silent. "I never trusted the Watcher enough to wish for anything. The Watcher will do anything to witness a big drama. She's given people abilities they should never have had, broken strings of time, killed people by the thousands."

Harry swallowed nervously. "She... she's killed people?"

James raised one eyebrow. "Well... no, not in the way you're thinking of. She's given motives for people to kill each other. Anything to watch a new story,"

Harry immediately thought of Wyrren, the girl with the gift of necromancy. "Any people I might know she's given special powers?"

James shrugged. "Ever heard of Severus Snape?"

"You don't mean..." Harry opened his mouth with astonishment.

"Snape teaches at Hogwarts, James," Remus said quickly.

"Oh..." James frowned. "Let me guess. He teaches defense against the dark arts?"

"No... potions," Harry said. "The Watcher gave Snape a special ability?" He could probably read minds, Harry thought to himself.

"The Watcher gave a certain talent to his daughters," James said. "You might know them, they're your age. Their names were-"

"Eliza Diawna Snape and Diawna Eliza Snape," Harry said. "What power did the Watcher give them?"

"She made them Parselmouths," James said. "Those two go to school with you?"

"Eliza died... she was a Gryffindor... Diawna's second in command to Voldemort now," Harry said, his mind racing. Eliza had told him that only people who were destined to do great and terrible things were given the ability to talk to snakes, and that she was given that gift because her twin had that power. Had Eliza lied to him...?

"Snape's daughter was a Gryffindor?" James grinned suddenly. "Oh, I'm sure he loved that,"

"Not exactly," Remus said. "I met Eliza about eight months before she died. You couldn't find a nicer girl,"

The group fell into an awkward silence. Finally, James looked towards Harry and said hesitantly, "You don't happen to play quidditch, do you?"

Harry grinned. Now this was more like it...


* * *


Diawna Eliza Snape crossed her arms in discust. Lucius Malfoy bowed slightly to her. Diawna's pet snake, a reddish brown Denpert named Relinquo, hissed softly.

"He is thinking that you are a fool, my Mistress," Relinquo hissed. "He is wondering why he must serve an arrogant, insolent girl for a mistress. He has slight plans of treachery, but nothing serious,"

Diawna did nothing to acknowledge her pet. Relinquo had the gift of being able to read minds, a very, very rare trait of snakes. "You think me arrogant and insolent, Lucius," she sneered.

Lucius Malfoy rose up abruptly. "No, of course not, mistress,"

Diawna laughed. "Fool," she hissed, sounding like a snake herself. "Do not try to deceive me. I can see your thoughts as clearly as if you were screaming them aloud,"

Lucius didn't respond to this. "My apologies, mistress,"

"He's startled, not sorry, Diawna," Relinquo hissed. "He's wondering how on earth you know his thoughts. Now he's screaming at himself to 'shut up or she'll hear you!'"

"I do not accept apologies, Lucius. Now go back with the others," Diawna snapped. "I have a lot of work to do if the plan is to succeed."

"Yes, my mistress,"

Diawna eyed the Death Eater with contempt, then turned her attention back to the other assembled Death Eaters.


* * *

Draco Malfoy wandered from room to room in the castle. He had just recently found a secret passage that led down to an abandoned wing of the school, and he'd been spending his free time exploring it thoroughly.

Draco stopped outside of a door that looked like it had been made of ebony and crystal, with a great brass doorknob. He stared at it for a moment, then flung the door open.

The air inside the room was dusty and warm. On the other side of the room there were four enormous windows, looking like the windows at his manor. Golden sunshine filled the room.

There was only one piece of furniture in the chamber: a tall, grand mirror that went perfectly with the décor of the room. On the top of the mirror was an inscription.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ubeca fru oyt on woshi," Draco read aloud. He frowned. That didn't sound like any spell he had ever learned. He leaned over to examine the mirror. Really, it was the most interesting piece he had seen in days. The design was almost like a work of art.

At last Draco stood up. This was boring... he turned to look at the mirror one last time.

Draco froze, then stepped closer to the mirror, entranced by what he saw, then tore his eyes away, at the ceiling, where the golden letters shone.

"Ishow no tyo urf acebu tyo urhe arts desire," he read the words backwards, then glared at the image in the mirror with sudden loathing. "I show not your face but your heart's desire,"

Draco turned and ran from that room, a small piece of his mind wondering if Eliza was still in that mirror.


* * *


Sirius's house was in the country, far away from the nearest muggle town. Sirius had a small quidditch field where he and James used to practice.

Harry handed James his firebolt. "Just as long as you don't fall off," he teased.

James smirked and started flying hairpin turns in and out of the hoop, upside down, rightside up, backwards upside down. Lily groaned.

"James, you're going to break your neck!" she called, twisting her long, red hair in her fingers.

Sirius laughed. "Yes, come down James, and let Harry show you how to really play quidditch!"

James smirked and dove straight towards the ground, pulling up a moment before he would have crashed. He handed Harry the broomstick. "Your turn,"

Harry grabbed the firebolt and warmed up with a series of loops, then dove backwards through the hoop, followed by a perfect Wrongskie feint.

"I think he's beating you, Prongs," Sirius laughed.

"Harry, watch out! That's too close!" Lily called. "You're going to hit that tree!"

Harry dodged the tree easily. Lily started playing with her hair again, muttering to herself.

Harry landed a minute or so later. "You want a turn, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head. "I think you passed my skill halfway through your warm-ups, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "Mum?"

"Don't you dare get that broomstick near me! That broom is going to be the death of you, I swear..." Lily scowled.

"So, what are you two going to do during the school year?" Sirius asked.

James blinked. "During the school year?" Lily looked uneasy.

"I don't know. Maybe Dumbledore will let us..." James started.

"Dad?" Harry interrupted.

"Hmm?"

"Have you or Mum ever taught defense against the dark arts?"
Chapter Three

Justin flew as fast as he could to the home of Sirius Black. Something was wrong... the spirits of Lily and James hadn't returned to Wyrren at all. Wyrren had cast spell after spell searching for them, although no one, not even her brother, seemed to notice this but Dumbledore. It was as if James had vanished off the face of the earth.

Sirius's house loomed in the distance. Justin slowed down a bit, stopping at last in the living room.

Harry was sitting there, looking happily at something silver glittering in his hand. Beside him sat another boy, tall and red haired, talking animatedly about Quidditch.

That boy looked like Justin's brother... Justin tried to place him, then gave up. He was here to see what had happened to the Potters.

Someone in the hallway chuckled. Justin turned and stared.

There was no mistaking him. James Potter, alive and well, was joking with another man, a huge grin on his face. Beside him was Lily, looking just as solid, laughing alongside them both.

Justin shook his head. Wyrren was not going to be happy about this...


* * *


The dungeons were cold and dark, as always. Severus Snape stared gloomily into a black fire, twisting a wine glass in his hand. He had been rejected for defense against the dark arts teacher once again... Dumbledore said something about someone applying last minute. Severus sneered to himself, sipping his drink thoughtfully. Dumbledore didn't tell him who it would be, perhaps it was that idiot, Black.

Someone rapped lightly on the door. "Come in," Severus called.

Minerva McGonagall opened the door. Severus put on a twisted smile. "What is it, Minerva?"

"The new teachers are going to be arriving shortly," she said.

"About time, too. School starts tomorrow... teachers?" Severus turned and glared at Minerva with his black eyes.

"Teachers," Minerva nodded.

"Perhaps they think there's safety in numbers," Severus mused, draining the rest of his drink.

Minerva smiled a bit. "They're only staying one year,"

Severus laughed dryly. "Now, why aren't I surprised?"

"Also... Albus wants you to escort the Malfoys to Diagon Alley this afternoon,"

Severus turned back to the fire. "I am not Albus' pet. He can escort them himself,"

"Severus..."

"What?" Snape snapped.

"You-know-who... he's after Wyrren," McGonagall said slowly.

"Fine," Severus said sullenly. "I'll escort the brats. Anything else?"

"No, Severus," Minerva sighed and left the room, closing the door briskly behind her.


* * *


"You sure you got everything, Harry?" Sirius asked. "You didn't leave anything?"

"Positive, Sirius. Mum made me pack everything last night, before she left for the school," Harry said.

Sirius nodded and loaded Harry's trunk owl cage (Hedwig was flying), and broom into a nifty little side compartment on the side of his motorcycle, which had been bewitched to fit almost any type of luggage. "Lets go, we're going to be late!"

Harry climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. Sirius grinned suddenly.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not really..."

"Hold on, then," Sirius said. A thin cloud of smoke suddenly surrounded the bike, which hurtled into the sky.

"What did you do?" Harry asked.

"The thing that looks like smoke?" Sirius asked. "It's an invisibility shield. Kind of like a huge invisibility cloak. We'll be at King's Cross in no time,"

"Does Mum know you're going this way?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"What Lily doesn't know won't hurt her," Sirius said after a pause.

Sirius was right about one thing, though. They did arrive much earlier then they would have the normal way. After making sure no one was looking, Sirius cut the cloud of smoke around the bike and unloaded Harry's stuff. In minutes Harry was at platform nine and three quarters.

"Well... see ya Sirius!" Harry said as he boarded the train and found an empty compartment. Sirius waved.

"Harry!" Harry turned. Hermione grinned. "Ron and I were wondering where you'd gone to," she said. "Hang on, let me go get Ron,"

Harry barely had time to nod when Hermione rushed out again, only to reappear minutes later with Ron.

"We can't find Draco," Ron said, looking around as the Hogwarts Express pulled off. "Think he missed the train?"

"No, not exactly," Draco walked into the compartment, sneering. His white blonde hair was longer then it was usually. Wyrren followed right behind her brother, her face as blank and expressionless as ever.

"Oh, hi Draco," Hermione said. "I think I like your hair like that. You look like Wesley from 'The Princess Bride',"

"Who?" Draco asked, running his hand through his hair.

"Nevermind," Hermione muttered. "It's one of those American films my sister brought back with her."

Draco frowned. "Would Wesley be a good looking character or a bad looking character?"

"Good," Hermione blushed.

Draco grinned slyly and sat down next to Ron. After a moment, though, his grin faded. He looked at Harry.

"Wyrren told me your parents have come back from the dead," he said, his sneer back on his face.

Harry nodded.

"Were you able to bring back Eliza?"

Again, Harry nodded.

"But you didn't," Draco finished, looking disgusted.

Harry winced. "I had to chose, one or the other. Eliza was next on my list, Draco,"

"I bet she was," Draco said bitterly.

Harry didn't say anything. A little movie had started playing in his head; Eliza trying to save them from Voldemort, Eliza being the one to get stabbed instead, Eliza lying on the grass, asking to be remembered... Harry looked away suddenly.

There was an uneasy silence for the next minute or so. Wyrren closed her eyes and started a chant.

"Wyrren, what are you doing?" Ron asked. "Nothing dangerous, I hope,"

Wyrren didn't answer. She just kept chanting. Harry glanced around, ready for any strange apparition to become solid.

Nothing happened. Wyrren opened her eyes, frowning a bit. "She's gone,"

"What?"

"The shade at Hogwarts. Your friend Eliza. She's gone." Wyrren said.

Someone knocked on the compartment door. The fat little witch that pulled the food cart smiled. "Anything to eat?"

Harry and Draco jumped up. Ron's ears went red. Wyrren didn't move at all.

It was dark out when the train finally pulled to a halt. Ron only ate one pumpkin pasty, saying that he had enough chocolate frogs to last a life time. Wyrren ate only her sandwich.

"Finally," Hermione muttered. "I can't wait to start my classes again. You going to sit at the Gryffindor table again, Draco?"

Draco shrugged. "That depends whether or not Pansy Parkinson insists on sitting next to me," he shivered.

"I don't blame you," Harry said, standing up. "Let's go,"

It was raining slightly when they got off the train. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Wyrren found an empty carriage to take them up to the school. Wyrren was shivering.

The carriage brought them to the front door of the castle. Draco stood in front of the doors and sighed, then turned around and headed for the lake.

"Where is he going?" Hermione asked.

"Eliza's grave," Harry said at once. "Come on,"

Draco ran his hand though his mildly damp hair when he entered the branches of the weeping willow. The black tombstone looked so lonely and forgotten, although the poem Draco had written there glowed in white letters, illuminating a single red rose.

Draco sat down slowly and closed his eyes. He could just hear Eliza now... her last request... she wanted to be remembered... Draco put his hands over his face. To think he had come so close to getting her back...

"Draco?"

"Go away, Hermione. Please... just... just go," Draco muttered.

"I'm not Hermione, Draco,"

Draco's eyes widened a bit. He remembered that voice... the slight American accent... he turned around.

"Lumos," he muttered.

A girl was standing there, with thick, curly brown hair pulled back into a bun, which it was struggling to liberate itself from. She had blue gray eyes, and she was very, very pretty.

"Eliza?" Draco gasped. How on earth...?

Eliza nodded, starting to smile.

"Draco, look, I'm sorry for..." Harry stopped dead.

"Hello Harry. Ron, Hermione." Eliza looked at Wyrren. "So glad to see you've survived the summer, Wyrren. You didn't knock yourself out again, or anything like that, did you?"

Wyrren stared at Eliza. "I survived," she said quietly. "The rest is unimportant,"

Eliza rolled her eyes, then turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "What do you say we go up to the castle and watch the sorting?" she asked, then chuckled. "Severus is not going to like this,"

Harry glanced at Wyrren, then turned to Draco and said in a low voice, "What exactly has your sister been doing over the summer?"


* * *


Severus stared at the six figures coming into the great hall, then strode down from the staff table to meet them.

Harry winced. Snape looked furious. James, noticing this, got up quickly as well and ran over, arriving just before Severus.

Snape shot James a look of pure venom before turning to his daughter. "Eliza..." he hissed.

"What?" Eliza stared at him. "What do you want?"

"I thought Eliza died," James frowned.

"I did," Eliza sighed. "I thought you died as well, Mr. Potter,"

Severus glared at her for a moment. "You're suppose to be dead and buried, Eliza. Stay dead next time!"

Eliza took a step back. "You... you want me dead?"

"Severus," James growled.

Severus sneered at James. "You deal with your son. I'll deal with my daughter, James,"

Hermione bit her lip. Eliza leaned over to her. "Save me a seat. I'll join you as soon as I can,"

Hermione nodded and motioned to Harry, Ron, and Draco to follow her. Wyrren had already taken her seat.

Draco didn't move. After a moment, Hermione shrugged and sat down.

Severus turned back to Eliza. "Get out of my sight, you," he spat.

Eliza grabbed hold of Draco's robes to keep him from launching himself at Snape.

James stared at Severus in disgust. "Fine father you are," he said. Severus turned and walked back to the teacher's table.

"I'm sorry, Eliza," James said before turning back to sit at the opposite end of the table at Severus. That didn't prevent James from giving Severus dirty looks every now and then, though.

"Come on, Draco, it's time for the sorting," Eliza said in a dull sort of voice. Draco put his arm around her shoulder and sat down beside her at the Gryffindor table.

Chapter Four

By the next day at breakfast, rumors on Eliza's return were flying everywhere. Almost as common were the rumors about the new defense against the dark arts teachers. A few people thought that James, Lily, and Eliza had never really died in the first place. Others were throwing suspicious looks at Wyrren the necromancer. Some just shrugged off the mystery of Eliza's reappearance and said that James was probably some long lost older brother of Harry's. Harry couldn't really blame them for this, though. James and Lily both looked around twenty years old. Harry and Hermione chose not to participate in those rumors. Ron was a different story, and kept glancing down the table where Wyrren was sitting by herself, eating mechanicly. Draco, who very rarely left Eliza's side, was again sitting at the Gryffindor table.

"I love breakfast," Eliza said happily, ignoring the strange look Seamus was giving her. "Pass the sausage, will you, Harry?"

Harry grinned and handed the plate of meat over. "You sure you don't want any pancakes?"

Eliza shook her head. "I'm in a 'sausage and egg' mood right now," Eliza smiled as she took a bite of steaming sausage, a dreamy look on her face.

"Eliza!" Hermione handed her slip of paper to her friend. "Schedules," she said in way of explanation. "I got yours from the Slytherin table, Draco," Hermione added.

"Thanks," Draco took his schedule and ran his finger down the list of classes. "Um... Hermione...?"

Harry noticed it too. "We don't have double potions with the Slytherins anymore,"

"What?!" Eliza grabbed her timetable. "You're right," she groaned in disappointment.

"What are you complaining about?" Ron asked. "I hate potions, and the Slytherins, no offence, Draco, make the class ten times worse."

Draco sneered.

"I said no offence! Would you be taking classes with Pansy Parkinson if you had a choice?" Ron asked.

Draco hmphed and turned back to his list. "We've got double defense against the dark arts together," he remarked. "And we're still sharing care of magical creatures,"

Eliza blinked. "That ought to be interesting... has anyone seen Slyther, by the way?"

Draco frowned. "I haven't seen Slyther lately, no. Maybe he's still down in the chamber of secrets,"

Eliza shrugged. "Maybe,"

Hermione looked over her list of classes. "First class tomorrow is defense against the dark arts!" she said happily. "We've got charms at nine, this morning, that's in about twenty minutes, and then potions..."

Eliza groaned. "Fine... just what I need first day of school: potions! And, not only that, we get Severus all to ourselves. Oh, won't this be fun?"

"Sarcasm does not become you, Eliza," Harry said.

"By the way, just out of curiosity, but why do you call him Severus?" Ron asked, helping himself to more eggs.

"I thought I already told you that," Eliza sighed. "What else am I going to call him? Snape? That's my name. Dad? No way, José,"

"José?" Draco looked confused. "Who's José?"

"Oh, never mind," Eliza said. "Lets go. We've got charms pretty soon, and I want to get started early,"

"Classic Eliza saying. One moment you're sleeping in, the next, a perfect picture of punctuality," Hermione shook her head. "See you at lunch, Draco."

"Sure. I ought to get over to transfiguration anyway," Draco stood up and grabbed his bag.


* * *


That night, Harry almost collapsed into his bed. He had learned that he preferred potions class with the Slytherins. At least then Snape didn't give them impossibly hard work to do. Then there was Quidditch practice... Harry scowled. He had been voted team captain, and the work that was building up was incredibly hard... there were four positions that haven't been filled in yet, and Ron had been trying to pressure him into letting him on the team.

Actually, the player he really had his eye on was Wyrren. He'd seen her skill with a broomstick, and frankly it was amazing. Wyrren, however, wanted nothing to do with quidditch and stuck to her studies.

Harry curled underneath the covers and fell into an uneasy sleep...


He was searching the forbidden forest for... for someone. Perhaps it was Hermione, or his mum... he entered a moonlit clearing.

Eliza was sitting there, on a fallen log, her face in her hands. Harry walked up to her. "Eliza?"

Eliza turned into Snape and smiled wickedly. "I'm not Eliza," he hissed. Then he started laughing, a high cold, laugh, pointed his wand at Harry, and Harry's parents disappeared in a flash of green light...

Harry woke up. Ron was shaking him, his face pale. "You alright, Harry?"

Harry blinked. Everyone in his room was staring at him strangely. "Fine," he muttered.

"You didn't look fine," Dean said, crossing his arms. "You started glowing and twitching about,"

Neville gave a frightened squeak. "I thought you were dying!"

Harry shook his head, as if to clear away the confusion. "Glowing?"

Dean, Seamus, Neville, and Ron all nodded.

"But... but it was just a nightmare!" Harry protested. "How could I be glowing?"

No one wanted to answer him. Harry closed his eyes. Great. Just great. He could just imagine putting this in a letter to Sirius now... Dear Sirius, I had a nightmare and I started glowing in the dark. Sincerely, Harry.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked again.

"I'm fine, Ron. Really," Harry said. "Go back to sleep,"

Ron didn't look convinced, but he got back into his bed. Harry tried to get to sleep again, all the while aware that the other boys were staring at him.


* * *


"You had another nightmare?!" Hermione almost dropped her fork, and the pancake she had been eating had been temporarily forgotten. "Ron told me your skin was glowing last night!"

Harry put one hand over his face and sighed. "Drop it, Hermione,"

"But, Harry, this is really serious! You should go to Madam Pomfrey, or Professor Dumbledore, or your parents! They'd know what to do!"

"Drop it, Hermione," Eliza snapped. "If Harry doesn't want to say anything to anybody, then you nagging him isn't going to change his mind,"

Hermione opened her mouth, apperently couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again.

Draco sat down next to Eliza as usual. Dean rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. "I hear you've been named team captain," he said to Harry.

Harry nodded. "Now I've just got to find five people for the team. All we have right now is Yolanda for keeper, besides me." Harry sighed.

"You'll catch up," Draco said, helping himself to some toast. "And if you don't, we'll crush you like bugs next match," he smirked.

"Oh, great. Thanks a lot," Harry said, then stiffened. "Eliza... it's Snape, five o'clock," he hissed.

Eliza winced. Harry watched Snape walk straight up to Eliza, wondering if there was going to be another big scene.

Snape didn't say anything, though. He just dropped a bit of folded parchment by her plate and walked away.

"What's it say?" Draco asked.

Eliza picked the note up, unfolded it, and read it. She was shaking as she put it inside her bookbag a moment later. "Nothing, Draco... nothing important, anyway," she said in a rather high pitched voice.

"You are really bad at lying, Eliza," Hermione said. "If you don't want to tell us, then don't!"

"Fine," Eliza reached back into her bag and practically threw the paper on Hermione's plate. "Read away!"

Hermione opened the note, wondering what on earth Snape could've written. The message was extremely short. It read:

I'm so sorry, Eliza. I love you.

Hermione opened her mouth in astonishment, then handed the note back to Eliza. Eliza leaned over and whispered, "He's never said that to me in his life,"

Harry stared at Hermione. "What did it say?"

Hermione swallowed nervously. "Oh... nothing, Harry,"

Harry raised one eyebrow at Hermione. "Alright... do you know what time it is, Hermione?"

"Time to get going," Hermione leapt to her feet. "We have our first defense against the dark arts class pretty soon!"

Draco nodded and stood up, and together, Harry, Ron, Draco, Hermione, and Eliza walked to class.


* * *


Lily Potter bit her lip nervously as Harry's class walked in. The Gryffindors all sat on the right side of the class, and all but one Slytherin sat on the left. Lily frowned a bit, staring at the blonde boy that was sitting beside Snape's daughter. He looked just like Lucius Malfoy... Lily surpressed a shutter and started calling role.

James smiled at her a bit, then turned to the class. "I think we have learned enough to be getting into some of the harder curses then the one's you've learned," he said. Some of the students shifted in their seats. Neville Longbottom bit his lip nervously.

James didn't seem to notice, although Lily looked a bit uneasy.

"Can anyone name any of the curses above the unforgivable curses?"

Hermione's hand shot up. Draco and Eliza raised their hands as well. Harry looked at Eliza suspiciously. She didn't exactly have a clean record with illegal curses... several of the other Slytherins raised their hands as well.

"Miss Yarrow?" James called on Clara, one of Pansy's friends. Eliza gave her a dirty look, which she didn't notice.

"There's the incinderatum curse," she said. Half of the Slytherins put down their hands, including Draco.

James smiled a bit. "Ah, yes... the incinderatum curse... that one isn't practiced much, as it's very hard to control. Very useful in battle, though. It burns the victim... down to a pile of ash. There's another curse above the unforgivables that deal with fire. Does anyone know any of those? Miss Snape?"

Eliza folded her hands. "The infernobolum curse," she said, clearly and distinctly.

"That's the one," James said, a twisted smile on his face. "I only saw that performed once. It's one of the hardest curses to perform. It summons a huge bolt of fire to shoot out. Fortunately, if the firebolt doesn't hit anything after a bit, it starts dying out. Your best defense against this curse is to run as fast as you can the other way, since it's almost impossible to block, and only the greatest wizards can do it. Any others?"

Hermione still had her hand raised. James called on her.

"Avada Kedavra Multica," Hermione muttered.

James blinked and glanced over at his wife. "Lily, you have a bit more experience with this one..."

Lily smiled grimly and strode to the front of the classroom. "Avada Kedavra Multica," she repeated. "Also known as Relinquo, can kill multiple people at once. I believe it was last used around here fifteen years ago or so, when Peter Pettigrew framed Sirius Black," Lily paused, her face hardening. "It killed twelve muggles at once, the street torn apart. Not a nice curse,"

The bell rang suddenly. The Slytherins jumped to their feet. James held up one hand for silence. "For homework, I'd like you all to read chapters one and two, and answer the review questions in those chapters,"

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Eliza filed out of the classroom. "So, Eliza," Ron said casually. "You ever performed any of those curses?"

Eliza glared at Ron. "I never got above Avada Kedavra, thanks,"

Draco crossed his arms and gave Ron a 'if looks could kill' expression. Ron quickly changed the topic. "So, what has Wyrren been doing lately?"

Harry shrugged. "She's been studying as if she has no life, pretty much."

Eliza snorted. "As if she has no life... funny," she started playing with her hair, which was again falling out of it's bun. "Not a thing you're supposed to say to a necromancer,"

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Is there something you're not telling us, Eliza?" he asked.

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Such as?"

"How about how you've managed to come back from the dead?" Ron asked.

"Oh... that," Eliza shrugged. "Something to do with that pendant, I think. Maybe Wyrren had something to do with it. I don't know,"

Ron frowned, and leaned close to Harry. "Why do I get the feeling Eliza isn't telling us everything?"


* * *


Justin crossed his arms in defiance. "I don't care what you say, Wyrren, that boy that looks like Arthur... what's his name? I forgot... anyway, he likes you,"

Wyrren allowed a faint smile to cross her face. "I'm a second year, Justin."

Justin sighed. "Fine. Don't believe me. It's just that I've been watching him, and he keeps looking over at you. You are rather pretty..."

"Justin, he thinks I raised Eliza from the dead," Wyrren chuckled a little. "Besides, last week you were telling me that Denis Creevey had his eye on me,"

"He did," Justin said darkly. "You know he did,"

Wyrren laughed. "And before that you were saying that one of the third years wanted to ask me to a dance,"

"He did! I know he did! He just didn't work up his nerve, that's all," Justin sighed.

Wyrren shook her head a bit. "Now that we have announced the crush of the week, perhaps we can now get into more important matters,"

"Such as?" Justin crossed his arms once more.

"My studies," Wyrren said, opening her book on necromancy. "I want to be an animagus by the end of this year, minimum,"

"Good luck," Justin said dryly.

"The book I need is in the restricted section," Wyrren went on. "There is a spell guarding it that needs to be analyzed and broken,"

"So?"

Wyrren raised an eyebrow at Justin. "I believe you were the one who stole seventeen books from that section third year, Justin,"

Justin shrugged. "What do you think I can do now? I'm dead!"

Wyrren's blue eyes sparkled. "That can be changed, Justin. Temporarily, at least, but that can be changed."


Chapter Five

"Harry, do you know what's wrong with my dad?" Eliza crossed her arms as she put down her pencil. "I mean, half the time, he's acting like he wants to bite my head off, the rest of the time, he's trying to be nice in a Severus-ish sort of a way. Ever since school started he's been like that. That's almost five weeks now!"

Harry shrugged. "He's just had my mum and dad appear out of no where. What do you think?"

Eliza stifled a giggle. "You know what you said about the Watcher?"

Harry nodded. "What about the Watcher?"

"Well, she took your parents out of a time when they were alive. Is that going to change time?" Eliza asked.

"I thought I already explained this to you," Harry said. Eliza raised one eyebrow.

"Ok... fine. No, it won't upset time, because the Watcher took my mum and dad out of time just before they died. Next year, on my birthday, they'll go back and die." Harry wrinkled his nose. "Some birthday present,"

"Oh," Eliza said. "I didn't really understand that..."

Harry shrugged and turned his attention to the common room fire.

At that point Ron and Hermione walked into the common room, Hermione looking very guilty about something and Ron scowling.

"What's up?" Eliza asked.

"Draco wanted to come talk to you," Ron muttered.

"Oh," Eliza stood up. "Where is he?"

"Right behind me," Hermione whispered. "He filched his father's invisibility cloak during vacation,"

Eliza started laughing, then walked to a deserted corner of the common room. "So, Draco,"

"Shh! Not so loud," Draco whispered. "I keep feeling like someone should be spotting me any moment now,"

"How'd you get Ron and Hermione to get you in here?" Eliza asked.

"Well..." Draco smirked, even though Eliza couldn't see him. "I told them that I could just wait by the portrait hole and wait to hear the password, then come in. Hermione puffed up, but she let me follow her, on the condition that I don't try this again,"

"You are going to try this again, though, aren't you?" Eliza raised her eyebrows.

"Of course," Draco's voice held a smug grin. "You don't think I'd let a perfect opportunity like this go to waste, do you?"

Eliza smiled. "Of course, Draco, of course. So, what have you been painting now?"

"Umm... I haven't been doing anything big..." Draco said.

"You're lying," Eliza shook her head and started playing with her bun again.

"Ok, I'm starting on a big, secret project," Draco whispered. "Just don't tell Ron, Hermione, and especially Harry," he paused. "Don't tell anyone, for that matter. I want to keep it a surprise,"

Eliza nodded. "You want to meet me somewhere? I can borrow Harry's cloak,"

"What?"

"Harry has an invisibility cloak, too," Eliza explained.

"He never told me about that," Draco said, rather sullenly.

"Harry almost didn't tell me about it. I'll meet you on top of the astrology tower tomorrow night,"

"I'll be there,"


* * *


Severus Snape shivered. He was standing in his bedroom, a small stone room connected to his office in the dungeons. It was freezing in that room. Severus sighed. Usually the cold didn't bother him, but lately... he snatched his wand off of the bed stand and lit a fire with great, leaping black flames. It didn't seem to make anything warmer. Snape shivered again, sitting down on his bed.

Lily... Snape closed his eyes. He'd been able to think of nothing else for the past month... Lily looked exactly the same as she had fifteen years ago, young, in her early twenties, with lovely red hair and glimmering green eyes... Snape stared into the fire. Stupid James. Stupid Lily. Stupid Eliza...

Stupid him... he had Eliza, the girl who once meant everything in the world to him, right under his nose and he wasn't doing anything about it but making waspish comments. Severus got up and left the cold room. At least upstairs wouldn't be so cold...

At the top of the stairs out of the dungeons, Severus nearly ran into Lily. Lily jumped backwards. "Oh, sorry, Severus. I didn't see you,"

Snape winced. He'd been trying to avoid Lily since she had arrived at Hogwarts... Lily smiled an apology, and went back to staring at the picture on the wall. Miranda laughed and tossed her black hair. "What, never seen a mural before?"

Severus frowned a bit. Lily didn't take any more notice of him. Typical.

"Oh, no, I was just wondering when this was put up," Lily smiled at Miranda. Miranda grinned mischievously. "I've never seen you before,"

"Last year," Miranda explained. "A student painted me and set me up. Really, he was a very good artist... I don't see him much anymore... I'm Miranda, by the way,"

"Miranda..." Lily glanced back at Snape. "Is there something you want, Severus?"

Snape swallowed nervously. "Lily... do you remember that rose someone sent you sixth year for valentines day?"

Lily smiled a bit. "You never did tell me it was you who sent it. Never worked up the courage, did you? You stopped talking to me seventh year, when I started going out with James,"

"You knew?" Severus asked.

Lily turned back to the portrait. "I always knew," she said quietly.

Severus nodded and started walking away.

"Severus?"

Snape turned. "What?"

"What do you think of the name 'Miranda'?" Lily asked. "I thought it was a rather pretty name,"

Snape shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lily,"

Lily nodded and turned. James was siting on the bottom step of the staircase near Draco's portrait. His hair seemed to be especially messy. Lily smiled at him.

"I see what you mean," James said, standing. "Snape is rather nice to you, isn't he?"

Lily kissed him. "Always has been,"

James nodded. "Is there something you aren't telling me, Lily?"

Lily smiled and nodded. James looked at the portrait. Miranda seemed to be trying to figure out whether or not he was a trouble maker. James gave her a prankish grin. Miranda seemed to light up with joy. "I rather like the name Miranda," he said softly.


* * *


"Mr. Malfoy, will you pay attention!" Lily waved her arms in the air around the classroom in exasperation. Eliza started giggling.

Draco quickly hid his sketches under the table. Lily took out her wand and pointed it at the table. "Accio drawing!"

Draco's picture flew out from his hands. James hid a smile as he snatched them out of mid air and looked at them. "Not bad... not bad at all..."

"James!" Lily snapped and grabbed the parchment. "As much as I envy your artistic ability, Mr. Malfoy, please humor me and draw after class!"

The Slytherins, Pansy Parkinson in particular, all started snickering at Draco, who winced and hid his face. Eliza leaned over and whispered something to him, which seemed to cheer Draco up considerably.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention back on the lesson, where Lily was demonstrating the effects of song charms and teaching the class how to defend themselves when they don't have a way to disarm their opponent. Draco, who had listened to Wyrren sing enough to know the lesson, was very, very bored. Why did Eliza always sit in the front of the room, just where the professor could see her? Why?

Draco stayed silent the rest of the class, and left as soon as the bell rang. Eliza followed him.
Hermione leaned over to Harry. "Wait a minute. I want to get something,"

Harry shrugged. Ron blinked but didn't say anything. Hermione came back a moment later.

"What did you get?" Ron asked.

"That picture Draco was drawing," Hermione studied it as she walked out of the classroom.
Draco had been sketching Lily and James standing in the front of the room. Every detail was picture perfect... except...

Hermione stuck her head back in the room. Lily was sitting on one of the desks, laughing.
"Harry..." Hermione grabbed Harry's arms and shoved the picture at him. "Look!"

"What's wrong?" Draco and Eliza were waiting for them.

"Harry, your mum is going to have a baby!"

Harry opened his mouth in astonishment. Ron and Eliza looked dumbstruck.

Draco frowned and waved his hand in a so-so gesture. "I dunno... you sure she isn't just getting chunky?"

Hermione took a half hearted swing at Draco, who ducked.

"What?! I'm just asking!" he protested.

"Not funny, Draco," Hermione snapped.

Eliza burst out laughing. Harry, who had been looking as though his brain was petrified, suddenly broke into a wide grin and laughed along with Eliza and Draco.

Chapter Six

Told by Draco Malfoy

It was nearly midnight when I lifted my father's cloak over my head. Father was going to kill me, I just knew it. Somehow I didn't really care anymore. Goyle grunted in his sleep as I stepped on someone's bag. I tried to move more quietly.

Five minutes after midnight I was at the astrology tower. Eliza was sitting there, waiting for me. I removed the cloak and sat down next to her. "Where is Harry's cloak?"

Eliza sighed. "Harry was dead set against me using it,"

I sneered. Eliza didn't seem to notice. She was staring up into the sky.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, following her gaze.

Eliza grinned a bit. "Look! It's Draco!"

I rolled my eyes. All right, it was true; I was named after a constellation. Sue me. "Look! It's Gemini!"

Eliza gave me a dirty look. I couldn't blame her. Gemini, besides being Eliza's sign, also meant 'the twins'. "Oh, very funny, Draco."

"Hermione already said that," I muttered. Eliza shivered. I couldn't really blame her, it was a cold night. "You want to use my cloak?" I asked.

Eliza shook her head. "Now I wish I had brought my regular cloak. Stupid me,"

Ok, I can take a hint. I'm not exactly stupid. Eliza wanted me to put my arm around her shoulder. For some strange reason a little voice in my head was screaming at me 'don't do it!'.

Forget you. I put my arm around Eliza's shoulder. Eliza smiled a little and leaned on me. She was really very pretty...

"So, you still won't show me what you've been painting?" Eliza asked.

I shook my head. As Eliza would say, no way José. "Nope. Sorry, Eliza,"

Eliza sighed and ran her fingers through my hair. "I always loved your hair," she muttered. "It's so pale... it matches the moonlight,"

Score! I felt like jumping up and dancing. I contented myself with a small grin. "Eliza?"

"Hmm?"

I'm a coward, I admit it. Say it, you jerk! I almost screamed at myself. Say it!

"I love you, Eliza," I said it.

"I know," Eliza purred. "I know..."

I waited. Well?

Eliza took a deep breath, put one arm around my neck, and kissed me. And it wasn't on the cheek.

Yes! Victory! I felt like dancing like a lunatic. I felt like jumping up and down on top of Mrs. Norris! I felt like...

"I love you too, Draco,"

Ok, I lied. NOW I wanted to go jump up and down on Mrs. Norris and shout out my name for the entire school to hear. Yes! Finally! If life got any better then this, I didn't want to hear about it. I could've died right there and be perfectly content.

"Draco?" Eliza whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Will you sing for me? Please?"

As if that kiss wasn't enough for all the songs in the world. "Which song?"

"I don't care. Something pretty... something I haven't heard before,"

Something pretty that she hadn't head before... I winced inwardly and tried to think of a good song. Something by John Denver, Eliza liked John Denver... Bingo.

"Ever heard of 'Annie's Song'?" I asked.

Eliza shook her head.

I sang. Eliza closed her eyes, a dreamy look on her face.



You fill up my senses
like a night in the forest...
Like the mountains in springtime...
like a walk in the rain.
Like a storm in the desert...
like a sleepy blue ocean.
you fill up my senses...
Come fill me again.

Oh, come let me love you.
Let me give my life to you.
Let me drown in your laughter...
Let me die in your arms...
Let me sit here beside you...
Let me always be with you.
You fill up my senses...
Come fill me again.

-(Annie's Song, by John Denver)



Eliza leaned over and kissed me again, which I rather enjoyed. "That was beautiful..." she muttered. "But it's getting late... Filch might come any moment..."

"I'll walk you to the Gryffindor tower," I offered.

Eliza shook her head. "No... I'll see you tomorrow, Draco,"

Eliza got up and left the tower. I sighed, content, and threw the cloak over my shoulders. When I reached my own bed I took the cloak off, hid it in my bag, and fell back on my bed, expecting to have sweet dreams all night long.

It turned out, I did dream. Unfortunately, those dreams were among the worst nightmares I have ever had in my life.


* * *


Draco's eyes were red and he had a tired, haunted look on his face the next morning when he sat down for breakfast next to Eliza. A few of the Slytherins came by and sneered at him. Draco didn't seem to notice.

"What's wrong, Draco?" Hermione asked. "You look like you haven't slept a wink!"

Draco shook his head. "I just didn't sleep very well," he mumbled. Hermione looked suspicious, but didn't say anything.

Halfway through breakfast, Professor Dumbledore stood up and held one hand up for silence. The chatter in the great hall slowly died down.

"Madam Pince has come to tell me that several of the books in the restricted section have gone missing," Dumbledore announced, his blue eyes suddenly dull. "Several of those books were very valuable and all are especially dangerous. If the student who has taken them returns the books, I will not embarrass them publicly. If they do not, and we find the books, that student shall be expelled."

The people in the halls all looked at each other. Almost all the first years stole glances at Wyrren, who was eating alone, slowly and mechanically, never taking notice of the announcement. Some of the Gryffindors glared suspiciously at Draco, who glared back at them.

Dumbledore wasn't finished speaking, though. "Professor Snape has also told me to inform you that the same goes for a very small, very valuable book that has gone missing from his office,"

Draco frowned. Snape was glaring at him... What on earth did Snape think he wanted with some stupid book out of his office?

"Draco? You didn't happen to be doing anything near Snape's off-" Hermione started saying.

"No, Granger," Draco slouched down in his seat, his face curled into a sneer and his arms crossed. "And I don't see how it would be any of your business even if I was,"

Hermione blinked. "Fine then, Malfoy,"

Eliza rolled her eyes but didn't get involved.


* * *


Potions that day were almost unbelievably awful. Harry winced as Snape passed by them, his head snapping back and forth, trying to find a potion that wasn't absolutely perfect.

"Longbottom!" he snapped. Neville cowered.

Snape ladled up some of Neville's potion, which seemed to be a swimming pool shade of glassy green. It was much thicker then it should have been, and fell back into the cauldron in chunks. Neville winced.

"Stupid idiot," Snape snarled. "You forgot the snake's eyes, didn't you?!"

"I... I... I didn't..." Neville sputtered. Eliza glared at Snape but didn't say anything.

Snape's lip curled into disgust. "Ten points from Gryffindor! Perhaps that will..."

Harry's mouth opened in surprise as Snape toppled over. The entire class seemed petrified. Lavender Brown, who was working next to Neville, jumped back in surprise. No one tried to help the potions master.

"What happened?" Eliza asked.

"Maybe he died," Ron suggested hopefully.

Eliza gave Ron a dirty look. "Fine thing for you," he muttered, then kneeled down at Snape's side. "He's one of the only living relatives I have! Severus?"

Snape didn't answer. The color from his face was fading quickly.

"Harry, help me get him to the hospital wing!" Eliza said, looking around desperately. Harry didn't move. "Harry! Ron! Hermione! Help me!"

Reluctantly, Hermione brought out her wand. "Mobilicorpus!" she said. Snape rose up off the floor.

"Oh..." Eliza blinked. "I forgot about that spell..."

Hermione floated Snape out of the dungeons. Needless to say, the class dismissed themselves, packing up their bags and leaving the dungeons.

Madam Pomfrey was aghast when she saw Snape, now almost colorless, being brought the hospital wing. "What happened?!" she asked, her eyes wide.

"He collapsed during potions," Eliza explained.

"I see," Madam Pomfrey frowned. "It looks almost like..."

"Will he live?" Eliza asked suddenly.

"Well, he's still alive now. Barely, but alive. We'll see," Madam Pomfrey started working franticly. Eliza and Hermione looked at each other, then started for the library.


* * *


James Potter looked around the room at his colleagues. Professor Flitwick had burst into tears when he heard about Snape. Lily looked shocked. Dumbledore seemed unusually grave.

"What's going to happen to Severus?" Lily asked.

"He'll live," Dumbledore answered. "He barely made it, but he'll live,"

"What happened to him?" Minerva asked sharply.

"Poison. Someone poisoned him," Albus answered.

"But... but..." Lily shook her head. "Anyone who could poison Severus can poison any one of us just as easily! Or any of the students, for that matter. There are quite a few of them that people would love to see dead,"

Albus nodded. "Does anyone have any idea who might have done this?"

James shook his head. "No one that I know of... in the school, that is. I hear that the Death Eaters would love to see Severus dead,"

Albus nodded. "Keep your eyes open. And we'll be patrolling the halls again, at night. I want Harry Potter and Wyrren Malfoy to have extra protection,"

"Harry... he comes to see us in our office after school is out almost every night," Lily said. "Would it be too much to ask if..."

Albus smiled a bit. "That would be fine, Lily. What of Wyrren?"

"Wyrren Malfoy is a necromancer," McGonagall said. "As well as a great student and a song charmer. I believe she has more power than some of the teachers," Minerva's eyes strayed to where Professor Trelawnie was staring out of the window, seemingly in a trance. McGonagall turned her attention back on the other teachers quickly.

"Song charmer?" Lily blinked. "How good is she?"

"Not an expert, but exceptionally advanced," Dumbledore stood up. "We ought to go. Dinner,"

The teachers nodded, and one by one, they left the room.
Chapter Seven

"So, Wyrren, what have you been doing lately?" Ron asked casually.

Wyrren lifted her head slowly upwards. She drew aside a strand of her pallid golden hair before fixing Ron with her blue eyes. "What do you wish to know, Ron?" she asked.

"Well, five minutes ago you were in a trance, chanting. What were you doing?" Ron asked.

"Checking for shades," Wyrren answered.

"Were there any?"

"No," Wyrren's tone made it clear the subject was closed. "Not within three hundred miles of here. My range does not go farther then that,"

Ron frowned and wondered if he had the courage to ask the necromancer something that had been bugging him for a while, ever since Eliza's funeral. "Why are you so paranoid about shades?"

Wyrren didn't even look at him. She just turned back to her book. "Do you know what would happen if a shade tried to posses me?"

Ron shook his head.

Wyrren spoke very slowly and delicately, putting a certain amount of emphasis on her words. "Because of my... powers... I am especially vulnerable to the attacks of shades and poltergeists. If... if a shade made even the slightest attempt to posses me... I'd die instantly, and all my powers and knowledge would be at the disposal of the shade. As I have... the potential to become one of the greatest witches in the world, I am a big target, and I can not resist an infestation," Wyrren looked up momentarily to survey the shocked look on Ron's face.

"Oh... um... sorry..."

Wyrren didn't say anything.

Ron sighed. He'd been trying to drag out information about the return of Eliza from the necromancer for weeks now, and so far he was getting zilch. "So, I heard the Watcher say that there was one person in the world who had the power to bring the dead back to life. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

Wyrren looked back at her book. "Perhaps," she muttered.

Ron put one hand over his face. He wasn't getting anywhere.

"Are you saying that you didn't bring Eliza back?" Ron asked innocently.

"Yes,"

Harry looked over at Ron and grinned sympathetically. Ron decided to try to pump Wyrren for information one last time. "Are you sure?"

Wyrren stood up suddenly, slamming her book against the table. She looked as though she was in a very calm and very deadly rage. Her blue eyes seemed to dance with angry fire. Ron, who had never seen the necromancer angry in his life, fell backwards in his chair in panic.

"Look, Weasley," Wyrren hissed. "Yes, I can bring the dead back to life. In fact, there are four ways to do it! Would you like to hear them?"

Ron stumbled backwards. He looked terrified. In fact, the entire common room had gone completely silent.

"The first you've already seen. I can make a ghost or a spirit solid for a small amount of time by turning myself into a ghost. If this is not done properly, I could very easily loose my life."

Ron looked like he wanted to vanish on the spot. Wyrren didn't seem to notice this and went on.

"The second way is a method of the dark arts. I can, at very little risk to my health, animate every corpse for miles around and build myself an army such as the world has never seen! A huge, soulless army, brought back to life for one purpose: to serve me! Think of the power I would have!"

Ron cowered. The necromancer seemed to be getting even angrier.

"Third: if I were to kill myself with the right ceremonies and spells, I can bring a ghost back to life permanently.

"And last, the only, I repeat, the ONLY way to truly recover the dead permanently that I would consider doing: I can revive recent, note the word, RECENT victims of Avada Kedavra, only for the fact that that spell separates the soul from the body and the body is not damaged enough to re-harbor a soul!" Wyrren's teeth were bared and she looked like she was going to murder someone. Everyone in the room shrank back in terror.

Wyrren surveyed the common room and pointed an accusing finger towards the students. "I never, EVER want to hear that question again. If you do, you will find me a very, VERY powerful adversary. Would anyone like me to show you my capabilities to prove it?!"

No one did. After a moment Wyrren's face turned emotionless. "I see," she said quietly, picked up her book, and left the common room.

Ron was white and shaking as he stood up. Harry and Hermione were staring at him, nearly as pale.

"Remind me," Ron said. "Remind me to never again annoy a necromancer,"

"Somehow I don't think you need reminding," Hermione said. "I pity the fool who turns her into an enemy,"


* * *


Told by Wyrren Malfoy


The fools!

I shook my head with frustration. Is it any wonder why I detest the living?! To accuse me of such crimes as of bringing the dead back to life? Why are mortals so idiotic, so incompetent, to have the nerve to ask things of me, ME, Wyrren Malfoy, soon to be the greatest witch in the world?!

"Wyrren, snap out of it, why don't ya?" I turned around. Justin was floating there, looking bored.

"Snap out of what?" I asked him.

Justin yawned. "Your little rage. The poor boy didn't know any better,"

I turned away. "I will not apologize. He deserved what he got,"

Justin shrugged. "Doesn't make any difference to me. I'm just making a suggestion. So, how's the animagus study going? That book help?"

"It is satisfactory," I shrugged. "I think I might be able to transform sometime after Christmas, a little earlier then I had planned,"

Justin shrugged. "You know you might get kicked out of the school for those stolen books?"

I glanced at my bookbag. I had put charms on the books to make them appear as textbooks, not the forbidden books stolen from the restricted section of the library.

"I am not concerned with rules," I said. Justin shrugged.

"Have it your way..."

"I will," I muttered, not taking my eyes off the pages of the book. "I will,"


* * *


"All right, have it your way. Miranda," James leaned back in his chair. "You get to pick the girl's name; I get to pick the boy's... let me think... how does Timothy sound?"

"Mmmm... I dunno..." Lily frowned. "Timothy Potter... keep going,"

"Ok, that one is vetoed. How about Sirius?" James grinned.

"No, we are not naming him, if it is a him, Sirius! I refuse," Lily crossed her arms. "And no suggesting the name 'Remus' either. We are not naming him after one of your trouble making school friends..."

A slight knock on the door interrupted Lily. "Come in,"

Harry opened the door, grinning a bit. "I like the name Sirius," he muttered.

"See!" James threw Lily a triumphant smile, then frowned at Harry. "Hang on, we haven't told you..."

"Hermione noticed," Harry's grin grew even wider.

"Oh..." Lily shook her head. "Sorry for not telling you, but I wasn't really sure..."

Harry shrugged. "So you've got a girl's name picked out?"

Lily nodded. "Miranda,"

Harry started laughing. "Oh, Draco's going to love to hear that... You're naming my sister after a portrait painted by my one time biggest school rival."

"Oh, he painted that? I thought he might've. He was very good at drawing..." James smiled. "Tell Draco I really like his work,"

"Ok, back to boy's names," Lily shook her hair. "Harry, you have any ideas? James is getting desperate,"

Harry blinked in surprise. "Let me think... I have no clue."

James sighed. "How about Daniel?"

Lily shook her head. Harry sat down and tried to think up the most ridiculous names he could think of, feeling perfectly content.


* * *


Severus Snape left the hospital wing a week after he had been poisoned. James, who had been teaching Snape's class (and making potions strangely fun and interesting) went back to teaching Defense against the dark arts. Snape did not try to conceal his disgust on what a 'poor teacher' James was, and Harry's class lost a startling number of points from Gryffindor for telling Snape off.

"Let's face it," Ron said gloomily after potions. "If You-Know-Who doesn't catch up to us first, potions will. Snape was about to bite my head off back there!"

Hermione and Harry nodded. "I can't believe he said that about Professor Potter!" Hermione fumed. "After all your dad did for him..."

"Believe it," Harry said gloomily. "Where's Eliza?"

"I don't know... she was right behind me..." Hermione turned. No Eliza.

"By the way, has anyone seen the marauder's map?" Harry asked. "I was going to use it last night, and it wasn't in my trunk. It's gone,"

"Well, maybe that book thief took it," Ron shrugged. "That map isn't the only thing that's disappeared around here... I mean, has anyone seen Glen or Slyther around?"

"Neptune's gone as well," Hermione mentioned. "Draco told me last week. Well, ok, he told Eliza, but I heard. Weird,"

Harry frowned. "All the snakes have disappeared?"

Ron nodded. "Although you never know. They might have run away because of those eagles or Care of magical creatures. Neptune hated that class,"

Hermione shook her head in confusion and didn't say anything else as they walked down the hall.


* * *


Severus Snape carefully added snake's scales to his potion, which hissed and turned a dull red color. He stirred the potion slowly, then put the wooden spoon away and walked out of his office to let the potion simmer.

Severus didn't stop until he reached the library, where he unlocked the door and strode into the restricted section.

The missing books hadn't been identified, but it was clear as day where they had been taken from. A few were on curses, ranging from the unforgivable curses up to the Relinquo curse. Others were on the undead, specifically addressing dark necromancy and ways to block the power of necromancers. Snape sneered. He could just imagine little Wyrren Malfoy using her... gift... to disarm the guarding spells over these books...

Snape ran one finger over the spines of the other books. What he hadn't told Dumbledore about the book that had been stolen from his office was that it had gone missing during the summer. Most likely Wyrren took it and gave it to her brother. Draco would have wanted that book...

Snape left the library. It was a chilly, moonlit night, so he went small balcony next to the staff room that overlooked the lake. The bright moonlight seemed to make the black water sparkle, and the wind swayed the tops of the trees on the grounds far below. It was so peaceful there... sometimes it seemed that this was the only spot in the school that Severus really liked... he came here often, sometimes just to get away from his problems and the school.

Someone laughed. Severus looked away from the lake to the large balcony some fifty feet down and to the left. Lily was standing there, next to James. They didn't notice him.

Severus's hands clenched into fists as James kissed Lily, who seemed to be enjoying herself thoroughly. "She should have been mine..." Snape muttered bitterly. "She should have been mine..."

Severus closed his eyes. He didn't even notice the small, gray rat behind him until it was too late.


Chapter Eight

James Potter smiled at Lily, his brown eyes sparkling behind his glasses. Lily smiled back, then ran one hand through his messy hair.

"No!"

"James?" Lily looked around wildly.

"That was Snape..." James frowned. A jet of violet light shot from the staff room balcony.

"What on..." Lily drew her wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light flashed down like lightning towards the balcony. James pulled Lily aside a moment before the curse hit her.

"Run, Lily!" James drew out his wand. "Accio Firebolt!"

The balcony was quiet now. Harry's firebolt flew towards James, who mounted it and soared towards the staff room as fast as the broomstick would take him.

Snape was crouched there, shaking. His black eyes were flashing and he looked strangely helpless. "Pettigrew..." he gasped, then collapsed.

James turned Severus over. He had been stabbed in the shoulder, and the wound was bleeding profusely. "Great..." he muttered. "Wormtail!" he hissed, then ran into the castle to get Madam Pomfrey.


* * *


Snape shook his head stubbornly. "I tell, you, there were two people!" he said.

Madam Pomfrey looked enraged that Dumbledore dare disturb Severus's rest. "Really, Albus, can't this come later?"

"No, Poppy, I'm afraid it can not," Dumbledore turned back to Snape. He was in bed, resting on at least four pillows so he could site up. His shoulder was covered in white bandages, and his skin looked especially sallow against all the white. "Would you care to repeat your story, Severus?"

Snape sneered and leaned back onto the pillows. "I was on the staff room balcony, looking out over the grounds, and the next thing I know I hear a popping sound and Pettigrew was standing over me with a knife. Well, I shouted, and the figure beside him, I don't know who it was, his face was masked, told him to 'stop being an idiot', and put the imperius curse on me. He or she, I'm not sure which, then made me shoot at Potter... I mean, James. Well, Lily got away and James summoned up a broomstick, so Pettigrew handed me a knife and the figure ordered me to stab myself,"

"So you did," Dumbledore sighed. "Tell me about this figure. What sort of voice did he have?"

Snape winced. He looked exhausted... "Low voice. Very low. But... it might have been me, but it sounded familiar. It could have been disguised. I didn't see him very well. Too dark out,"

Dumbledore nodded, then got up and left the hospital wing, much to Madam Pomfrey's relief. Eliza was standing outside the door, biting her lip nervously. "Is he all right?" she asked.

Dumbledore nodded. Eliza sighed in relief and walked quietly in the room. Madam Pomfrey must have been in her office.

Snape watched Eliza enter the room, but didn't say anything. Eliza opened her mouth, closed it again, and left the hospital wing.

Severus winced. He wasn't that bad of a father, was he? Well... alright, perhaps he could've tried harder to set things right with Eliza... the Gryffindor... Snape's face hardened and he shifted a bit so he could no longer see the door.


* * *


The weeks that followed that seemed strangely uneventful after that, though. James and Lily had told Harry that his little brother/sister would be arriving sometime after Christmas, Wyrren had been studying as though her life depended on it, Gryffindor was creamed by Slytherin in the last Quidditch match, and Draco was acting very smug about this, even though his team lost to Ravenclaw.

Things started to pick up again around the beginning of December, though.

"Oh, please, Wyrren?" Ron asked.

"Absolutely not," Wyrren answered. Behind Ron, Justin was smirking in triumph.

"But, all the other girls are taken! I need a date for the ball!" Ron protested. "Besides, you're only three years younger then me... it's not that much..."

"Do you wish to make me angry?" Wyrren raised one eyebrow at Ron.

"I told you he liked you!" Justin was now grinning from ear to ear. "I was right! Yes!"

"No..." Ron sighed. "Is there any way you'll go out with me?"

Wyrren sighed. "So far, Ron, I have turned down seventeen invitations to go to the ball. What do you have that the others don't?"

Ron frowned. Then, suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. "I'll play you chess for it. I win, you go out with me. You win, I leave you alone. How about that?"

"Um... Ron..." Harry looked over at his friend, an amused grin on his face. "Wyrren is really good..."

"Is that a challenge, Ron?" Wyrren put her book down.

Ron nodded once.

"Set up the board," Wyrren stood up, a small smile set on her face.

Ron smiled as well and got his set from his bookbag. Wyrren made Justin solid for about a minute so he could retrieve her set. Within two minutes the board had been set.

"Let the games begin," Wyrren said. Ron blinked. The girl was actually smiling broadly. The difference it made was astonishing... like one moment he had been addressing a robot, the next, a lovely, graceful princess. Wyrren's blue eyes sparkled.

Ron grinned a bit and moved his pawn. Harry and Hermione sat down next to him to watch the match.

An hour later the entire common room was waiting to see who the victor would be. Ron frowned. He had found Wyrren Malfoy more competition then he had bargained for.

"Check," he said.

Wyrren moved her bishop.

Ron got his rook out of Wyrren's bishop's range. Wyrren countered by moving her knight. "Check," she said, very softly.

Ron blinked, then smiled suddenly, moving his rook to the left several spaces.

Wyrren's eyes widened. She moved her king.

Too late. "Check-mate!" Ron declared, grinning broadly.

Wyrren laughed. Her voice sounded like music. "That game was worth it," she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Harry and Hermione exchanged shocked expressions. In all the two years they've known Wyrren, they had never once heard her laugh, and she smiled only rarely.

"It looks like you're going to the ball, Wyrren," one of the second years sneered. Wyrren was notoriously unpopular, although the necromancer really could care less about her classmates.

"Yes, it appears I am," Wyrren said, a strange smile on her face. I suppose I will see you then," she added to Ron. "I'll be sure to challenge you again,"

Ron smiled broadly as Wyrren disappeared up the stairs. "I got Wyrren Malfoy... I got Wyrren Malfoy..." he said to himself in a sing-song voice, his idiot grin still plastered on his face.

"Tough game?" Harry asked.

"Hardest I've ever played in my life," Ron said. "But, oh, that was great..."

Hermione snorted. "What did you mean, earlier, when you said there weren't any available girls? There were plenty of fourth years and third years. You didn't need to go for a second year..."

Ron shrugged. "She's only three years younger then me. I asked her a while ago... she's thirteen, I'm sixteen. So?"

"She's not tall enough for you," Hermione shot back.

"Oh, jealous, are we, Hermione?" Ron teased.

"Oh, you shut up," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Besides, Dean already asked me out."

"Dean's taller then I am!" Ron frowned.

"But he's so much better looking..." Hermione grinned. "You got a date, Harry?"

Harry chuckled smugly. "Cho Chang, Ravenclaw seeker,"

"Ah... what about Ginny?" Ron glanced over to the other side of the room, where Ginny was talking to Seamus. "Or maybe not..."

"Looking out for your little sister, are you, Ron?" Hermione laughed. "What do you wand to be that Draco is going with Eliza?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Absolutely nothing,"

"What about me?" Eliza had just entered the common room.

"We were wondering if you were planning on going with Draco for the winter ball," Hermione said.

"As if I would go with anyone else," Eliza sat down.

"So, where were you?" Ron asked. "You must have missed the greatest chess game ever played in this room. I was sweating blood,"

"Library," Eliza answered. "Who were you playing?"

"Wyrren Malfoy," Harry answered. "They made a bet that if Ron beat her, he'd get to take her to the winter ball."

"You win?" Eliza asked, trying to push her brown hair back in place.

Ron nodded happily. "Wyrren Malfoy is mine,"
Chapter Nine

The Winter ball was held the night before winter vacation began. The great hall looked fabulous, with huge icicles hanging from doorways and ceilings, warm, glittering ice covering the floors, and fluffy, falling snow fluttering from the enchanted ceiling. Four Christmas trees had been set up; one for each corner of the room, and each were decorated in different house colors, yellow and black for Hufflepuff, bronze and blue for Ravenclaw, green and silver for Slytherin, and red and gold for Gryffindor.

Wyrren Malfoy paced in front of the mirror. She was wearing sky blue dress robes with a long neck that extended to her shoulders. The color of the dress made her eyes shimmer like jewels. Her golden white hair was tied back in an elegant bun, cleverly twisted by Hermione, and she moved and acted like the royalty she so closely resembled.

Ron was awestruck. He was wearing robes of a very dark brown that went very well with his red hair and brown eyes. Harry, standing beside him in his deep forest green dress robes, kicked Ron in the shins. Ron quickly shut his mouth.

"You... you look great," Ron muttered.

Wyrren nodded, smiling a bit. The other second years around the common room glared at her. Wyrren didn't notice.

Hermione and Eliza followed Wyrren. Hermione, who was looking very pretty in pale lavender robes, smiled as she met Dean at the bottom of the stairs.

Harry looked like he had been struck by lightning as Eliza followed Hermione. Eliza was wearing slightly different robes then the ones she had worn last year. These robes were black and very, very form fitting. They seemed to sparkle and show off every detail of her very, very attractive body.

"Um... Eliza?"

"Hmm?" Eliza glanced at Harry. She looked like a model.

"Um... you look like... um... are you making sure Draco won't leave your side at all tonight? Because if that's what you're going for, it's really going well," Harry frowned.

Eliza smiled slightly, petting the shoulder of her dress. "I like this dress,"

"So is everybody else," Harry muttered.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's get going..."

"Going for the food again, are you Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ron shrugged. "I never said that," he muttered, casting a sidelong glance at Wyrren.

Eliza nodded. "Lets go, I don't want to keep Draco waiting..."

Hermione rolled her eyes, then the entire group headed for the great hall. Cho was standing outside of the doors. She smiled at Harry as he came down the stairs. She was wearing very elegant robes of a very dark shade of purple, and her long, black hair had been let down from her usual pony tail.

Draco looked like he was going to burst out laughing when he saw Ron with Wyrren. He opened with mouth, probably to make some snide comment, then froze.

Eliza walked down the steps. Draco blinked several times, as if to make sure this was really Eliza and not some mirage. Eliza smiled and took his arm.

"Poor Draco," Ron muttered. "He looks as though he's just been electrocuted."

Wyrren giggled.

Harry blinked. "Wyrren, did I just hear you giggle?"

Wyrren smirked. "I should think so," she said. She seemed to have dropped her robotic, emotionless face when she got into her dress robes. The change was amazing.

What do I expect? Ron reminded himself. She's a Malfoy. She's probably had more practice on how to behave in dances and parties then any other person in this school.

It turned out that Wyrren was also an expert ballroom dancer. Ron, only an amateur, tried to match her skill, with not a whole lot of success, but enough so he still looked good. He glanced at Harry, who was talking to Cho, not really paying attention to anything else. Draco, of course, was looking at Eliza the way most normal men look at veelas. Eliza, in turn, seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly.

Lily sighed. "Listen, James,"

James stopped talking to Minerva and grinned suddenly. "Chattanooga Choo-choo," he declared. "Swing music,"

Lily nodded. "Almost no one knows how to swing dance. Want to show these kids how to really dance?"

James grinned and stood up. "Lets,"

Lily stood as well, and they made their way to the dance floor. Several of the students grinned at them.

"Going to show us how to swing dance, Professor Potter?" One of the fourth years laughed. James responded by taking Lily's hand and swinging her around perfectly.

"Go Potter!" someone yelled.

Lily and James, it turned out, were expert swing dancers. Soon there was a mob standing around them, clapping their hands in beat with the music. Dumbledore and Professor Sinestra soon joined them, followed by two seventh years who knew how to dance.

Draco glanced at Eliza, who seemed to be perfectly happy. "You know how to swing dance, Eliza?"

Eliza shook her head. "No clue," she confessed. "I can waltz, though."

Draco chuckled, swinging Eliza around. "You are going to learn to swing dance,"

In about five minutes the swing music had ended. Lily sat down, panting and laughing.


* * *


Outside of the party, unnoticed by anyone, the red rose underneath the willow started to wilt.


* * *


Lord Voldemort twirled his wand idly between his fingers. Two of his most trusted servants stood at his right and left, waiting.

"My Lord!"

Voldemort looked up. Diawna curtsied.

"Well?" Voldemort asked.

Diawna spoke hesitantly. "The necromancer... is very well guarded, my lord. I was planning on taking her last night, during the dance, but she was not in the common room..."

"Did anyone see you poking about?" Voldemort snapped.

"No, my lord," Diawna said, meekly. "My opinion is to wait until the necromancer overuses her powers again... I am not strong enough to capture her, otherwise,"

Voldemort nodded. "Very well, Diawna. I want this necromancer alive and more or less unharmed, before the school year is over,"

Diawna nodded. "Yes, my lord,"

Diawna walked away from Voldemort. Now how on earth was she going to arrange this?


* * *


"Check mate," Wyrren smiled, adding another tally to the piece of parchment beside her.

"What's the score?" Ron asked.

"Fifteen to thirteen, your favor," Wyrren said.

Ron nodded. "Nice trick with the pawn and the knight, by the way. Caught me totally off guard. Play again?"

Wyrren shook her head, her face going emotionless again. "Perhaps later. I need to go study,"

Ron wrinkled his nose in discust as Wyrren left the room. "Study. We're in the middle of vacation! Why is she studying?!"

"Do you have a problem with studying, Ron?" Hermione frowned. Eliza pretended to choke herself from behind Hermione's back.

Harry was looking out the window, apperently ignoring the entire discussion. "Anyone want to have a snow ball fight?"

"I'm game," Ron put away his chess set. "How about you, Eliza?"

Eliza winced. "It's cold outside!"

"Oh, a little cold never hurt anyone! Least of all a mighty Snape," Dean shook his head. "I'll come,"

"This is more like hypothermia, Dean," Eliza shook her head. "I'm not coming."

Harry shrugged. "Suit yourself. Hermione, you up to a snowball fight?"

Hermione looked at her homework with a pained expression.

Ron rolled his eyes and grabbed Hermione's arm. "Come on, do homework when it's dark out!"

Hermione gave her books one last, longing expression, then stood up. "I'll go get my cloak!"

"Hermione, you traitor!" Eliza called with a silly grin on her face. "You're supposed to have good sense and stay here!"

"What, so you can sneak off with Draco and talk about art?" Ron asked. Eliza picked one of the cousins off of the chairs and threw it at Ron, who caught it effortlessly. "See? I'm right!"

"Oh, shut up, already!"

Hermione ran back down the staircase. "Alright, let's go,"

"Well, when Madam Pomfrey hauls you into the hospital wing, don't say I didn't warn you!" Eliza fell back into one of the chairs. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Dean headed for the grounds.

Apperently Harry wasn't the only one with the idea for a snow ball fight. Several first years who had stayed for the holidays immediately bombarded them with snowballs. Harry countered by dropping down behind a snow bank and using a banishing charm at the large pile of snow between Harry and his rivals, who squeaked and ran when they saw the white mound heading for them.

"Hey Potter!" Harry turned. A huge snowball pounded him in the face, soaking him. Draco, who had thrown it, doubled over, laughing.

"House war!" Dean called.

"Hey, no fair! I'm the only Slytherin out here!" Draco protested. That didn't stop Ron from sending a snowball with Draco's name on it (literally) at the boy. Several nearby Hufflepuffs giggled and laughed.

"Harry! Harry, wait for me!" Harry turned, a motion that cost him dearly. Ron had decided that four to one wasn't fair odds, so he joined Draco and dumped a large amount of snow down Harry's back.

Eliza ran towards him, dodging several airborne Ravenclaws who were making snow bombs on their broomsticks. Hermione grinned. "Hurry, Eliza!"

"Hey, Eliza! You can join my team! We're outnumbered here!" Ron called.

"Sure!" Eliza called.

"I thought you didn't want to get cold and wet!" Ron muttered.

"I changed my mind," Eliza said, with an evil grin on her face.

Draco stiffened. "Ron..."

"What? They sneaking up on us?" Ron asked.

"Ron, that's Diawna!" Draco yanked Ron away from the girl.

Diawna snarled at Draco, then dove at him, drawing her wand.

Draco jumped back just in time. A Ravenclaw dropped a huge snow bomb on Diawna, who was buried instantly under the snow, although she wouldn't stay there for long. Draco and Ron sprinted towards Harry.

"What on earth..." Harry stared at Draco as he crouched down beside him.

"Diawna playing Eliza," Draco explained. Hermione gasped.

"How could you tell?" Ron asked.

"Because Eliza does not wear amulets that will kill you if you touch them," Draco said. "I would have noticed if she did,"

Diawna stood up. Draco fired a curse at her, which she blocked neatly. Then she pointed her wand at the Ravenclaw girl riding her broomstick. The broom jerked suddenly, dumped the Ravenclaw, and rushed at Diawna, who grabbed it and flew towards the forest.

Hermione jumped up. "Come on, we have to see if she's alright, then find a teacher!"

Harry nodded, stood up, and ran to the girl. "Are you alright?"

The Ravenclaw nodded, brushing aside a lock of her straight, dirty blonde hair. "Where's my broom? And why on earth would Eliza..."

"That wasn't Eliza," Hermione said. "You sure you're alright? That must have been, what, fifteen feet?"

The Ravenclaw laughed. "I'm Juliy, by the way. I've gone skiing too much. Snow cushions falls very nicely. What do you mean, that wasn't Eliza? And I need that broom, I was training for the Quidditch team!"

"That was her twin," Harry said. "Hermione, you go for the teachers! We should be getting everybody else off the grounds... Diawna might come back..." Hermione nodded and sprinted away, followed closely by Dean. Juliy got up carefully, making sure she hadn't pulled any muscles or anything.

"Hang on," she said suddenly, pointing a finger at Harry. "You're Harry Potter!"

Harry winced and nodded.

"Took you an awful long time to work that out, didn't it?" Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shut up. I'm just a third year, you don't need to act so superior." Juliy said. "You're Wyrren's brother, aren't you?"

Draco sneered. "The name's Draco," he snapped. "and if you don't feel like calling me that, my name is Malfoy."

"Sorry," Juliy said sarcastically, also sneering. "Didn't mean to offend you, Malfoy,"

Harry walked up the steps and opened the castle doors. Ron and Harry followed him, Draco careful to shut the door on Juliy's face. "Good riddance," he muttered.
Chapter Ten

James Potter shook his head and took off his cloak. "No sign of Diawna, Lily."

Lily sighed. "I didn't really expect her to stick around. Oh, your hands are freezing!"

Snape sneered. "Yes, that's generally what happens when you walk about in the snow,"

James shot Severus a dirty look. He and Snape had been teamed up (much to their dismay) to search for Diawna. They had found nothing. Apperently the girl had apperated as soon as she reached the forbidden forest.

James put his arm around Lily's waist and started walking to their office.

"James," Lily squirmed out of his reach. "You're going to give the baby hypothermia. Your hands are like ice!"

Snape shook his head and disappeared down another passage way. James and Lily walked to their office. "How about Aaron?"

Lily closed the door behind her. "No... Aaron Potter... keep going..."

James made a face. "You don't like any of my names. Let's see... how about Jonas?"

Lily's green eyes lit up. "Jonas? That's a good name... I like that... Jonas Potter..."

"Like it?" James smiled.

"Love it," Lily answered. "And your hands are still cold,"


* * *


Later that night, Eliza, Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were sitting around the Gryffindor fire. Dean was sitting in the background, looking very offended that a Slytherin dare enter the tower. Hermione had argued that Draco had almost been killed and the tower was almost empty, at which point Dean had shrugged and stormed off.

"Hey, Harry!" Eliza turned.

"What?" Harry glanced up from the smore he had been making.

"I think I figured out why the snakes have disappeared." Eliza held up a small, white, furry creature.

"A white ferret?" Ron frowned.

Draco glared at the redhead and forced Ron's marshmallow poker closer to the flames, where it immediately caught fire.

"It looks like a weasel," Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's a mongoose! What is it doing in here?"

"Draco!" Ron started blowing on his marshmallow. "I don't like them burnt!"

"You said the words 'white ferret'," Draco ran one hand through his hair. "You say the words 'white ferret', you end up with burnt smores."

"What does a mongoose have anything to do with the snakes vanishing?" Harry asked.

Eliza put the creature down. "The mongoose is famous for killing snakes! Especially cobras... haven't you ever read the story Riki-tiki-tavi?"

"I have," Hermione said.

"Of course," Draco shook his head. "I just want to know how the little flea ball got into the tower in the first place."

Eliza shrugged. The mongoose jumped up on Ron's chair and sat down on the armrest. Ron stroked the mongoose's head and offered it his burnt marshmallow, which the mongoose refused to look at.

"Well, if any snakes try to kill us in our sleep, we'll be well protected," Harry said. "You don't think this little guy killed Slyther and the others, do you?"

Eliza shrugged. "More likely they were just chased away. Is it against the rules to keep a mongoose as a pet?"

Draco shrugged. "She's probably someone else's pet already. Wonder what her name is..."

The mongoose stole a bit of Ron's chocolate out of his hand. "Hey, I was going to use that! Harry, do you have another piece of chocolate? This little furry weasel stole mine."

"Ah... poor Ron. Did the little mongoose steal your chocolate? Bad little mongoose..." Eliza and Draco laughed. Harry handed Ron another piece.

The mongoose apperently decided it had had enough. It leapt of Ron's chair and walked up the girl's staircase.

Ron finally finished making his smore. He was just about to eat it when Draco sat up suddenly. "I've been thinking..."

"That's a first," Ron said.

Draco glared at Ron, then went on. "Why on earth would Diawna be wearing those amulets? She's trying to pass herself off as Eliza, and she's doing a really bad job of it. Diawna isn't that stupid..."

Eliza shrugged. "Oh, I don't know about that. Some of the stunts she's pulled off... well... lets just say Diawna is a little brainless sometimes."

Draco frowned. "You don't get second in command to You-Know-Who by being brainless, Eliza!"

"You do if you're related..." Eliza muttered.

"Draco's right, Eliza. What ARE you talking about?" Hermione asked. "Ok, I'm willing to accept that Diawna goofed up this once. She's not likely to do that again anytime soon."

"What I'm trying to say, if anyone would give me half a chance," Draco said loudly. "I think Diawna wasn't trying to pass herself off as Eliza. I think she was just trying to give us a message. 'Hey, Stupid! Just to let you know, you can't tell the difference between me and my twin without jewelry, and I can creep into your castle and murder you all any time I want!'" Draco crossed his arms.

"That sounds like Diawna..." Eliza said. "And don't you mean 'my twin and I'?"

"Whatever!" Draco speared another marshmallow on his poker. "And something funny is going on, besides that. Who's stolen those books from the library? Who poisoned Snape? Who took the marauder's map? Who assisted Pettigrew in getting inside the castle? If you ask me, I'd tell you someone in here is a traitor. And whoever that traitor is... he or she's got connections with the teachers, first off. Second, they have access to the Gryffindor tower, and third, they're probably very close to you, Harry."

"You just described yourself, Draco." Eliza said.

Ron frowned. "As much as I don't like to agree with you, I think you're right, Draco. And, to go even further, do you think it was a coincidence that Snape collapsed during our class? If I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd say one of the sixth year Gryffindors have been up to something."

Harry and Hermione looked uneasy. "What about the teachers?" Harry asked.

"Oh, sure, Snape had been poisoning himself," Eliza said dryly. "All of our teachers are fine... James and Lily were the only two new ones, and all the others have proved their loyalty."

"There's always Wormtail," Hermione said. "We know that he has gotten into the castle."

Harry stared gloomily into the fire. "If only I had that map..." he shook his head. "Has anyone considered Wyrren?"

"What about Wyrren?" Ron asked.

"Wyrren wouldn't hesitate a moment to steal books from the restricted section of the library," Eliza frowned. "She has connections all over the school, she probably knows the password for every single dormitory,"

Ron shook his head. "Wyrren wouldn't do something like that,"

"She could, though." Draco said. "If she felt stealing books were necessary for her to gain power, she wouldn't even hesitate. At least, that's the Wyrren I know,"

"Wyrren doesn't fit," Harry said. "True, she can do almost anything she wants, but would she? She's almost killed herself time and time again defending this school."

"Wyrren is a chess player," Eliza said simply.

No one said anything for a moment. Draco stood up. "I'd best be going before someone besides Dean realizes what house I'm in,"

Eliza nodded. Ron made himself another smore and got melted marshmallow all over his face. Harry got up, saying he was going to go visit his parents, and Hermione got a book and started studying.

The mongoose smiled to itself from the bottom stair of the girl's dormitory. It had caught every word.


* * *


Harry woke up Christmas morning with the biggest pile of presents at the foot of his bed that he had ever received in his life. "Hey, Ron!"

Ron rolled over. "Hmmm?"

"Ron, wake up, it's Christmas!" Harry grabbed a card on the very top of the pile with a quidditch player diving for the snitch.

It read:


Harry,

Have you no shame? Pick those presents up this minute, and go down to the common room. We're waiting for you. You are not opening them up alone this year. And if you start shaking any of them, I'm going to jinx you. Hurry!

-Love, Lily and James


"Oh, no, Mum made me another sweater. What do you want to bet it's maroon... What's so funny?" Ron asked. Harry tossed him the card.

Harry got dressed, grabbed his presents, and ran down the stairs, almost knocking over Dean, who seemed to be sleepwalking.

Lily, James, Hermione, and Wyrren were waiting for him, Wyrren wearing dress robes of red and green, with a sprig of holly in her white hair. Ron followed Harry, dragging along his presents and his new sweater (which just happened to be maroon).

"Hey, Harry!" James grinned, put a hand on Harry's head and messed his hair up.

"James!" Lily scolded her husband, who grinned mischievously.

Harry opened his first present, which was from Mrs. Weasley, who, again, had knitted Harry a sweater. James and Ron together had given Harry the biggest mound of practical jokes he had ever seen in his lifetime. Most of them had a strange logo on it: WWW.

"Fred and George have gone nuts," Ron explained. "They've started up their joke shop, did I mention that? They got a whole slog of money from out of no where, Mum was frantic for weeks..."

Harry grinned and opened the rest of his presents before Ron invited Wyrren to another chess match. Wyrren smiled and drew out her set from her pocket. "I had a feeling you were going to challenge me again."

Lily stood up. "First, I say we go down for breakfast," she said.

Ron glanced at Wyrren, who shrugged. Her face had gone emotionless again. Hermione nodded. "By the way, has anyone seen Eliza?"

Ron blinked. Harry frowned and looked around. "I haven't seen her all morning... maybe she already went down to breakfast?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, lets go,"

Lily and James followed Harry out of the portrait hole. They had almost reached the entrance hall when Cho Chang appeared out of no where, tears running down her face.

"Harry!" she screamed. Harry, who had been trying to avoid Cho since the ball, cringed and turned toward her.

"What?"

"Juliy! She's dead!" Cho shook. "Professor Potter... this way!" Cho turned and sprinted down the halls.

Harry glanced at his dad, then he, Hermione, James, and Ron sprinted down the hall.

Cho led them down the halls, almost to the Ravenclaw common room, when she stopped and pointed on the ground.

Juliy was sprawled there. Her eyes were open and glassy. James bent over her, looking horrified.

"What killed her?" Ron asked. His face had gone white.

"I don't know," Wyrren said. Harry spun around. It was almost like the necromancer had appeared out of mid air.

"Miss Malfoy, this is your area of expertise," James motioned towards the girl. "I'm going to alert the teachers."

Wyrren nodded and bent over the body as James sprinted away. "This was not Avada Kedavra," she whispered.

"If it was, you'd be able to bring her back?" Ron asked.

Wyrren shot Ron an annoyed glance. "No, Ron. I believe I stressed the word 'recent' when I told you that..." Wyrren frowned, then started chanting. After a minute, she stood up. "No use. She's not restless,"

"Meaning you can't contact her?" Hermione asked.

Wyrren hesitated. "I could... but I'm not good enough yet. I haven't gotten that far."

"Could you ask the ghosts if they saw who did this?" Harry asked.

Wyrren stared at Juliy. "Yes... but I doubt they would have seen anything. Ghosts do not often occupy themselves with the living."

Cho was standing on the other side of the hall. "What... what killed her?"

"I can only guess," Wyrren frowned. "But I'd place my bet on poison,"

"Poison?" Ron spun around to face Harry. "That's how Snape almost kicked the bucket!"

"But if it was..." Wyrren yanked on the girl's robes, showing her legs. "Harry!"

"What?" Harry bent over.

"It was a snake bite," Wyrren said.

"Glen!" Harry stared at the tiny hole in her leg.

"Neptune is deadly poisonous, as well, Harry," Hermione said. "What about Slyther?"

"Eliza loves poisonous snakes..." Ron said slowly. "She told me herself, the day after we took the imperius curse off of her last year,"

"Diawna is a parselmouth..." Hermione said. "Just like Eliza. What if she's also an animagus? What if she's in the school right now?"

"Draco could have done this," Ron said. "Neptune can talk to humans... and Draco had a grudge against Juliy... was Juliy muggle born?" Ron asked Cho.

Cho nodded.

Harry straightened up. The sounds of pounding feet echoed through the halls, and a moment later Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout stopped short of the group.

"You can go, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry glanced at his friends, then left the halls.

"I have one question, though," Harry said. "Why on earth would someone want to kill Juliy?"

Hermione shook her head. Cho was trembling, glancing behind her every few seconds. Wyrren looked as calm as ever.

"I don't know, Harry, I just don't know,"

Chapter Eleven
Draco and Eliza were both sitting at the Gryffindor table when Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran into the room, a look of panic on their faces as they sat down.
"What’s wrong with you?" Draco asked.
Harry sat down. Hermione and Ron took their places at either side of him. "Juliy, that girl that dumped the snow on Diawna… she’s dead!"
Eliza paled. Draco raised one eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he said casually.
"Draco!" Eliza turned toward Harry. "How did she die?"
Ron shrugged. "Wyrren said it was poison, most likely."
Eliza winced. "Too many people are poisoned around here for this just to be a coincidence…"
Draco shrugged. "Wasn’t Juliy the annoying brainless one?"
"Don’t speak ill of the dead. Wyrren will bring them back to life and sic them on you," Eliza said.
Draco rolled his eyes and continued eating his breakfast. "Oh, Wyrren can drop dead for all I care."
"Can we desist on the necromancer jokes?!" Hermione ran one hand through her bushy hair.
"Yes, Draco, you’re killing us!" Ron laughed, then started coughing abruptly as Hermione glared at him.
Harry sighed. "We have to find out who’s doing this… we need help… something…"
"Well, your help has arrived," someone behind Harry said. Harry froze. He recognized that voice…
Eliza, Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron turned and looked up.
"Professor Lupin!" Hermione opened her mouth with delight.
Draco glanced at him, then went back to eating his food.
"Sirius is coming as well," Remus Lupin said. He looked as tired as ever, but somehow he seemed impossibly cheerful. His brown eyes sparkled cheerfully.
"Sirius Black?" Eliza said slowly, then grinned. "Excellent."
Harry grinned as well. Professor Lupin looked around. Whispers on the return of the werewolf to the school were flying around the room, although all the Gryffindors were ecstatic. "I’d better go see James," Lupin said, then walked toward the staff table.
"Would you look at Father?" Eliza chuckled, staring at Snape. Eliza did have a point. If Snape’s lip curled any farther, it would be a landing pad for flies. Apperently Snape’s loathing of Lupin hadn’t changed one iota these three years. Lupin didn’t seem to notice, and he sat down next to James’s usual seat.
Severus stood up abruptly and left the table. Eliza watched him, her arms crossed, then shook her head. "Honestly… when do you think Sirius is coming?"
Harry shrugged. "I have no clue… soon, I hope."
Eliza smiled, although her smile seemed a little forced. Draco frowned. "You feeling alright, Liz?"
Eliza sighed. "No… not really… why did you call me ‘Liz’?"
Draco shrugged, then stood up and left the room, mumbling something about ‘having work to do’. Harry frowned.
"Eliza, what has Draco been up to?"
Eliza shrugged. "He keeps going on about some ‘secret project’… he won’t tell me what it is, though."
"A ‘secret project’?" Ron asked, glancing at Hermione.
"What? You don’t think Draco was the one who…" Eliza seemed outraged.
Ron shrugged. "Do you know where Draco was before you got here?"
"I can’t believe you!" Eliza shrieked, then stood up and marched away.
"Nice one, Ron," Harry rolled his eyes.
"I just asked!" Ron said, running a hand through his red hair.
Harry didn’t answer. He just turned his attention back to his plate and started picking at his scrambled eggs.

* * *

Harry didn’t see Eliza for the rest of the afternoon, almost. He’d glimpsed her once leaving one of the bathrooms, looking angry and preoccupied, but she just walked right past him without saying anything. Ron seemed convinced that it was Draco who killed Juliy, although he wasn’t bringing it up anymore. Hermione had started doing research in the library (she wouldn’t tell Harry what she was doing), and Harry just seemed caught in the middle of things.
"Harry!" James ran towards Harry, who was sitting in the common room, reading one of his presents, a book on Quidditch. "Come on, it’s almost time for the Christmas feast! Ooh... cool book, who gave that to you?"
"Eliza," Harry stood up, stuffing a bookmark in the book and dropping it in his bag. "She said she forgot to give it to me this morning."
"Ok, come on," James was wearing a strange grin, that faintly resembled the look often seen on the face of George Weasley. "Sirius just got here!"
It suddenly occurred to Harry that Remus, James, and Sirius together at Hogwarts was just asking for trouble. Harry grinned broadly. This was going to be fun…

* * *

Told by Sirius Black
I sat next to Remus at the teacher’s table. James and Harry should be getting here soon. James didn’t want Harry to miss anything. Minerva was sitting at the table on the other side of Remus, looking like the school was going to fall down within the next few minutes.
Oh, how right she was. The Potter gang was back in action.
James walked quickly into the room. I couldn’t help myself, I started grinning. Harry was right behind him, looking around nervously.
Remus was looking at his watch as James sat down. "Three… two… one…"
It started snowing thickly in the dinning hall. James grinned. He had done some sort of charm or something to make sure that the snow would stick. After a few minutes of teachers looking at each other, wondering if this was supposed to happen, James leapt out of his chair grabbed a handful of snow, and lobbed it at the Gryffindor table.
What happened next was total chaos. Every single student in the school started making snowballs and throwing them at each other in between munching on the food. People stared turning into birds.
"Sirius, you didn’t!" Lily seemed outraged.
"Actually, I was the one to add the canary creams," Remus said mildly.
"Remus! You’re supposed to be the sensible one! The voice of reason!"
"Voice of insanity is more like it," I muttered, making a snowball of my own and throwing it at one of the Slytherins.
"Oh, just wait, the best part hasn’t come yet," James smiled.
Lily groaned. I took out a bag of fireworks, set them under Snape’s chair (he was trying to stop the snowball fight by shouting from the staff table, and no one who could hear him was taking him seriously) and lit them all at once.
Soon the air was full of fireworks and Snape’s howls as well as snow. James stood up and started muttering an incantation.
The snow started forming snowballs on its own and hurling them at the nearest people. Dumbledore, who had joined in on the snowball fight some time ago, turned to us, grinned, and threw a hunk of mashed potato at a Ravenclaw.
"Food fight!" The Ravenclaw screamed, then grabbed a bit of turkey and flung it at Cho Chang, who ducked.
The turkey hit Hermione instead, who yelled, "All right, that’s it!" and started in on the food fight, beginning by smacking Harry with a handful of peas.
James, Sirius, and Remus could hardly stand, they were laughing so hard. Lily had her hands over her face, trying not to laugh, and was failing miserably.
"Well, James, it seems you have once again ensued a riot," Minerva said stiffly.
James responded by flinging a snowball at the transfiguration teacher with great accuracy, hitting her on the face. Minerva looked shocked for about three seconds then scooped an armful of snow and dropped most of it down James’s back. "Hey! That’s cold!"
"Serves you right," Minerva said.
Severus stared around the snowball/food fight, a stern expression on his face.
Eliza noticed. "Hey, dad!" she called.
Severus turned towards her, then ducked swiftly as the snowball shot over his head.
"Come on, you couldn’t hit a barn door from five feet away!" Eliza called.
Severus glared at Eliza, then picked up a snowball and threw it at Eliza so quickly Eliza didn’t even have time to duck before it hit her face.
"Take that, Gryffindor!" Snape smiled.
Eliza looked stunned for a moment, then grabbed another snowball, and sprinted towards Severus, who turned and ran back to the staff table. Some of the Gryffindors, noticing Eliza going after Snape, whooped and joined the chase.
"Hey, look! We got Snape into the fight!" James grinned.
"A miri- Hey! No pegging the werewolf!" Remus turned around and got a face full of snow.
I smiled, then leaned back in my chair watching the commotion the Potter gang had created. Things were never going to be the same around here. Not if I could help it, anyway.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the snowball war/food fight had mostly calmed down. After people found out Severus was participating, most of them had gone ‘Snape-hunting’. The potions master had to have gotten more food and snow on him then any other person in the room, with the possible exception of Dumbledore and James. Professor McGonagall had stopped the snow fall from the ceiling. Dumbledore was smiling broadly all across the room. Even Snape had a half grin on his face, which vanished instantly when he saw James looking at him.
Draco was laughing hysterically, after playing ‘double agent’ by joining the Gryffindors, then pounding them with snowballs and joining the Slytherins. "Hey, Potter, I got you something for Christmas, by the way. I almost forgot." Draco handed Harry a small package.
Ron looked at it suspiciously, but Harry thanked Draco and opened hit. Draco grinned broadly.
Harry put one hand on his face and shook his head. Draco had given him a hairbrush, along with a note explaining (in finite detail) that this was a hairbrush and it was meant to brush your hair.
Draco grinned and started snickering. Hermione laughed and asked Harry what else he expected.
Harry was about to answer when he heard a strange squeaking sound behind him.
The little, white mongoose was standing there, its fur raised on its back. The mongoose’s red eyes glimmered. "Riki-tiki-tiki-tiki-tiki!" it shrieked.
Harry jumped. A long, reddish brown snake was standing between him and the mongoose. The mongoose jumped at it. The snake drew back, baring its long fangs.
The mongoose edged in closer. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors backed away. The collective chatter in the halls seemed to cease as the students watched the small battle.
The snake lunged at the mongoose. The mongoose jumped back. The snake lunged again, this time closer to his target.
"Go snake!" one of the Slytherins yelled.
"Go mongoose!" Ron yelled, glaring at the Slytherin.
The snake lunged. For a moment, Harry had thought the mongoose was done for, but the reptile had only gotten a mouthful of fur. The mongoose was impossibly fast, faster then the snake, even.
The snake dove at the mongoose one last time. In a flash the mongoose had leapt over the snake’s head and bit it right below the skull.
The snake started writhing in agony. The students and the teachers all watched with a grim fascination as the snake slowly stopped twitching.
"Harry…" Eliza grasped Harry’s arm. "Wasn’t it a snake bite that killed Juliy?"
Harry looked at Eliza, then nodded. "That mongoose probably just saved our lives. Do you think that was the snake…?"
Eliza stared at the snake and nodded. The mongoose glanced around the room, then ran as fast as it could out of the dinning hall.

Chapter Twelve
"Harry!"
Harry glanced up from his Quidditch book to look at Ron, who had just burst into the Gryffindor tower. Draco and Eliza, who were sitting by the fire, looked up as well.
"What?" Harry asked.
"That snake… Dumbledore said it was a Denpert!" Ron said. "And it was poisonous."
Eliza and Draco glanced at each other, then stared at Ron. "A Denpert?" Eliza
repeated.
Ron nodded. "Anyone either of you would know?"
"Ron!" Hermione looked outraged. "Would you stop accusing Draco already?!"
Draco sneered. "It’s alright, Hermione. I’m used to it."
Eliza put one hand over her face while Ron and Draco glared at each other.
Eliza stood up. "I’m going to go see if Dumbledore will let me look at that snake."
"Can’t," Ron said.
"Why not?" Eliza crossed her arms.
"Because. The body of the snake vanished about half an hour ago. None of the
teachers know where it went." Ron ran one hand through his hair.
"Diawna…" Eliza hissed. "The teachers are searching the grounds?"
"Sirius and Remus are," Ron sat down. "So, has anyone seen the mongoose?"
Draco shook his head. "Not since yesterday night… you know, after the snowball fight."
Eliza stood up and nearly ran to the portrait hole. "Hang on, I’m going to the
library. I just thought of something."
Harry groaned. "Great. Now Eliza is turning into Hermione."
Hermione crossed her arms. "Hey!"
Draco started laughing, then glanced at Dean, who was glaring at him, his arms
crossed. "I think I’d better get going…"
"Good idea," said Ron, not bitterly, glancing around the common room.
Draco shrugged, then left the room. "I’ll see you later,"

* * *

Sirius burst into James’s office. "Diawna was in the forest!"
James looked up. "Lost her?"
Sirius nodded, dropping down into one of the seats. "Yea… she’s gone. She must have apperated after she got out of the range of the school."
Remus frowned. "What on earth is Diawna doing, hanging around the school like this? We never see her anywhere else!"
Sirius sat down and shrugged.
James stared at him. "Are you alright Sirius?"
Sirius laughed. "Why wouldn’t I be alright?"
James shrugged. "I don’t know… you just seem… I don’t know… sick or something."
Sirius sighed. "You’re sixteen years younger then me all of a sudden, James. What else do you expect? You still look twenty or so."
"I am twenty or so." James laughed. "Oh, fine. I’ll give you slack… Hey, you want to go booby trap the potions classroom?"
Sirius gave games his ‘evil’ grin. "Snape is going to kill us…"
Remus frowned. "You two go ahead without me,"
James blinked. "Ok… are YOU sick or something? What’s wrong with you two?"
"Life," Remus yawned, glancing out the window. James followed his gaze and found himself staring at an almost full moon.
James shook his head. "I suppose wandering around the grounds tomorrow is out."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You still want to do that?"
James shook his head. "No… We were so stupid…"
Remus nodded. "We were idiots."
Sirius nodded as well. "You sure you don’t want to pull some prank on Severus or something? Gryffindor is playing Ravenclaw next week…"
Remus blinked in surprise. "Just what are you suggesting?"
James gave Remus his best marauder’s smile and started whispering ideas to his two best friends. Sirius slowly started grinning from ear to ear, and even Remus’s face lit up. "That is evil, James."
"Evil, but that is going to be so funny… when do we start?" Sirius asked.
"Right before the quidditch match, maybe?" James muttered.
"Lily is going to kill us." Remus said.
"We’ll ask for a nice funeral." James grinned.
"Not funny, James," Remus stopped smiling. "I’ve been to your funeral, remember."
James winced. "Oh, right… sorry."
There was silence in the room for a moment. Then…
"Was it a nice funeral?" James asked.
Remus shook his head. "You just won’t be serious, will you?"
"No. I’m James. That’s Sirius." James jerked his head at Sirius.
"Precisely." Sirius grinned. "Hang on… won’t we need Harry’s help for this? At least the invisibility cloak…"
James grinned.

* * *

"What is with you, Harry?" Eliza crossed her arms, then glanced at Snape and went back to stirring her potion.
"Nothing," Harry said, even though he looked like he was going to burst out laughing. Ron had one hand clamped over his mouth, the other on the rim of his cauldron.
"Harry, at this point I trust you just about as far as I can throw you. Spit it out," Eliza said. "Does it have anything to do with the quidditch match this afternoon?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Ron was crying from trying not to laugh. Harry let out a burst of laughter, and Ron kicked him.
"Oh, don’t bother." Hermione shook her head. "They won’t tell me anything, either. They’ve been like this all morning."
Neville, who wasn’t goofing up, for a change, stared at Harry and Ron, puzzled.
Eliza shrugged and added some crocodile fangs to her potion, making it fizz and turn bright purple.
Much to Hermione and Eliza’s surprise, however, nothing happened until five minutes from the bell.
Snape was standing over Neville’s potion, a small sneer on his face as he ladled some of it up. "Perhaps we should test this, Mr. Longbottom?"
Hermione gave Neville an encouraging smile, mouthing the words ‘it’s fine’ to Neville, who looked absolutely terrified.
Snape walked to the front of the class and started rummaging in his desk.
When Snape turned back to face the class, almost every student was forcing themselves to keep a straight face. Then, as if on signal, every single Gryffindor burst out laughing. Tears were streaming out of most of the students. Eliza looked like she was going to die laughing.
Snape stared at the students, his head snapping back and forth. The students laughed even harder.
Eliza had her face in her hands, then looked back up at Severus as he turned around, confused. His oily hair was bright red, sporting a huge, golden ‘G’ on the back of Snape’s head.
Snape sneered. "Fifty points from Gryffindor if someone doesn’t tell me what you are laughing at."
"Your… your hair…" Parvati gasped.
Snape frowned, then pulled one strand out of his hair and stared at it. "POTTER!"
Harry stopped laughing. "Professor, I didn’t…"
"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter." Snape sneered, then grabbed his wand and set his hair right.
Snape looked like he was going to give every single student in the room detention for laughing at him, when the bell rang suddenly. The sixth year Gryffindors suddenly found themselves free to flee the dungeons and tell every single person they knew about Snape over lunch. Lavender and Parvati looked like they were in heaven. "Way to go, Harry! That was worth it…" Lavender said, running up the stairs.
"But I didn’t…" Harry sighed, then shrugged, running out of the dungeons with her. "Oh, what’s the use?"
Eliza frowned. "If you didn’t have anything to do with it, why were you laughing? You know, before Severus’s hair changed colors and all…"
Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Ron answered. "Harry’s dad asked if he could borrow the invisibility cloak for the day. He said he was going to do something to Snape. Well… we were trying to figure out what he was up to, and…" Ron smiled. "well, let’s just say we came up with a bunch of pretty funny ideas."
"Ah. I see." Hermione didn’t look impressed.
"Why didn’t you tell us?" Eliza asked.
"Well… we didn’t want to ruin the surprise."
"Harry!"
Harry turned. James made sure no one was looking at him, then handed him his invisibility cloak. "Twenty points to Gryffindor for standing up to Snape," he whispered. "Do me a favor, won’t you Harry? Please beat Ravenclaw… you still have a chance for the cup, even if you did lose to Slytherin…"
Harry’s only answer was an evil grin that was almost identical to his dad’s.
Chapter Thirteen
The Quidditch match was just as noisy and as fun as James remembered. Only, he was used to being the one on the broomstick, not on the ground. Lily had volunteered to do the commentating, and Professor McGonagall was almost too happy to relinquish the microphone to her. James smiled a bit. From what he remembered of his wife, she could swear worse then anyone he had ever heard when involved with quidditch.
Harry Potter shook hands with Cho, who was glaring at him, then mounted his firebolt. Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle, and the two Quidditch teams rose into the air.
Harry at once rose about fifty feet in the air, looking for the snitch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cho Chang watching him carefully.
"And the quaffle is immediately taken by Ginny Weasley of Gryffindor… nice pass to Creevy… back to Weasley, no… it’s been taken by Harker of Ravenclaw… Brown tries to block, misses… oh, D@#^… Ravenclaw scores!"
There was a roar from the Ravenclaws, and some of the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs supporting Ravenclaw. From somewhere in the crowd came McGonagall’s voice, screaming ‘Lily!’.
"Go Harry!" James shouted from the stands. Harry grinned, turning.
After ducking a bludger that looked like it was about to knock his head off, Harry saw it. The snitch was sparkling a few feet off the ground, by the Gryffindor goalpost.
Harry dove. Cho saw him and dove as well; not for the snitch, but to get in Harry’s way. Harry swerved wildly, but when he looked back on the ground the snitch was gone, and Cho was grinning from ear to ear.
There was a great, collective groan from the spectators, then they turned their attention back on the bludgers and the quaffle.
"Harker is racing up the field… ooh… nice bludger work by Gregory… Gryffindor in possession… sweet pass to Ginny Weasley… GRYFFINDOR SCORES!!!" Lily called this with much more enthusiasm. Supporters of Gryffindor, dressed in crimson rose to their feet and screamed with delight.
Cho suddenly dove. Harry dove right after her, hoping this wasn’t a feint, soon seeing it wasn’t. The snitch was flying some twenty feet off the ground, rounding the goalposts and rising. Harry flew in front of Cho to cut her off. Suddenly, out of no where, it seemed, a bludger came pelting towards Harry, who didn’t notice it in time.
With a sickening ‘crack!’ Harry’s wrist was broken. Cho winced but still made for the snitch. Harry raced for it was well, coming neck and neck with Cho. He might have had the better broomstick, but flying with a burning pain in your broken wrist can slow you down.
Harry lunged at the snitch. Cho swerved wildly; she had taken both hands off the broom to grab at the small ball.
Harry landed in the dirt, the snitch clasped in his good hand. "We won!" he shouted, then winced at he moved his broken wrist.
"AND GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lily shouted. The Gryffindors and their supporters cheered and screamed as loudly as they could.
"Harry!" Ginny landed beside him, followed by Cho.
"Oh, Harry, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…" Cho stared at his wrist.
"It’s nothing, Cho. Good game," Harry stood up.
Eliza, Ron, and Hermione ran out to the field. "Harry, come on, party…" Ron was grinning from ear to ear. "You were great, Ginny."
Ginny glowed almost as red as her hair.
"Ron, Harry’s wrist is broken. He needs to go to the hospital wing! Come on, Harry…" Hermione crossed her arms.
"That too," Eliza said, almost as an afterthought.
Hermione helped Harry to his feet and up to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey was almost in a panic, muttering loudly about how dangerous sports were and how Harry would need to rest.
Eliza gave Harry a pity look, then whispered, "I’ll be in the common room in about an hour. I need to go to the library."
Harry nodded. Madam Pomfrey almost pushed Eliza, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny out of the hospital wing. Eliza ran down to the library.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny shrugged, then walked to their common room. Draco was waiting for them by the portrait hole. "Where’s Wyrren?" he asked.
"I’m not your sister’s keeper, Draco." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Could have fooled me," Draco shot back. "Would you ask her to come out here? I need to speak with her. It’s important."
Ginny shrugged. "Ok… sure… will you go away so you don’t hear the password?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "The password is ‘Blue Snow’, Weasley."
The portrait hole swung open. Ginny glared at Draco, then entered the tower. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, shook their heads together, and followed Ginny inside.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Sirius?" Remus looked around James’s office. Lily shrugged. "Not since the Quidditch game… he was really excited that Gryffindor won, I think he was going to steal food from the kitchens… maybe Snape wanted to talk to him about why his hair suddenly turned red during potions…"
James laughed as Lily glared at him. "He looked good as a redhead," James protested.
Lily raised her eyebrows sarcastically.
"And I seem to remember a few words that were… less then polite in the commentary this afternoon…" James shook his head.
"Bad Lily! Bad!" Remus scolded mockingly, shaking a finger at her.
Lily smiled sweetly at the werewolf.
Remus grinned and got up off the desk. "Well… I had better get going. Tell Sirius when you see him that he needs more practice filching food. He used to be able to steal food and be back in the Gryffindor tower within three minutes."
"Sure, Moony." James waved at Remus who smiled and left the room.
Lily sighed and went in their bedroom, falling down on the bed, then stared up at the ceiling.
"Are you alright, Lil?" James frowned.
"I don’t feel very good," Lily confessed. "I think I’m going to be sick… something like that…"
James approached the bed, feeling her forehead. She was breaking out into a sweat. James ran a hand through his messy, black hair. "I’ll go get Madam Pomfrey…"
Lily nodded slightly. James backed out of the room and ran down to the hospital wing.

* * *

Harry Potter was laughing with Ron as he made his way to defense against the dark arts. Eliza and Hermione were waiting for them outside of the door.
"Hurry!" Eliza hissed. "We’re going to be late…"
"Fine, fine." Ron shook his head and opened the door. Eliza, Ron, Harry, and Hermione entered the room, then stopped dead.
Professor Lupin smiled. "If you could take your seats…"
The Slytherins all looked as though someone had been force-feeding them sour pickles. Pansy Parkinson was glaring at Eliza.
Hermione blinked. "Where is Professor Potter?"
"Lily and James… left for St. Mungo’s hospital late last night." Lupin said. "I’ll just be filling in for today."
"Are they alright?" Harry asked.
"I’m sure they’re fine." Professor Lupin glanced at the empty seats in the front of the room where they usually sat. Harry got the hint and sat down.
About five minutes into the class, Neville Longbottom rushed in the class, bumping into the table by the door and almost knocking off one of the bottles on there.
"Careful, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Lupin snatched the bottle up. "I’ve got a boggart in here to teach the third years with… here, this should be safe here. If you could take your seat, Mr. Longbottom?" Professor Lupin set the bottle down near the Slytherins. Pansy eyed it thoughtfully.
Neville, his face very red, nodded and took his seat. Draco glanced at Neville and sneered. Harry tried to pay attention to Professor Lupin (he was talking about a doom spell, another illegal curse above the unforgivables), but however interesting Professor Lupin was, Harry kept glancing at Draco, who was throwing dark looks full of suspicion at the other Gryffindors.
Pansy, apperently, wasn’t paying much attention to the lesson, either. She was eyeing the bottle Lupin had said there was a boggart in… Pansy smiled.
Professor Lupin was explaining how to tell when the doom spell was about to be performed when Pansy threw the bottle in the air towards Draco’s seat. It shattered on Eliza’s desk, and Eliza jumped up in horror.
The boggart had become Eliza… Eliza or Diawna, Harry couldn’t tell which. The other Eliza was crying…
"Riddiculus!" Professor Lupin drew his wand and forced the boggart (which had once again turned into the full moon) into a new bottle, then turned to Pansy.
"Detention, Miss Parkinson. And fifteen points from Slytherin," Lupin said quietly. "I do not appreciate being interrupted like that."
Pansy crossed her arms and sneered. Harry glanced at Draco once more. He was staring at Eliza, his gray eyes full of suspicion.
Harry suddenly got the strange feeling that something was very, very wrong…

* * *
"Have you guys seen Eliza?" Ron asked.
Hermione shook her head. "No… not since classes, anyway. Eliza and I have identical schedules."
Harry frowned. "Did you guys see the way Malfoy was acting in defense class?"
Ron shrugged. "So he was glaring at Gryffindors. What else is new?"
"And why did that boggart turn into another Eliza?" Harry went on, not paying any attention to Ron.
Hermione laughed bitterly. "So Eliza’s worst fear is Diawna. I don’t blame her, really… if I had a twin sister like that, I don’t know what I’d do…"
The portrait hole swung open. Eliza rushed in, her eyes red and puffy, her face covered with tears.
"Eliza, what’s wrong?!" Harry asked.
"I don’t want to talk about it," Eliza said.
"Eliza…" Ron stared at her.
"Alright… alright… I broke up with Draco." Eliza looked like she was going to burst into tears again. "And as soon as I did, he started sneering and accusing me of poisoning Severus and stealing books…" Eliza shook and started crying again.
"Oh… I’m sorry…" Hermione tried to hug Eliza, but Eliza pushed her away.
"Please… Hermione… just leave me alone…" Eliza moaned. "Please…"
Hermione shrugged helplessly and stepped back.
"You were right about Slytherins, Ron… you were right… I didn’t listen…" Eliza wailed.
Ron winced. "I said that over a year ago, Eliza…"
"But you were right!" Eliza sobbed. Her brown hair was starting to fall out of its bun, making her look impossibly like Hermione.
Hermione shrugged, then mouthed to Ron and Harry, "I think she just needs time alone,"
Harry nodded. Eliza got up and ran to her dormitory, slamming the door behind her.
"I can’t believe it… I never would have thought they’d have broken up… Draco and Eliza have been together for ages…" Harry shook his head.
"I can’t believe Draco," Ron fumed. "Accusing Eliza of all those things after he found out he couldn’t have her… that sounds like the old Draco we know, doesn’t it, Harry?"
Harry shrugged. "What’s that tapping sound?"
Ron looked around. "It’s coming from the window…"
Hermione walked to the window, where an owl was tapping on the glass. Hermione let the owl in. "Harry, the letter’s for you!"
Harry stood up. "What’s it say?"
"Here, read it out loud," Hermione handed the paper to him.
"Dear Harry," Harry read. "Your little sister’s name is Miranda Alycia Potter. We’ll be back at Hogwarts soon. Tell Remus and Sirius. Love, James."
Hermione’s mouth opened with delight. Harry re-read the letter several times, a grin starting to cross his face, turning slowly into an ear to ear smile.
Ron shook his head. "That is so cool, Harry…"
Harry sat down and started laughing with pure delight.

* * *

Draco paced his room angrily. Stupid Eliza… stupid, stupid, stupid girl… Draco fell back onto his bed, staring at something beyond the ceiling.
Eliza had been a lying cheat, Draco thought bitterly. She’d been lying about so much…I had no idea that she’d been the one to steal the books from the library. I asked Wyrren the night of the Quidditch match… she said she only stole two books from the library, none from Snape. I asked Eliza about them…Eliza laughed and asked me if she ever broke the rules before. I looked in her book bag and put revealing charms on the books. They turned into the forbidden books from the library…
Draco turned over, the little scene replaying in his head. Almost immediately she started yelling at me. She made it sound like I just broke up with her. She was quick, then before I could set anyone right, she burst into tears and ran down the hall. I grabbed my invisibility cloak and followed her into the Gryffindor common room. Eliza is a very good actor… I never noticed that before now…she’s the parselmouth… the one who poisoned Snape…
Draco glared at the charm above his bed. Eliza called it a dream catcher. She said it would take the nightmares away… she had given it to him the day after they had met on top of the astrology tower…
"It’s not fair… now no one will believe me…" Draco moaned to himself. "She got the upper hand before I had time to blink…"
Draco got into bed, not bothering to change his clothes.
I wonder how Eliza came back in the first place. Maybe Wyrren was lying. Maybe she brought Eliza back but did a really bad job on her personality. It’s almost as if someone had brought her back… wrong. Like this was some copy of Eliza. A twin duplicate…
Draco’s eyes widened, and sat up suddenly. A twin duplicate…? A… a twin…?
Draco’s breathing had become harsh and ragged. A twin! Diawna! Eliza never did come back… or did she? Wyrren said she couldn’t sense any shade…
Draco frowned, then glared at the dream-catcher above his bed. He pulled it off the ceiling and flung it out the window as hard as he could, then he lay back down on the bed. Diawna had probably cursed it or something…
There was only one way to find out what had really happened… Draco shook his head, threw back the covers of his bed, and went to find the Snape. Who ever she was…
Chapter Fourteen
Told by Draco Malfoy
The halls were almost empty. I wore my invisibility cloak anyway and waited by the Gryffindor tower.
I didn’t wait long. Harry and Eliza (Diawna! I reminded myself) came out together. Harry looked like he was trying to comfort her. I followed them down the halls.
"I’m really, really sorry, Eliza," Harry put an arm around her shoulders and gave her half of a hug, like he was her big brother or something.
"I know… I was stupid," Eliza said. "I can’t believe him…"
I wondered a moment what would happen if I punched the Snape. Eliza needed it… or Diawna. Whoever she was…
Harry apperently didn’t know what to say.
Eliza put her head on Harry’s arm. "Well… at least you got a little sister… I guess you’re happy…"
"Yeah…" Harry couldn’t help but smile. I pitied him. Little sisters are a pain in the neck. "I can’t wait until I see her…"
Eliza/Diawna smiled at him. I clenched my fists so tightly I think my nails must have scarred my hands. She was flirting with him!
Harry stopped at a suit of armor. "Open sesame,"
The armor at once moved aside. Eliza/Diawna laughed. "Open sesame?"
Harry shrugged. "Professor Lupin likes it. Come on, I can’t wait to tell him…"
I waited as Harry and Diawna ran up the stairs and out of sight. A few minutes later Harry and Eliza/Diawna were back, huge grins plastered on their faces. "Ok, now Sirius…"
"Harry…" Eliza/Diawna stopped. "On second thought… I think I’ll go back to the common room. You can tell Sirius by yourself…"
Harry shrugged. "Oh… sure. I’ll see you later, Eliza."
Eliza nodded and headed back up the hall. I waited until Harry was out of sight, then pulled off my invisibility cloak and stuffed it into my pocket.
Eliza/Diawna heard me and swung around. "Oh. It’s you."
"I saw you flirting with Potter. Trying to get close to him, are we?" I sneered.
"I don’t see how anything I do concerns you, Draco." Eliza/Diawna said coldly.
"Potter is my friend, whether I like it or not, Diawna." I crossed my arms.
Eliza blinked. "WHAT did you just call me?"
"Been a while since you’ve heard your real name, hasn’t it?" I asked. "You were the traitor the entire time, weren’t you?"
"You think I’m Diawna?" Eliza/Diawna looked like she was going to laugh.
"How else did ‘Eliza’ come back to life?"
Eliza/Diawna shook her head. "Draco, you’re a nutcase. Good bye."
Diawna/Eliza turned and walked down the hall. In three quick steps I had caught up to her and had grabbed her right arm.
"Draco, what are you doing?" Eliza sneered.
"If you are Eliza then you will forgive me for what I am about to do," I whispered, then twisted her arm around her back.
"Draco, what are you doing?! That hurts! Stop it!"
I threw the Snape on the ground and with one hand, grabbed the sleeve of her left arm, pulling it up almost to her shoulder. The other hand I clamped over her mouth.
Suddenly I let go of the girl and stepped back. Diawna stood up, furious.
"And if you really are Eliza, then why do you have the dark mark on your arm?" I sneered.
Diawna’s expression changed instantly. "I can explain…"
"I bet you can," I drew out my wand. "Dumbledore will be the first to know of his student, the death eater. Then Snape, your father. You really thought you could get away with playing Eliza?"
Diawna laughed, drawing out her wand. "And do you think, my dear Draco, that I will let you leave this hall alive?"
Uh-oh. This didn’t look good. You see, that’s the problem with my plans. They always seem to fall apart in the middle…
Then everything went black.




I woke up in a very, very dark, enormous room. Behind me was a thin, glowing wall of black and electric blue that snapped and cracked. There was a figure laying on the ground behind the wall… someone was using this force field as a prison. The entire room was filled with strange, glowing blue smoke that didn’t really light up anything… it only served to make the place more spooky then it was.
I looked at the blue prison more closely… there was a man in there… he was tall, with black hair…
"Draco! It’s us! Get us out of here!" a tiny, high pitched voice wailed.
"Neptune? Who else is here?" I called.
"Glen, Slyther, and this human… I don’t know his name…" Neptune called back. "Hurry, Diawna’ll be back any moment…"
I felt for my wand. I didn’t have it. I looked at the man more carefully… he looked very familiar…
"Is he dead?" I asked.
"Diawna put him under a sleeping potion… draught of the living dead, I think it’s called. She did that to Slyther as well…" Neptune slithered to the edge of the shield. "You can’t get us out, can you?"
I shook my head sadly. "My wand’s gone… Neptune, where am I?"
"The chamber of secrets." I spun around. Diawna smiled sweetly.
"Who is in there with the snakes, Diawna?" I stared at her.
"Him? That would be Sirius Black. I believe you have heard of him…?" Diawna smiled, drew out her wand, and shouted a spell. At once I was flung into one of the pillars.
I got to my feet. Diawna hissed something, and immediately both my arms were bound to the stone. I glanced at them, panicking. Two of the stone snakes stared back at me, their emerald eyes sparkling as the held my arms to the pillar.
I turned back to Diawna. "You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?"
"I said nothing of the sort." Diawna looked very offended. "Harry will do almost anything for his godfather… so will his father, now that I think of it… a very nice bargaining chip."
"Where is Eliza, Diawna?"
Diawna blinked in surprise. "Eliza? Oh, she’s dead. Been dead for months now… she never did come back, you know."
"But… but the snowball scene… I thought…" I stared at her. What was going on?
"Ever heard of polyjuice potion, Draco?" Diawna shrugged.
"I suppose that was your mongoose, then." I said slowly. "That snake was going to warn us of something, and you set your pet on it and…"
Diawna laughed. "Draco, that mongoose killed my pet snake. His name was Relinquo, and his gift was to read minds. He could take orders from me without making me say a word."
Diawna raised her wand. "Now, Draco, I’m going to give you a choice. You can join me and get Potter, or you can die. Which will it be?"
"One more question," I said quickly. Ok, I was stalling. I made something up on the spot. "How did you play Eliza so perfectly?"
Diawna smiled and walked close to me. "Eliza," she said. "kept a diary. Faithfully. I stole it from Father over the summer vacation. Anything else, Draco? Or should I kill you now?"
I closed my eyes. "Why are you giving me a choice? Why didn’t you just kill me earlier? You’d never have given Harry time to think, I’d bet…"
Diawna sighed. "Ok… the truth is that I like you. You’re a Malfoy, you’re a Slytherin and a pureblood. You’ve got it made, and if you’d join me… you would be incredible. And… well, I like you. You’re so sweet and romantic… I loved your songs…"
Diawna closed her eyes. A dreamy expression crossed her face. "You fill up my senses… like a night in the forest… like the mountains in springtime… like a walk in the rain…"
"You…" I tried to lunge at her, and didn’t get anywhere. I gave up beating the Snape into pulp and swore at her instead. "That was Eliza’s!"
"Oh, come off it… I’m a perfect Eliza…" Diawna purred.
"You are not Eliza, and will never be Eliza," I spat.
Diawna laughed coldly. "You are so shallow… you never knew Eliza in the first place. I gave you a ‘perfect little angel’ routine and you swallowed it up. You guys think Eliza was perfect in every way, don’t you?"
"Better then you," I muttered darkly.
Diawna smiled, coming closer to me, then ran one hand down my face. I turned my head and tried to get as far away from Diawna as I could. "Draco, Eliza was guilty of murder by the time she was eleven years old. I’ve seen her deal out the crucatus curse like most people deal out insults. Eliza was not a perfect angel."
"Yeah, right," I sneered.
Diawna stepped even closer to me, so that our faces were only an inch away. She looked so much like my Eliza it hurt. "I take it you won’t be living, in that case. Pity… you were very good at kissing… no last kiss goodbye?" Diawna smiled a bit.
I tried to lunge at Diawna again. I didn’t get any further then I did the first time. Diawna sighed and walked back about thirty feet, then swung around a wicked grin spread over her face. Then she raised her wand.
I closed my eyes. Well, Eliza, I thought. Where ever you are, I hope you’re happy… I’ll be joining you soon…
"Infernobolum!" Diawna shouted.
I raised my head. A huge, red firebolt had shot out of Diawna’s wand, heading straight toward me. I was probably crying… I wasn’t sure.
Then… something strange happened. The firebolt slowed down, almost to a stop. I caught a glimpse of a strange figure that seemed all shadow… it looked like a girl, trying to stop the ball of fire.
"Eliza…" I hissed, then smiled slightly. Ok, I was about to be killed, and the only thing I could think of was that Eliza hadn’t really gone away… she’d been following me; even now she was trying to protect me.
The firebolt went through the shadow. I felt Eliza scream. The firebolt was probably still lethal… I’d still die… I shut my eyes, and my only thought was that I’d finally be with Eliza… finally…

* * *

"Harry!"
Harry swung around. There was no one in the halls. "Eliza?"
Diawna limped into the hall. Harry almost screamed. The skin on her arms was burnt almost black, and her robes were charred. "Voldemort… the infernobolum curse… help me…"
Then Diawna collapsed.
"Eliza!" Harry backed up, then ran for madam Pomfrey.
Within minutes Diawna had been taken to the hospital wing. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, crowded around her. "Will she be alright?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe…" Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "But she needs rest! You’re going to wake her up!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, then left the hospital wing (Madam Pomfrey was on the verge of throwing them out).
"So Voldemort’s back in the castle…" Harry shook his head. "Would it be too much to ask to have a nice, normal, dark arts-free year for a change?"
"Well, there was always our third year," Hermione said.
"And don’t say that name!" Ron shook his head. "Is it too much to ask for you to call him You-Know-Who just like everyone else?"
Harry acted as though he hadn’t heard Ron. "Third year I thought Sirius Black was out to kill me… plus there were the dementors…"
Hermione shrugged. "That’s the only year I can think of."
Harry frowned suddenly. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Sirius lately? I can’t find him anywhere."
Hermione frowned. "No… I don’t think so… Oh, I hope Eliza’s alright… I’m really worried about her…"
Ron stopped suddenly. "What if Eliza was lying?"

"What?" Harry and Hermione stopped as well.
"What if it wasn’t You-Know-Who that cursed her? What if it was someone else who had studied the dark arts and has a very, deep drudge against her?" Ron frowned.
"You’re not talking about… Draco… are you?" Hermione’s mouth was wide open. "Draco wouldn’t…"
"Would he?" Ron raised his eyebrows.
Hermione went dead white. Harry shook his head. "I don’t believe it could have been Draco… what about Diawna?"
"Eliza wouldn’t hesitate to blame Diawna, would she?" Ron frowned, then sighed. "We’ll ask Malfoy tomorrow. If he isn’t in class…"
Hermione and Harry glanced at each other. "We’ll ask," Harry said. "Then we’ll see."

Chapter Fifteen

"She’s so cute!" Hermione squealed.
Lily smiled, then glanced at James, who was beaming at her. Miranda raised one arm, then lowered it.
Harry glanced up from his little sister for a moment and glanced around the common room. "It’s almost time for breakfast…"
"I’ll skip. I want to see Miranda…" Hermione smiled. "Oooh! Look, her fingers are so tiny!"
Miranda, without a shadow of a doubt, must have been the cutest baby Harry had ever seen in his entire life. A tiny tuff of jet black hair lingered over her head (at a very strange angle, Harry noticed).
"Can I hold her?" Harry asked.
Lily nodded and gently set Miranda into Harry’s arms. Hermione leaned over and put one finger in Miranda’s hand.
Miranda clamped onto the finger instantly. Hermione tried to get her hand away. No use. Miranda had the tip of her finger in a death grip.
"Oooh, look, Hermione. I think she likes you!" Harry laughed as Miranda attempted to put Hermione’s finger in her mouth.
Hermione managed to get her finger out of Miranda’s grip just before she got slimed. "Miranda; the amazing Chinese finger trap," she muttered darkly. "Hey, Wyrren, you want to see Miranda too?"
Harry looked up at the necromancer. Wyrren gave half of a smile, then shook her head. "I prefer to keep my fingers slobber free, thank you just the same. And I have classes to get to."
"Wouldn’t you just know it, though?" James shook his head. "All that trouble finding a boy’s name, and she’s a girl. Typical…"
Lily laughed.
Miranda gave a little squeal. Harry gave her back to Lily. "It’s almost time for class… and I didn’t have any breakfast. Come on, Hermione…"
Hermione didn’t budge.
Harry sighed and leaned over her. "Points from Gryffindor," he muttered.
Hermione jumped up. "Right. Class. Let’s go."
James looked like he was trying not to laugh as he watched Hermione and Harry reluctantly leave the tower. Then he put an arm around Lily. "Let’s get going," he said, giving his wife a quick peck.
Lily nodded and followed James out of the Gryffindor common room, Miranda cradled in her arms.

* * *

"Harry…" Ron grabbed Harry’s arm on the way to their first class.
"Ron… what’s wrong?" Harry jerked his arm away.
"Malfoy! He’s not at breakfast… no one from the Slytherin house has seen him since last night…" Ron sighed. "And to make it worse, Eliza isn’t getting any better… Madam Pomfrey is going frantic… any sign of the mongoose, by the way?"
Harry shook his head and shrugged. "Come on… we got charms… we’ll worry about Draco later…"
Hermione sighed. "I still don’t think Draco would try to kill Eliza… honestly, Ron… he probably is just sulking under his invisibility cloak…"
Ron looked skeptical.

* * *

Told by Remus Lupin
I knocked quietly on the door. "Padfoot?"
There was no answer. I pushed the door open and stepped into Sirius’s room.
The place was a mess. Typical, actually, for Sirius, but this was getting above and beyond. The room looked like a hurricane had swept through it. You couldn’t even see what color the carpet was (if there was carpet. I wasn’t sure).
"Sirius, are you in here?" I felt uneasy, all of a sudden.
There was no answer. The place was deserted.
It had been four days since the quidditch match. No one had seen hide or hair of Sirius, in either form.
"Moony?"
I turned around. James looked around the room. "He isn’t here, is he, Moony?"
I shook my head. "What do you think happened to him? Sirius is never gone this long, he would have told us…"
James smiled a bit. "Ok, now you’re the one worrying me. Relax… Padfoot is probably playing some elaborate gag that involves use of the invisibility cloak and sneaking into the girl’s toilet to release various wild animals."
I laughed and told myself to calm down. James was right… I think. James tried to enter the room and tripped over a mountain of junk.
"I think Sirius needs a maid." I said, helping James up.
"He needs a wife to clean up after him, that’s what he needs. Don’t tell Lily I said that, by the way." James grinned. "Have you seen Miranda?"
I groaned a little. "Only seventy times or so since you got back, Prongs."
"Oh… right." James’s grin grew wider. "Want to come see her again?"
"You’re never going to give me peace until I agree, are you?" I somehow managed to make it back out of the room without breaking my neck. "Oh, fine. I’m coming."
"Good." James closed Sirius’s door. I watched his face carefully. As much as James tried to hide it, I could see that he was worried. "She’s so cute… she opened her eyes the other day. You know what color they were? Bright green, just like Lily’s."
I smiled. Those were the exact same words James had said when Harry was born. I seemed to remember James giving Harry advice when he was a few days old on how to control the wild hair he had inherited. "I’m coming, Prongs. I’m coming."

* * *

Told by Hermione Granger
It was almost a week since Draco had disappeared. Ron had most of the Gryffindors believing that Draco had sided with You-Know-Who, although Harry and I refused to believe that. I’m not sure what Wyrren was thinking… Wyrren never seemed to be around any more. I swear that girl studies more then I do.
I glanced over at Eliza’s bedside table. A small, folded piece of parchment was stuck under the corner of the lamp, and her bed was made neatly. I sighed. Eliza still hadn’t recovered from her injuries… Madam Pomfrey told us that she might be better in a few more days, though.
I glanced back over at the little ship of parchment under her lamp. Maybe it was a love letter… or the lyrics of a song… or something like that. I hesitated. I had been trying to resist reading that paper for days now… I kept thinking it was something… I don’t know… important.
Lavender laughed as she fell back on her bed. "Hey, Hermione!"
"Hmm?" I glanced at her. Lavender twirled her hair between her fingers. "Guess what?"
"What?" I asked, glancing back at the paper.
"I heard that Harry Potter has a crush on me. Isn’t that the coolest?!" Lavender erupted into giggles. "I mean, Harry… he’s so cute and brave and…"
"I get the point, Lavender," I interrupted. Honestly, if Harry had a crush on her I’d drop dead with shock. She probably went nuts after Harry asked her if she had a spare quill he could use.
"Anyway…" Lavender grinned. "I’m going to go tell Parvati and Sandra…"
"Go right ahead." I shook my head as Lavender raced out of the room. "Poor Harry…"
I gave the slip of paper one last look. Maybe… if it was obvious the writing wasn’t important… I could just put it back. No one would know…
I glanced back at the door to make sure Lavender was really gone. No one there. I sneaked over to Eliza’s bedstand, grabbed the paper, and rushed to my desk and unfolded it.
There was no tittle on the page. The text on the parchment was written sloppily, as though Eliza was in a great hurry.

There will be a time when you won’t just walk away, Severus. That time is coming soon.
A black haired man by the name of ‘Potter’ will be the dark Lord’s defeat and downfall.
One shall be Voldemort’s chosen heir, the other will die before she turns sixteen. One soul shall perish in agony, the other will live happily ever after.
Tragedy will strike on both sides on Halloween. The guilty will go free and the innocent will be condemned.
Eliza and Diawna were once the same person. Such they shall become again.
Only when the lightning and the fire stand against darkness together, as one, will the dark lord truly die. The lightning and the fire only; no more, no less.
KILL THE LIGHTNING!
Beware the pale dragon! It will be the end of us all!
The guardian of Hogwarts will come in the form of a mongoose.
More power then any ever seen before will be given to the ghost girl, who is light descended from darkness.
The scholar of Hogwarts and the Parselmouth of Gryffindor will be the spoils of the great battle of water and fire, lightning and thunder.
The Watcher’s chains will be loosened soon. When they are, such terror shall spread over the land like nothing ever seen before or will be seen ever again. It will be the year of the thunder and the water, to battle the lightning and the fire.
I frowned. I was familiar with some of the prophecies on the top of the page… but some of these didn’t make one bit of sense. The lightning and the fire? You-Know-Who is going to die in a storm? I shook my head, grabbed the paper, and ran to the library.
Chapter Sixteen
Harry Potter was talking to Ron when Hermione rushed in, her face red, holding seven or so books, and wearing a look of triumph on her face. "Harry!"
Harry stood up. "What? Don’t tell me, you’ve found some new, unexplored branch of magic and you’re going to read every book on it in the next few hours. Right?"
Hermione shook her head. "No… it’s… your scar!" Hermione pointed to Harry’s forehead.
Harry groaned. "Oh, no, not you too. Hermione…"
"No… I found a prophecy with you in it… I think, any ways… read this…" Hermione shoved Diawna’s parchment at Harry.
"The lightning and the fire? Who’s the fire?" Harry frowned.
"Well… how about Ron? His hair is the color of fire." Hermione glanced at Ron, who had come to stand right next to Harry.
"Hey, look, here’s reference to the mongoose, and here’s Wyrren, the ghost girl… where did you find this, Hermione?"
"Eliza’s bedside table…" Hermione hesitated. "I figured I’d just see what it was… in case it was important…"
"What on earth are they talking about, the battles of lightning and thunder, fire and water?" Ron frowned. "I don’t get it…"
"Um… Hermione?" Harry had gone extremely white.
"What?" Hermione glanced up.
"What does this mean, the Watcher’s chains will be loosened?"
Hermione smiled smugly. "That’s why I brought this." The table shook slightly as Hermione dropped the enormous book on it. "There’s a chapter on the watcher here somewhere… I haven’t read it yet, I just thought this would be interesting... here it is."
Ron leaned over the book and read aloud. "The Watcher has been known to interfere with the human world for as long as great historians can remember. She usually wrecks havoc in times of peace and prosperity, some say for the thrill of watching a drama. Others insist that the Watcher is working for a greater being, who’s actions are unclear. Whichever this is, it is known that there is only one way to stop the Watcher from intervening. You must make the Watcher bind her own power herself."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other. Then Ron continued reading.
"The Watcher, however, is very intelligent and crafty. She is not one to be fooled by human tricks or such. There is only one known way to make the Watcher bind her own power, and that is to make her indebted to you. Once in your dept she is powerless to interfere any longer with human affairs.
"The Watcher is currently in debt of Mr. James Potter. No other. If Potter chooses to cancel his debt, undoubtedly chaos would ensue…"
Ron stopped reading. Harry looked terrified.
Hermione read over the prophecy again. "The Watcher’s chains will be loosened soon. When they are, such terror shall spread over the land like nothing ever seen before or will be seen ever again. It will be the year of the thunder and the water, to battle the lightning and the fire."
"Well…" Harry said slowly. "This isn’t going to be good…" his face was dead white. "So… so that would make everything… my fault?"
Hermione and Ron didn’t answer.
"The lightning and the fire… we’re going to go two on one with Voldemort?" Harry glanced at Ron.
Ron frowned. "But… it also says that the spoils of the great battle will be the parselmouth of Gryffindor and the scholar of Hogwarts. Well, we all know who the scholar of Hogwarts is," Ron grinned and glanced up at Hermione. "But Harry’s the Parselmouth of Gryffindor so… how can he be the lightning? You can’t fight the battle and be spoils of the battle at the same time. That just doesn’t make sense."
"The parselmouth of Gryffindor doesn’t have to be Harry," Hermione crossed her arms. "What if it’s Eliza? She’s a parselmouth, and she’s in Gryffindor."
"You know…" Ron ran one hand through his hair. "We’re just kind of assuming all these things are going to come true. Why are we getting so worried about all this?"
"Because every single one of Dredolreis’s predictions have come true," Hermione said. "Remember what happened last year? When I told Eliza that I thought the prophecy was nonsense?"
"I have an idea," Harry said. "How about we just forget these predictions until Eliza gets out of the hospital wing. Maybe she can explain them."
Harry nodded. Ron hesitated, then agreed, taking one last glance at the parchment. "The great battle of water and fire, lightning and thunder… Hermione?"
Hermione looked up. "What?"
Ron folded up the paper. "I think we’re going to have to study a lot harder."

* * *

Diawna Eliza Snape was let out of the hospital wing a week later (although Madam Pomfrey wanted her to stay longer). Ron immediately ran up to her and asked who had been the one to curse her as soon as Diawna entered the Gryffindor common room.
"Voldemort…" Diawna crossed her arms. "I thought you knew that."
Ron crossed his arms. "Are you sure it was You-Know-Who?"
Diawna frowned. "Who else would it be?"
Ron sighed. "I was thinking… Draco hasn’t been seen since you were cursed…"
"You think Draco was the one to curse me?" Diawna gave a fake laugh. "Why would you think that?"
Ron frowned darkly. "You know, Eliza, you are really, really bad at lying."
Diawna slumped. "Ron… please… don’t tell anyone… I don’t want them to know…"
Ron frowned. "Eliza… I don’t want anyone to hurt you… you know that… especially not Draco. And if that slimy worm has done something to you, I want him to pay."
Diawna smiled. "Thanks, Ron."
"Oh, and before I forget, Hermione found a piece of paper on your bedstand…"
Diawna blinked. "You weren’t supposed to find that," she muttered.
"Those were your mother’s predictions?" Ron asked.
"Some of them. There’s one more that I found right before Draco… before I got into the hospital wing."
Ron sat down on one of the chairs in the tower. "What did that say?"
Diawna took a deep breath. "The Green and the Gold intertwined shall,"
"Shall what?" Ron asked.
"That’s it. Apperently Dredolreis was killed before she could finish." Diawna shrugged. "Where’s Hermione and Harry?"
"Studying." Ron looked away. "Hermione’s convinced that Harry’s the lightning the prophecy talks about, so she’s making him read pretty much every book about defense against the dark arts that’s ever been published."
Diawna shook her head. "Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor, will you?"
"What?"
"Never. EVER. Say the word ‘prophecy’ around me, will you?" Diawna’s eyes narrowed.
"Oh. Right. Sorry." Ron sighed, then got up. "Eliza, I’m going to go down to the library. I’ll see you at dinner tonight, alright?"
Diawna nodded and watched Ron as he left the tower, then glanced at Wyrren in the back of the room, reading her book.
Soon… she promised herself. Soon.

* * *

"Harry!" Ron shouted.
Madam Pince looked outraged. "This is a library, Mr. Weasley! No shouting!"
"Oh… sorry," Ron apologized and ran to the back of the room, where Harry and Hermione were studying. "Harry!"
"What?" Harry glanced up from his book.
"I just had this idea… what are the tittles of the missing books?" Ron glanced at the restricted section.
Hermione frowned. "Well… you could ask Madam Pince…"
Ron sat down. "You’d have better luck asking her then I would… she likes you, Hermione…"
Hermione shrugged, got out of her seat, and walked to the librarian’s desk. A minute later she came back with a scrap of parchment in her hand.
"You got it?" Ron craned his neck to look over Hermione’s arm at the paper.
Hermione nodded and sat back down, pushing the paper in front of them so the boys could read it.

Dark Necromancy and Defense Against the Powers of the Undead
Black Spells and Unforgivables, a Complete Guide to Illegal Curses
The Art of Blocking the Powers of Necromancers
Animagi
How To Become an Animagus
Spells You Won’t Survive

"I think I’m seeing a pattern here." Ron said dryly.
"Oh, really?" Hermione said sarcastically. "I hadn’t noticed."
"Hermione… Ron…" Harry read over the list. "Animagus, the dark arts, and necromancy. Now, who do we know who would want to read a book on black necromancy and animagus?"
"You don’t think… Wyrren wouldn’t…" Ron sighed. "I still think it’s Draco. Eliza herself said it was Draco to fire that curse at her… I forget the name…"
"The Infernobolum curse," Hermione said, then slumped. "Eliza said it… was… Draco?"
Ron nodded.
"Maybe… maybe someone was taking polyjuice potion… or maybe… maybe Eliza just thought it was Draco… or… or…"
"Hermione." Ron frowned.
"Draco wouldn’t do that!" Hermione squealed. "I know he wouldn’t!"
Harry didn’t say anything. He just sat there looking… betrayed.
"Harry?" Ron turned to him.
"But… Draco was my friend…" Harry shook his head slowly, then jumped up. "I’m going to go see my mum and dad. See you at dinner!" With that, he turned around and fled the library as fast as he could.

* * *

Wyrren Malfoy was up late studying, weeks later, during the Easter holidays. Almost everyone from the school had gone home, and that was something. At least Wyrren wouldn’t have to put up with the girls from her dormitory giggling, showing each other their Easter candy, and every now and then throwing dirty looks at Wyrren.
"Are you going to go to bed, anytime soon?" Justin loomed up and crossed his arms. "It’s almost one in the morning."
Wyrren yawned a bit and checked her watch. "I suppose…" she said slowly, packing up her book.
Justin nodded. "I’ll be roaming around the school, if you need me. Maybe I’ll stop by Moaning Myrtle’s toilet or something…"
Wyrren rubbed her eyes, picked up her bag, and walked to her empty room, wondering briefly why she didn’t study in this room in the first place. Wyrren had just gotten in bed when Justin reappeared. "Wyrren!"
"What now?" Wyrren groaned.
"Someone let a death eater in the tower! Hurry… they’re probably coming for you!" Justin glanced at the door again.
Wyrren’s face went blank and emotionless at once and got out of bed. "Who let the death eater in?"
Justin shook his head. "I don’t know… whoever it was was using an invisibility cloak… hurry!"
"Justin, go to the boy’s dormitory, and wake up Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, as well as any seventh year that might be staying for the holidays. I’ll get Hermione and Eliza. We need people who can think on their feet." Wyrren stood up and ran up the stairs. "Hermione, Eliza, wake up!"
Hermione groaned and opened her eyes. Diawna didn’t even move. Wyrren sighed and extended one hand toward the sleeping girls.
Diawna and Hermione both jumped up at once. "Wyrren! That hurt!" Diawna moaned.
"There is a death eater in the tower." Wyrren said, closed her eyes, and concentrated on making Justin solid.
"Wyrren, you’ve turned into a ghost again," Diawna put one hand through the necromancer.
Hermione blinked. "Eliza, come on, get your wand! That death eater could be here any second!"
"Hmm? Oh, right." Diawna grabbed her wand. "Sorry, I’m still asleep."
There was a distant sound of breaking glass. Hermione and Diawna both ran down the stairs, where a tall, black robed figure was picking all the shattered glass out of the window.
Harry and Ron jumped into the tower a moment behind them. The figure turned around and jumped back.
Wyrren appeared a moment later behind them.
"Back away from the window," Harry pointed his wand at the figure.
The figure stared at them for a moment, then raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry managed to dodge the jet of green light.
Ron was dead before he hit the floor.
Chapter Seventeen

Told by Wyrren Malfoy
"Ron! No!" Harry stared at his best friend. The figure in black jumped out of the window and flew off on a broomstick. No one really noticed.
"Ron…" Hermione stared at him. "No! Oh, no, no, no, no, no…"
"Wyrren!" Harry turned to me. "You said you could bring back recent victims of ‘Avada Kedavra’, didn’t you?"
I looked at Ron solemnly. "I prefer the dead to the living…" I said quietly.
Harry leapt up. "Wyrren Malfoy, if you do not bring Ron back to life, I swear I will kill you. See if you prefer being dead."
I sighed and nodded. "Stand aside, Harry. And prepare to cast the life giving charm. I might kill myself if this isn’t done exactly right."
Harry, Hermione, and Eliza nodded. I closed her eyes, knelt down beside Ron’s body, and started a chant in the ancient tongue of the necromancer.
Oh wandering free, return
Return to the land of the living, oh wandering free
Your work here is not yet done
Return
Return to me
Return
…Return…
There! The spirit of Ron stared at me. Ok… I got the spirit back… now for the tricky part… binding the spirit back with its body…
I started shaking. I was loosing power fast. I kept on going.
A minute later I knew I was running out of time. Ron’s spirit had been put back into his body, and bound, but the body was still dead…
Breath… I ordered. At the same time I gave his body a jolt of life and started his heart back up.
Ron gasped for air and closed his eyes. I gave myself a small smile of triumph. I had done it… I had done it…
I stood up… and everything went black.

* * *

Diawna was ready to catch Wyrren when she fell. "Did it work? Is he alive?"
Harry checked Ron’s pulse. "She did it," he said, laughing with relief. Hermione threw her arms around Harry and hugged him as tightly as she could.
"Hermione… get off!" Harry struggled against Hermione’s bear hug.
"He’s alive!" Hermione was crying. "Wyrren! She did it!"
"You guys…" Diawna looked at the unconscious necromancer. "Look, you two take care of Ron. I’m taking Wyrren to the hospital wing, ok?"
"Right… get going, Eliza," Harry said.
Diawna nodded and carried Wyrren out of the tower. Harry never saw the look of triumph on her face.

* * *

"What happened?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione had carried him to his bed, where he was now laying like a rag doll.
"You died, that’s what happened." Hermione shuttered. "Do me a favor, Ron. Never do that again… you scared me so badly…"
Ron smiled a bit. "I swear, Hermione, I will not try and get myself killed. Wyrren brought me back, didn’t she? Kinda cool, though… being a ghost… I’m going to have to try that again sometime… I’m kidding, Hermione."
"You’d better be," Hermione muttered.
"So," Harry said. "What was heaven like?"
"Harry!" Hermione looked furious.
"Rather nice, actually. Huge mansions of off white stone covered in ivy with huge fountains and forests that look like they belong in Brazil… roads all in gold… mind you, I didn’t get more then a glimpse of it before Wyrren called me back…" Ron sighed. "I really would have had a great time there…"
"Ron!" Hermione crossed her arms.
"I’m kidding! Actually, I am very glad to be back, because I found something out while I was there." Ron tried to sit up, then collapsed back on the bed.
"I thought you only got a glimpse of it." Harry raised his eyebrows.
"Time works differently there. Well, Sirius and Draco aren’t dead, and this really good looking angel I asked said that Draco would be in heaven if he was dead, so I’m thinking Eliza’s mind got a little messed up when she got cursed." Ron yawned. "Is it just me, or does dying really make you tired?"
"No… you’re tired because it’s one in the morning," Hermione checked her watch. "I hope Eliza has sense to wake up Professor Dumbledore…"
"Don’t worry… she will…" Harry yawned. Hermione nodded and went back to bed.

* * *

Lord Voldemort twirled his wand between his fingers. Silver moonlight illuminated the meadow and some of the trees surrounding the glade. One of the death eaters on Voldemort’s right rustled his cloak with impatience.
"She will be here on time, Lucius," Voldemort muttered.
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius glanced at the other five death eaters. None of them moved.
A minute passed. Voldemort frowned a bit. Suddenly Diawna appeared from nowhere. In her arms was the limp form of a young girl with hair that matched the moonlight.
"I have the necromancer, my lord," Diawna announced, setting Wyrren at Voldemort’s feet.
Voldemort’s eyes narrowed. "Is she alive?"
"She’s exhausted her powers, my lord, but she is alive." Diawna answered.
Voldemort grinned wickedly and raised his wand. Two silver manacles appeared out of midair, then bound themselves on Wyrren’s wrists. Wyrren jumped, as though the bracelets had hurt her, then lay still.
"Diawna, do you see the post over there?" Voldemort gestured behind her.
Diawna turned. "Yes, my Lord."
Voldemort gestured at Wyrren. "Tie her up, then wake her."
Diawna nodded deeply. "Yes, my Lord."
Diawna floated Wyrren to the post, then tied her hands and feet around it, so that Wyrren could still move a bit, but not escape. The necromancer showed no signs of waking up.
Diawna pointed her wand at Wyrren and muttered an incantation. Wyrren jerked, then opened her eyes.
"Go back to the school, Diawna," Voldemort hissed. "You are free to kill whatever student or teacher you wish now. You have served me well."
Diawna smiled and curtsied. "Yes, my lord." Then, without another word, she apperated away.
Voldemort got up slowly and approached Wyrren. Wyrren didn’t move, and she showed no surprise of waking up in a strange field next to the greatest dark wizard ever to live.
Voldemort gave a fake bow to Wyrren. "Good morning, necromancer. Would you believe that I’ve been waiting for months to meat you?"
Wyrren didn’t answer.
"Now, excuse me for being blunt, but will you join me and take your place with the death eaters?" Voldemort wore a twisted smile.
"No."
"No? Is that all you’re going to say?" Voldemort shook his head, as though Wyrren were an ill-mannered child. "Perhaps you don’t realize what will happen if you don’t join me? Do you know what I can do to you?"
Wyrren cried out in pain. Voldemort’s nasty grin grew wider. "Oh, I should have told you. I’ve bound your powers of necromancy, meaning there will be no calling of ghosts, no animating corpses to come to your rescue, and no undead based power spells."
Wyrren didn’t answer.
"Now, back to my original question. Do you know what I can do to you if you do not join me?"
Wyrren nodded, looking over Voldemort’s shoulder at her father. Lucius did nothing.
"Are you sure?" Voldemort lowered his hood. Wyrren’s face didn’t change at all. "Or perhaps I should give you a sample. Crucio!"
Wyrren let out a scream that didn’t even sound human. It was too high and ghost like. After a few seconds, Voldemort removed the curse.
"Now what is your answer, oh brave necromancer?"
"The same as before," Wyrren said.
"Crucio!"
This time the curse brought Wyrren to her knees. Tears that didn’t look like they belonged on her face coursed down her white face.
"And your answer now?"
Wyrren gritted her teeth with pain and determination. "The. Same. As. Before."
"Crucio!"
Wyrren sagged. The only thing keeping her from falling on the ground was the robes that bound her to the pole.
"Now, necromancer, what is your answer?" Voldemort hissed.
Wyrren shook up shakily. "My answer… is… still… no… Torture me all you like… it will still be no…"
Voldemort looked at the pale girl for a minute, then turned away. "Kill her," he snapped to one of the death eaters.
"Yes, my lord." Lucius bowed and turned to Wyrren.
Wyrren lifted her head. "However…"
"Hold, Lucius," Voldemort snapped. "However?"
Wyrren took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "It… would… be like you… Voldemort… to have someone else kill me… bound… One would almost think that you were afraid of me… silly, really. The man who has proclaimed himself the greatest wizard in the world is afraid to face a second year girl…" Wyrren shrugged. "Have it your way…"
Voldemort stiffened. "Lucius?"
Lucius bowed. "My Lord?"
"Untie the girl, but do not release her manacules. So, Necromancer, you believe that I fear you?" Voldemort paused for a moment. "I fear nothing. In fact, I’ll prove it to you. I’ll fight you with out my wand. Lucius? The girl’s wand? Her hand? Must I be blunt?"
Lucius bowed and untied his daughter, then handed the girl her wand. Wyrren looked at it for a second, then put the wand down on the ground. "If we are to fight, Voldemort, I prefer it to be on equal grounds."
Voldemort shrugged. "Have it your way."
Wyrren closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Voldemort turned himself into a king cobra, then slowly approached the girl.
Wyrren smiled… and turned herself into a small, white mongoose.
There was a gasp from the death eaters. Wyrren didn’t pay any attention to them. She was the mongoose.
"Riki-tiki-tiki-tiki-tiki!" she screamed.
The snake hissed and lunged at her. Wyrren jumped aside. Wait… wait until the snake makes a mistake, then strike. Not before.
The snake lunged again at Wyrren, getting a mouthful of fur this time.
Wyrren danced a few feet away from the snake.
Voldemort rose himself up several feet, as tall as he could go, then made a huge leap for the mongoose.
But the mongoose wasn’t here anymore.
Wyrren jumped and bit the snake just under the hood, like she had done to the last snake she had fought.
Voldemort brought his tail and looped it around the necromancer. Wyrren, sensing she was about to be crushed like a mouse facing a python sprang away from Voldemort and ran into the woods as fast as her legs would take her. Lucius and the other death eaters ran to help their master, who had regained human form and was screaming, "Kill the necromancer! Kill her!"
Wyrren allowed herself a small smile as she fled deeper and deeper into the woods. Not this time…
Chapter Eighteen
"Eliza, where’s Wyrren?" Harry asked when he came back for breakfast the next morning.
"What? What do you mean? She’s in the hospital wing, where I left her." Diawna frowned. "Hang on, are you telling me that Wyrren isn’t there now?"
Harry nodded.
Ron, who was being very clumsy today (Hermione said it must have been a side effect from dying) accidentally spilled his orange juice on the table.
"Oh, here, Ron," Hermione handed Ron a napkin and helped sop up the mess.
"Wyrren isn’t in the hospital wing? Normally after overusing her powers she’s in there for days…" Ron stood up, staggered a bit, but caught himself. "I’m going to go see madam Pomfrey."
Diawna stood up as well. "I’ll come too… I have a bad feeling about this…"
Ron nodded at Diawna and raced for the hospital wing, which looked deserted. "Madam Pomfrey?"
No answer.
"Madam Pomfrey? Where are you?" Diawna paced up and down the empty infirmary. "Ron, there is no one here… not even the nurse…"
Ron shook his head. "More disappearances? More? First Draco and Sirius and Wyrren now Madam Pomfrey."
"You’re forgetting Slyther, Glen, and Neptune." Diawna remarked.
"Oh, great. At a time like this, you’re thinking of snakes, Eliza."
"I like snakes! Is that a crime?" Diawna crossed her arms. "Maybe Professor Dumbledore knows where they are."
Ron nodded. "And we have potions later today… can’t forget that…"
Diawna winced. "I hate potions…"
"Yes, Eliza. I know. Come on… something weird is going on…" Ron sighed and stepped out of the hospital wing.
The first thing he did was run into a fifth year girl, who jumped back in surprise and smiled shyly. At least Ron thought it was a shy smile. Diawna noticed she had the look of a prankster just before a joke was pulled.
"You know her, Ron?" Diawna asked.
"Me? No… not really…" Ron glanced at Diawna. "Eliza, why are we going this way?" Ron glanced at the closest door, which he recognized as Moaning Myrtle’s toilet.
Diawna glanced up and down the halls. No one in sight. She pulled out her wand. "Sorry Ron," Diawna smiled. "Stupefy!"
"What-" Ron fell backwards, stunned.
Diawna smiled sweetly. Ron looked horrified as Diawna took him down into the chamber of secrets, behind the electric blue prison, laid him down between Draco and Sirius, whispered her real name to him, and gave him the draught of the living dead.

* * *

By the end of the week, the school was in a panic. Students randomly disappeared, with no trace of where they had gone.
By the end of the month, it was Professor Snape who had vanished, along with Neville, Seamus, Cho Chang, Pansy Parkinson, Hannah Abbot, and Professor Flitwick.
"Who is doing this?!" Harry shook his head. "Where is Wyrren?! And Ron and Draco and Sirius and Madam Pomfrey and even Snape?!"
"Harry, finish your homework," Hermione said, then shut her book. "You’re right… I can’t think either.
"But… what if…" Harry shoved his books away from him. "What if something happens to my mum? Or Miranda… she’s only two months old… she can’t do anything…"
"I don’t know…" Diawna grinned. "Miranda has turbo-slobber. Plus, she’s also the human Chinese finger trap."
Hermione whacked Diawna with a pillow. "This is serious, Eliza!"
"What about Sirius? That looks like a pillow. Sorry!" Diawna groaned. "I make a lot of really bad jokes when I’m nervous, ok? Now my dad’s gone… I don’t have any other relatives! Well… unless you count Voldemort and Diawna, which I personally don’t. I’m going to have to spend the summer in some stupid muggle orphanage."
Harry shuddered. "I know what that feels like… what if Sirius isn’t found by my birthday? I’ll have to go back to the Dursleys…"
Hermione winced. "You know what really bugs me? It’s the thought that if we had that map with us… right now, we would know exactly who is doing this! But, no, someone got there one step ahead of us, so now…" Hermione frowned suddenly. "Harry… exactly who of everyone you know, knows about this map?"
Harry frowned. "Fred and George… you, Ron, Draco, Eliza, Sirius, my dad, Professor Lupin… maybe my mum… Professor Snape maybe… Wormtail… I think that’s about it."
Hermione nodded. "Fred and George aren’t here anymore. You know I didn’t steal that map, and Ron, Snape, Draco, and Sirius have all disappeared…" Hermione frowned. "So all that leaves is your mum… Lupin… your dad, Wormtail, and Eliza… hang on, I’m going to go to the library! I just realized something!" Hermione jumped from her chair and ran to the portrait hole.
"But my mum, dad, and Lupin wouldn’t have taken it." Harry crossed his arms, forgetting that Hermione had just left the room.
"Excuse me?" Diawna looked very offended. "If you could please add me to the list of people who wouldn’t take that map?"
Harry blinked. "Wormtail is too cowardly to enter the tower… he just wouldn’t do it… Crookshanks would kill him before he could get close to the map, which just leaves…"
"You’re not accusing me?!" Diawna stood up. "Harry Potter, what is wrong with you?"
Harry stood up as well, frowning. "Eliza… if you don’t mind me asking… exactly how did you come back to life?"
"Harry…" Diawna took a step back.
"Draco never did break up with you, did he?" Harry crossed his arms. "You did that to make sure we wouldn’t listen to anything he told us… that was because he found something out about you that you didn’t want known, wasn’t it? Juliy… she saw you up close on the broomstick… a few days later, she turned up dead. Coincidence, Eliza?"
"Harry, I don’t know what…"
"Or should I be calling you Diawna?" Harry finished, his hair standing up in rebellion.
"Oh, honestly, Harry!" Diawna crossed her arms. Her face was beat red. "If I was Diawna, how did I know everyone in this castle the first day I arrived? How did I find my way to every class perfectly on time without getting lost? And, while we’re at it, Dean saw me in the tower when Diawna attacked you. So don’t be blaming me for your stupid problems!"
Harry didn’t step away. "I’m sure that you would have found a way past all those problems. The snakes all disappeared at the start of school. Why? Because they knew Eliza. They knew what she smelled like. They would have recognized you and told me the moment they saw you. Same with Sirius. He’s smelled you both before Eliza died. Those books from the library… they were on dark curses and how to block the power of necromancers. You did something to keep Wyrren from sensing Eliza, didn’t you?"
Diawna put her hands behind her back and stepped backwards another pace… "Harry…"
Harry crossed his arms. "What?"
Diawna pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Relinquo!"
Harry dropped to the floor. The entire common room was torn apart, accompanied by a blast that left his ears ringing. The floor was shaking, and stone and planks of wood were falling everywhere. After a few seconds, Harry jumped back up.
The portrait hole was open.
Diawna was gone.

* * *

Wyrren Malfoy stopped her hike and stared at Hogwarts. Even from the cliff she was standing on, she had never seen a prettier sight.
One of the towers suddenly blew up. Wyrren blinked, then ran towards the school as fast as she could, every once in a while stopping to glare at the silver bracelets clamped onto her wrists.

* * *

Hermione ran to the library, then stopped dead. A distant rumbling sounded through the castle, like thunder.
"James Potter has gone a little too far this time…" she muttered.
"Hermione!"
Hermione turned around. "Eliza…? What’s wrong? What was that noise?"
"Hermione, you’ve got to come with me, Harry’s in trouble! Diawna’s in the school, and she’s in the chamber of secrets! Harry’s heading there now, he seems to think he can win a one on one fight against Diawna!"
Hermione winced. "Oh no… what are you waiting for? Let’s go!"
Diawna nodded. "I’ll open the chamber of secrets for you. Come on!"
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then raced after Diawna. "Why is Harry going after Diawna? He could be killed! Why don’t we just go after a teacher!"
"By then it will be too late! I don’t want to stop Diawna, I want to keep Harry from killing himself, and he won’t listen to me!" Diawna opened the door to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom and hissed at the faucet. The sink disappeared, revealing the entrance to the chamber of secrets.
"I don’t know… Eliza, I’ve never been into the chamber of secrets…" Hermione hesitated.
"It’s not that bad…" Diawna looked at the tunnel. "really, Harry took me down there once."
Hermione glanced down the tunnel, shut her eyes, and slid down. Diawna followed after her, smiling slightly. This was just too easy.

* * *

Harry ran out of the tower as fast as his legs could take him, not really paying any attention as to where he was going.
"Harry!"
Harry turned. "Dad… have you seen Eliza?!"
"Harry… come on. It’s… just, come on…" James looked around and ran down the hall. Harry followed him.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
James led him into the great hall, where a huge crowd of students were sitting on the ground. Teachers were prowling everywhere, and whispers erupted from everyone as soon as Harry and James entered the room.
"That," James pointed at the ceiling.
Normally the ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside. Now it was dark, with swirling black clouds looming behind blood red letters:
HARRY POTTER. THIS IS THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN. COME ALONE TO THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.
SIRIUS BLACK, RONALD WEASLEY, HERMIONE GRANGER, DRACO MALFOY, POPPY POMFREY, SEVERUS SNAPE, REMUS LUPIN, LILY POTTER, MIRANDA POTTER, CHO CHANG, NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM, DAVID YOUNG, SLYTHER, SEAMUS FINNIGAN, GLEN, TIMOTHY FLITWICK, NEPTUNE, PANSY PARKINSON, HANNAH ABBOT, DENIS CREEVY, MINERVA MCGONAGALL, AND GINNY WEASLEY.
USE YOUR IMAGINATION. I COULD HAVE A LOT OF FUN WITH THEM BEFORE THEY DIE.
-DIAWNA ELIZA SNAPE

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it. "She… she’s got Miranda? And mum? And… and…"
James said nothing.
Harry turned to the hall. "I’m going to the chamber of secrets. Alone. I’m going to get them back."
"You don’t have to…" James put one hand on Harry’s shoulder.
"I know. Don’t try to follow me. I’m going to the chamber of secrets." Harry turned and left the room. No one tried to follow.
After a few minutes of silence, the doors burst open again. Wyrren Malfoy entered the room. Her normally beautiful golden white hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks, and her robes were torn and dirty. "Professor, what is going on?" Wyrren asked.
Dumbledore looked up at the ceiling. Wyrren followed his gaze, then noticed the words were changing. They now read:

SIRIUS BLACK, RONALD WEASLEY, HERMIONE GRANGER, DRACO MALFOY, POPPY POMFREY, SEVERUS SNAPE, REMUS LUPIN, LILY POTTER, MIRANDA POTTER, CHO CHANG, NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM, DAVID YOUNG, SLYTHER, SEAMUS FINNIGAN, GLEN, TIMOTHY FLITWICK, NEPTUNE, PANSY PARKINSON, HANNAH ABBOT, DENIS CREEVY, MINERVA MCGONAGALL, GINNY WEASLEY, AND HARRY POTTER.
-DIAWNA ELIZA SNAPE
Chapter Nineteen
"Open," Harry hissed.
The sink vanished, revealing the entrance to the chamber of secrets. Harry hesitated a moment, his Dad’s voice coming back to him. "You don’t have to do this…"
Harry shut his eyes for a moment, and slid down the tunnel. The sink closed behind him.
Somehow, though, the tunnel didn’t seem nearly as dirty as it had last year. Harry walked past the basilisk skin, past the rat bones, past the pile of rubble that had been left there in his second year, until at last he stood before the huge doors and the stone snakes.
"Open," Harry hissed.
The snakes hissed softly and the door opened slowly. The room beyond was almost totally black, with only a strange blue fog giving the chamber any light at all. On the far side of the chamber…
"Mum!" Harry raced to the blue prison. He could see Lily inside, Sirius, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Miranda, even Professor Snape. None of them were moving, and Draco’s face was covered with dry blood.
"Harry Potter."
Harry swung around. There was no one there, but Diawna’s voice echoed again and again through the chamber.
"What do you want from me, Diawna?" Harry looked around.
"Me? I have come to challenge you to a wizard’s duel. If I win, you get to watch your friends and family die very, very painful deaths."
"And if I refuse?" Harry was still looking for the girl. "They already look pretty dead to me,"
"Oh, don’t be silly, Harry. That’s only the draught of the living dead." Diawna threw Draco’s invisibility cloak off her and slapped Harry as hard as she could. "And if you refuse, then I kill you last, Potter. I thought I might as well offer you a fighting chance."
Harry staggered back. Diawna smiled. Her hair had been let out of it’s usual bun, and now it was flying all over the place. The blue light combined with her impossible beauty made her look like some evil goddess. Diawna drew her wand.
Harry drew his wand as well. Diawna dipped her head as though bowing to Harry. Harry didn’t move.
"No bow, Harry?" Diawna shook her head slowly. "Very well. Have it your way. Crucio!"
Harry jumped to the side just in time.
Diawna smiled. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry’s wand went flying… then came right back to him.
"Scared, are we, Harry?" Diawna smiled.
"Stupefy!"
Diawna blocked it. "Imperio!"
Harry stiffened… then broke the curse. "That was sick, Diawna."
Diawna shrugged. "I thought it couldn’t hurt."
"Glettorious!"
Again, Diawna blocked it. "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry dove out of the way.
"Crucio!" Diawna finished.
Harry screamed and fell on the ground. Diawna watched him with a sick smile on her face for a minute, then removed the curse.
Harry didn’t get up.
Diawna started laughing. "So, Harry Potter, is this a surrender?"
No answer.
Diawna smiled and raised her wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.
Diawna’s wand spun into the darkness.
Diawna stared at Harry, who was advancing on her, then sank slowly to her knees. "What are you going to do to me, Harry?"
Harry winced. Diawna looked so much like Eliza it was disturbing. "I’ll think about that later, Diawna. How do you open the prison?"
"Draco Dormiens," Diawna whispered. "Stick your wand in the wall, and say Draco Dormiens."
Harry grabbed Diawna by the shoulders. "You can open it yourself."
Diawna closed her eyes and walked with Harry to the blue prison. "I need your wand."
Harry held his wand out, but didn’t let go.
Diawna pushed him towards the blue wall. Harry grabbed her arm and swung her in front of him. Diawna screamed and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Harry stuck his wand in the wall. "Draco Dormiens," he whispered.
The blue force field flickered, then died.
"Harry!" Glen smiled broadly and raced towards him.
"Glen!" Harry scooped up the snake. "Glen, you and Neptune go get Dumbledore. Open the chamber up for them, got it?"
Glen nodded. "Neptune!"
"Coming!" Neptune grinned at Harry, which was rather amusing, as Neptune was about the size of a large earthworm. "It took you long enough! Thanks!"
Harry nodded. "Get going, quickly! Diawna might wake up again!"
"Got it!" Neptune grinned at Harry. "Oh… by the way… I’ve only eaten one mouse in the past ten months or so, and I’m starving. You think you could get me a bug or something to munch on?"
Harry sighed and turned a pebble on the floor into a cricket, where Neptune happily pounced on it, then raced after Glen.


The teachers rushed into the chamber as soon as Glen opened the doors for them, only to find Harry standing in front of a cauldron, finishing an antidote for the draught of the living dead.
"Harry!" James ran up to Harry and scooped him into a giant bear hug.
"Dad! I’ve got to finish this… potions isn’t exactly my best subject…" Harry stirred the potion more.
"Where’d you get the cauldron?" James asked. Dumbledore smiled slightly and waved his wand casually, lighting up the entire room.
"Summoned it. If Professor Snape hadn’t been captured he’d throw a fit…" Harry grinned. "I think it’s almost done now…"
James shook his head with amazement. "You, Harry, are amazing."
Harry grinned and ladled up a spoon of the potion. "Professor Dumbledore, Diawna’s stunned and tied up over there. You might want to lock her up."
Dumbledore nodded.
Harry started giving the people the antidote (starting with Pansy Parkinson, just in case he had got it wrong). James and the remaining teachers helped.
Within minutes everyone was waking up. Harry led them out of the chamber and into of Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, but stayed behind to talk to Draco.
"You’ve got blood on your face, Malfoy." Harry handed Draco his handkerchief.
"I noticed," Draco said dryly. "Sheesh, this is probably going to leave a scar… there goes all my good looks."
Hermione giggled. Ron, standing beside her, rolled his eyes and said something about Draco never having any good looks in the first place. Moaning Myrtle was clearly ignoring them (apperantly she was rather sore that they were still alive). Draco got Harry’s handkerchief wet and rubbed at his face.
"Hey… Draco, Harry," Hermione looked puzzled.
Draco and Harry turned. "What?"
Hermione’s face went dead white. "Draco… Harry… your scars!"
Harry glanced at Draco. He now wore a silvery scar on his face that looked rather like a twisting comet who’s tail wound between Draco’s eyes.
"It looks like a… a bolt of fire…" Ron glanced at Hermione.
"The lightning and the fire." Hermione said.
"Would someone please explain to me why everyone is staring at me?" Draco sneered.
"You’ll find out. Come on… I think Dumbledore is arranging a feast or something. And I need to go to the library and check something…" Hermione ran out of the room.
"Why, at a time like this, is she going to the library?!" Draco groaned.
"Um, Draco? If you don’t mind me asking… how did you survive whatever curse gave you that?" Ron asked.
Draco shrugged. "No clue. The firebolt got to me, turned around, and went straight back to Diawna. You should have seen her screaming."
Harry grinned. "That story sounds awfully familiar…"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right, Potter. Let’s go. I want to see what they’re doing to Diawna."
"Off to Azkaban, I’ll bet." Ron shrugged, leaving the bathroom and walking towards the great hall.
"Ron… Azkaban is empty. We can’t send her there…" Harry shook his head. "Maybe they’ll just kill her. I don’t really care…"
Draco’s gray eyes gleamed evilly. "Hang on… you go to the great hall without me, I need to talk to Fudge."
"Fudge is here?" Harry looked around.
"Behind you, Potter," Draco shook his head. "I’ll be right back."
Harry shook his head. Ron rolled his eyes as Draco took off towards the minister of magic. "What do you think he’s up to now?"
Harry shrugged. "No clue. Come on… Dumbledore’s probably declared a feast or something."
Ron laughed and followed Harry into the dining hall.

* * *

Cornelius Fudge, minister of magic, crossed his arms stubbornly. "It has been decided, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall. Diawna will be given the dementor’s kiss."
Snape sat down suddenly. He looked horrified.
Dumbledore frowned. "Surely you will remember, Cornelius, that the dementors have joined the ranks of Voldemort…"
"Not all of them," Fudge looked terrified that Dumbledore dare say the name aloud.
Dumbledore didn’t say anything. Snape stood up and left the room at a run.
"But…" McGonagall shook her head. "Surely, you can’t be serious, the girl is sixteen years old, seventeen at most!"
Fudge nodded. "A dementor will be summoned straight away. Good day." He tipped his hat, then strode out the door.
"Albus, you have to stop him!" McGonagall jumped up.
"What do you propose I do, Minerva?" Dumbledore said softly. "I can do nothing."

* * *

Told by Diawna Eliza Snape

I was nearly thrown into the room by Hagrid. After a moment I picked myself up off the floor and looked about. It was just an empty classroom, not much to look at. It had gray stone walls and tiled floors, a high ceiling, not high enough to be vaulted but enough to make the room appear larger then it was. There were rather large windows on the far side of the room. All in all, it wasn’t much.
More importantly, though, I might have a chance to get away… maybe… I ran to the windows. Locked. Locked and over ten stories off the ground. No way I could make it.
The door to the room opened. Something about the room changed drastically… it seemed so very cold all of a sudden, like something had sucked all the warmth away.
I sank to my knees.
A dementor! No!
A tall, menacing dementor entered the room, heading straight for me, taking sure, elegant, graceful strides. I looked for a way to escape, any way at all would do…
There was no escape. None. All I could do was cower in the corner while the dementor came for me…
There had been nothing good in my life. I could see it now. Hours of endless study. Turning against my twin for the first time. Loneliness. Pain. Rebuke. Failure.
No! I was Diawna! No, it couldn’t end like this! NO!
The dementor lowered its hood.
I screamed bloody murder.
No! I had too much to live for! I was only seventeen years old! I was second in command to Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin! I hadn’t had my chance yet! I was too young to die! No! It couldn’t end like this! NO!
The dementor grabbed my robes and forced me upwards, drawing a rattling breath as he did.
I was still screaming. Eliza… why did this have to end this way?! Why?! Eliza!
I had everything! I had nothing! Meaningless! I was only sixteen! I was beautiful and graceful and rich and powerful… NO! NO! NO!
My last thoughts were composed of two words: THE PROPHECY!!!
And then… nothing…
Chapter Twenty
Wyrren sighed with relief as the silver bracelets came off at last. Dumbledore smiled as the necromancer rubbed her wrists, as though the bracelets had been hurting her badly.
"I believe your brother and your friends are in the temporary Gryffindor common room, Miss Malfoy."
Wyrren nodded her thanks, wondered briefly if Dumbledore could read minds, then left the room.
She found Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco sitting on assorted couches, staring at the fire. None of them noticed Wyrren entering the room.
"So," Draco shook his head. "I suppose the prophecy has come true. One shall die before she turns sixteen, the other shall be Voldemort’s chosen heir. One soul shall perish in agony-"
As if in response to Draco’s words, the air rang with a blood chilling scream, then was suddenly silenced.
Draco went a shade paler. "The other shall live happily ever after… I wonder what Eliza’s doing now?"
"Well, where ever she is, she’s probably happy." Harry said gloomily. "The prophecy never said we’d be happy with the ending."
"How would Eliza be happy? She’s a shade." Draco snapped.
"Well… maybe she found inner peace or something," Hermione said hesitantly.
"Honestly, Granger, that’s got to be the most stupid idea you’ve ever come up with," Draco sneered. "I have a question, though. Why didn’t you sense Eliza, Wyrren? She was in the castle the entire time."
"Because Diawna blocked my powers, pea brain." Wyrren snapped. "Not only that, but she made sure Eliza didn’t infest anyone. She put shade repellant charms up all over the school, in your dream catcher Draco, in your Quidditch book, Harry. She even put one in that slip of paper with the prophecies on them. In fact…" Wyrren stood up. "Where is Diawna?"
Draco smiled unpleasantly. "What’s left of her is in the room upstairs… why?"
"I’ll show you," Wyrren got up. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Draco looked at each other, shrugged, and ran after the necromancer.
Wyrren stopped at the door of a nearly empty classroom and opened the door. Diawna, who was sprawled on the floor, didn’t move.
Wyrren winced as she yanked a small necklace off Diawna’s neck and showed it to Harry, Ron, Draco, and Hermione. "Shade repellant. I don’t think she ever took this off."
Hermione examined the necklace. It was quite pretty, a black chain with a tiny clear crystal pendant. Hermione walked to the window and threw the necklace away from the school.
"Come on. Let’s go…" Hermione glanced at Diawna and shuddered.
Ron nodded, then turned to Draco. "You were the one to convince Fudge to do this to Diawna, weren’t you?"
Draco nodded. "Heir of Slytherin, a parselmouth, terrorized the school, it wasn’t hard. I wanted Diawna to pay for what she has done to Eliza."
Ron shook his head. "I don’t think anyone deserves that. Even Diawna."
"Well, that’s what you get for being a Gryffindor. At least the Slytherins think straight." Draco sneered, then stopped. "What’s that sound?"
Wyrren paused. "I don’t know."
Hermione turned her head back and forth. "It sounds like… I don’t know, someone crying?"
Harry frowned and walked down the corridor. The sound was coming from another empty classroom a few feet away. The door was wide open.
Hermione glanced in the room. Severus Snape was sitting in chair on the far side of the room, his arms around his head, which was on the desk. He was shaking.
Harry tried to back out of the room. Snape raised his head. "If you’re going to come in, Potter, then enter. You shouldn’t prowl about, sticking your nose where it’s not wanted and expect to just leave when you find something."
"I… I’m sorry, Professor." Harry glanced at Hermione, Ron, and Draco. Wyrren had vanished somewhere.
Snape sighed and turned around. "So am I," he whispered. Harry wasn’t sure if Snape really said that or he was just imagining things. "You may go, Potter, Weasley, Granger, Malfoy."
Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron glanced at each other, then left the room. Snape watched them go, then sat back down on his chair. "Two of them… I lost them both within a year…"

* * *

"Something’s wrong," Wyrren sat bolt upright and glanced at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco, who were once again sitting around the makeshift common room fire (the real common room was still a disaster area. The new one was open to all houses and made up of one very large classroom).
"What?" Hermione frowned.
"I don’t know… I just get this really, really big feeling that something’s wrong." Wyrren frowned.
Ron shrugged. "Wyrren, how about another game of chess?"
Wyrren shook her head. "Not now."
"Hey, Harry, where do you think we’re going to sleep tonight? We’re not allowed back in the common room…" Ron asked, looking around for someone else to challenge to a game of chess.
"Dumbledore will think of something," Harry sighed. "Draco, are you alright?"
Draco looked up, a grim smile on his face. "I was just thinking… I can’t believe I thought Eliza was back… why didn’t I see it was Diawna in the first place… I mean, all Eliza asked for was to be remembered. If she had asked me to tie dye the entire school I would have done it. I didn’t even manage to remember her…"
Hermione watched the fire for a moment, then looked at Draco. "I think… I think we didn’t see it was Diawna because… we didn’t want to see Diawna. We wanted our Eliza back… so we were willing to believe almost anything." Hermione sighed. "That’s my theory, anyways."
Draco smiled weakly, then stared into the fire. "Some return of Eliza." He said bitterly.
"Draco?"
That voice sounded oddly familiar… Draco looked up.
"Diawna," Ron hissed.
Draco stared at the girl. "Don’t you ever die?"
Harry, Ron, and Draco all reached for their wands.
"Wait!" the girl brushed her wild brown hair out of her eyes. "Hear me out first."
"Why are you still alive, Diawna?" Ron shook his head.
"I’m not Diawna…" the girl shook her head. "Answer my questions first, please."
"This had better be good, Diawna," Draco growled.
"What is a victim of a dementor’s kiss? Describe it for me." the girl crossed her arms stubbornly.
Harry glared at the girl, although Ron could tell he was puzzled. "An empty husk. A body without a soul."
The girl nodded. "And what is a shade?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Pretty much the opposite, a soul without a body, capable of possessing the bodies of the living."
"Tell me, Granger, did you swallow that text book whole or did you chop it up into itty-bitty pieces?" Draco frowned.
The girl smiled slightly. "And what would happen if you put the two… together? Think about it. A body without a soul, combined with a soul without a body…"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco stood up. "Prove you’re Eliza." Draco hissed. "Go on, prove it."
Eliza reached into her robes and brought out a large, old piece of parchment. "I believe this is yours, Harry."
Harry unrolled the parchment, tapped it with his wand, and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good,"
Eliza waited. Harry traced the familiar passageways and corridors until he found the room he was standing in. There were six dots there: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Wyrren Malfoy, and Eliza Snape.
Eliza smiled. "Did you ever wonder why I turned myself into a shade in the first place?"
No answer.
"It was because I knew Diawna was going to replace me all along. That was why I was sent here, to England, in the first place. My sister was convinced I would get into Gryffindor, that I would get close to Harry, die, then she could have a field day inside the castle. And it almost worked. Almost." Eliza smiled. "One shall be Voldemort’s chosen heir, the other shall die before she turns sixteen. One soul shall perish in agony, and the other will live happily ever after. Diawna must have gone over that prophecy hundreds of times, and it seems I’m the only one who saw that little word. Live." Eliza smiled. "I believe there is also another prophecy concerning us. Eliza and Diawna were once the same person. Such they shall become again. Eliza’s soul, combined with Diawna’s body. One whole, completed person."
Hermione, Harry, and Ron glanced at each other, then flung their arms around Eliza.
"I… can’t… breathe…" Eliza gasped.
Hermione loosened her death grip on Eliza. "You. Are. Never. Dying. On. Us. Again!"
"Don’t worry. Unless I die of suffocation first from you squeezing me to death, I promise to do everything in my powers not to die again." Eliza hesitated. "I’ve released my powers as a shade. I’ll die in this body now."
Harry and Ron also released Eliza, leaving Eliza leaning over slightly, panting, her face beet red.
"Eliza…" Draco stood up. He looked like he was about to cry, and he had this odd smile of delight on his face.
"Hello, Draco." Eliza smiled.
Draco threw his arms around Eliza’s shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Welcome home, Eliza," he whispered. "Welcome home."
Chapter Twenty One
The annual end of the year feast was held in splendid decorations of blue and bronze (Ravenclaw had finally won the house cup). Amazingly, Snape seemed rather cheerful and chatted pleasantly with the students. Most of the students thought Snape had totally lost his marbles.
"Oh, come on… I’m starving…" Ron looked sadly at his empty plate.
Dumbledore stood up and made the traditional end-of-the-year speech, then gestured at the tables. The plates instantly filled with food.
"Yes!" Ron grinned broadly as he attempted to spear a slice of meet with his fork.
The fork went right through the meat without resistance.
Ron frowned. "What the…"
Apperently everyone else was having the same problem. There were looks of confusion everywhere.
James, Sirius, and Remus were almost out of their chairs from laughing so hard.
"It’s an illusion!" Hermione frowned.
Eliza laughed. "I think the Potter gang have outdone themselves."
From the staff table Harry could hear McGonagall yelling the name "James!"
Dumbledore blinked and laughed. "And here’s your real feast." He gestured once more towards the table. Ron tried to spear the meat again and got gravy on his face.
"Your dad, Harry," Eliza said over a bite of mashed potatoes. "has to be the coolest person in this school."
"Hey!" Draco looked very offended.
"Draco, when you start snowball and food fights in the great hall on Christmas, then I will relinquish the title of ‘coolest person in the school’ to you. Right now it goes to Harry’s dad." Eliza grinned.
Harry leaned over the table. "I heard my mum and dad talking last night. Apperently Sirius told them what living with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon was like. Mum has decided we need to take a little trip to Privet Drive and say ‘hi!’." Harry laughed evilly.
"All right!" Draco grinned. "Muggle torture! Can I come?"
Harry blinked. "Well… I don’t know…"
Eliza smiled as well and rubbed her hands together the way Fred and George Weasley would have. "I want to come to. I mean, I’m going to be living in this castle from now on, and Draco’s staying here over the summer again, so… please, Harry? Please…"
Harry groaned. "Enough with the puppy look, Eliza. I can’t stand the puppy look."
Draco laughed. "Hey… Eliza… I was wondering…"
Eliza turned toward him.
Draco went pink. "Um… I was wondering if you’d like to be my… my girlfriend?"
Eliza raised her eyebrows.
Idiot. Draco inwardly shook his head. Stupid, idiotic…you’re the guy who kissed her twin sister, remember? Why on earth Eliza would want me for a boyfriend I have no clue…
Eliza leaned toward him, put one arm around his neck, and kissed him.
Draco looked like he had gone into shock.
Eliza smiled. "Does that answer your question?"
Ron grinned suddenly. "Hey! Will you look at that! We have a silent Malfoy! Kiss him again, Eliza! Kiss him again!"
"I doubt Draco would mind," Harry laughed.
Draco blinked, then a small smile started spreading across his pale face. "Yes! Kiss me again! Kiss me again!"
Eliza raised her eyebrows and hit him lightly on the head. "So, are we going to go watch the muggles get scared out of their wits?"
Harry nodded. "You two can always use floo powder when we get to my house."
Eliza grinned wickedly. "This is going to be funny."

* * *

Petunia Dursley was washing the kitchen counter and spying on the neighbors at the same time (she had prying into other people’s business down to a fine art) when the doorbell rang.
"Vernon?" Petunia frowned and poked her head into the living room. "You didn’t invite anyone over, did you?"
Vernon grunted ‘no’. Petunia frowned and went to answer the door.
"Why, hello Petunia. Long time, no see." Lily smiled pleasantly. Beside her stood James and Harry, who were both grinning broadly.
Petunia went twenty shades paler and fainted. Draco peaked out from behind the door and smirked. "How about the other muggle?"
Lily and James nodded and left for the living room. Eliza stepped over Petunia, and entered the house. Draco followed.
"You… you… ahhhh!" Uncle Vernon’s screech echoed through the house.
"Silencio!" Lily shouted.
"Dad? Mum?"
Harry stopped laughing for a moment. "Dudley," he whispered to Eliza and Draco.
Dudley lumbered down the stairs. "What’s going on? What are you doing here?" he added, looking at Harry. Then Dudley looked beyond Harry and his face lit up with glee. That had to be the prettiest girl he’d ever seen in his life.
Draco’s nose wrinkled in discust. "That is related to you, Potter?" he motioned toward Dudley.
Harry nodded. "Unfortunately. Anyone up for target practice?"
"Harry, we’re under-aged…" Eliza frowned.
"Eliza, when are you going to rejoin the land of the living? They lifted that restriction ever since Voldemort broke open Azkaban." Draco pulled out his wand.
Dudley stopped dead. "You… you’re one of them!"
Eliza raised her eyebrows. "Not very smart, is he?"
Harry shook his head. "Nope. Not really."
Three seconds later Dudley had been transformed into a very, very fat pig, and Lily and James strode back out of the room. Uncle Vernon had been tied to the couch with magical blocks of ice under his feet.
"Harry!" Lily scolded. "You do not turn family members into farm animals!"
"Oh, trust me, Mrs. Potter, this is a big improvement," Draco assured Lily.
James sighed. "As much as I hate to do this…" James turned Dudley back into a boy, then allowed Harry to cast the jelly legs curse on him. "There. That ought to do it."
Lily smiled slightly, then followed James and Harry out of the house, both of which were laughing hysterically.

* * *

Eliza, Draco, Wyrren, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily met together one last time.
"Happy Birthday, Harry." James smiled, running a hand through Harry’s messy hair.
Wyrren looked calm as usual. Sirius and Remus looked like they were going to start crying, even though James had warned them that if they did, he was going to force Wyrren to make his ghost solid just long enough to pelt him with dungbombs. Harry just couldn’t believe they were leaving…
Draco arrived carrying a large, bulky package, which he wouldn’t tell anyone what it was, although James and Lily seemed to know something about it. They kept winking at Draco and smiling oddly.
At nine o’clock at night, the Watcher appeared. "It is time."
Lily and James looked at each other, and Lily handed Miranda to Sirius. "You’re her father now," Lily whispered. "You’ll take care of her, won’t you?"
Sirius nodded, holding little Miranda. "You know I will, Lily. James? Try to stay out of trouble. No spying on Snape invisible, no stealing any teacher’s underwear… that sort of stuff. Got it?"
James grinned. "Stealing the teacher’s underwear? I wouldn’t dream of it!"
"Can I see you two for a moment?" Draco asked.
James and Lily nodded and followed Draco into the next room, locking the door behind them.
Hermione frowned. "What is Draco up to?"
Eliza grinned. "You’ll see."
A few minutes later, James and Lily returned and hugged Harry. Then they turned to the Watcher. "We’re ready," Lily announced.
The Watcher nodded and raised one hand…
Instantly James was back in the cottage. The first (and last) thing he saw was a flood of green light, then he fell back, dead.
Lily swayed a bit, trying to remember where she was. Harry had crawled off somewhere… where was he?
There! Lily scooped Harry into her arms and raced for the fireplace.
"Lily," Voldemort hissed. "Stand aside."
Lily stopped dead. "No! Don’t kill Harry! No!"
"Stand aside you silly girl! Stand aside, now!"
"No, take me! Kill me instead!" Lily screamed.
Voldemort paused, considering. "As you wish…" he raised his wand.
Lily closed her eyes. Harry was safe. Miranda was safe. She’d be with James in a moment… she’d still get to watch over Harry…
Lily opened her eyes back up. Her life didn’t exactly flash before her eyes… the people she had met did, though. Wyrren Malfoy, the necromancer who prefered the company of the dead to the living. Draco Malfoy, the pale, sarcastic boy who only seemed to come alive when he painted. Ron, the chess master. Hermione, the studier. Diawna, the heir of Slytherin. Eliza, her twin. Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs. Miranda. Harry…
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted. Lily fell back, dead.
But Voldemort never noticed that Lily died wearing a smile of triumph.
He turned to Harry and raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
The green light flew towards Harry. For a moment, all was still.
The green light etched a strange cut on Harry’s forehead, then shot back at Voldemort.
Voldemort didn’t even have time to scream. The house buckled, almost falling apart. Voldemort looked at himself… what on earth…? His powers! NO!
The shade flew away, as fast as he could go.
* * *
"Harry…"
"I don’t want to talk, Draco." Harry said shortly, feeling utterly miserable.
"Fine, then. I… I got you this. I’ve been working on it all year… I thought you might like it." Draco set the package on the couch then turned to Wyrren and Eliza. "Let’s go."
Eliza and Wyrren nodded and left the house via floo powder. Harry watched them leave, then opened up the package, wondering if Draco had sent him an extra large hair brush this time.
It was a painting, one of the most beautiful paintings Harry had ever seen. And it was moving…
James smiled. "You didn’t think we’d really leave, did you?"
Harry opened his mouth with delight and turned toward the fireplace. Draco had already left.
Lily-the-portrait looked around the room and sighed. "Sirius really needs to learn to clean up after himself. Now, Harry, do you have a nice place you could hang us up for the summer? How about the living room?"
"Sirius…" Harry looked over at Sirius and Remus.
"What… oh my… Moony!" Sirius dragged Remus over to the portrait.
"Well? Are you going to hand us up or are you three going to stand there gawking?" James grinned. "Hey, Harry, ask your friend Draco if he’ll paint a bag of dungbombs next time."
Lily looked scared. "You will not!"
Harry laughed and hung the portrait up above the fireplace, where Lily scolded Sirius for the amount of dust on the mantle and James left the portrait to explore the rest of the house.

* * *

"It took you long enough!" Wyrren glared at the spirits of Lily and James Potter.
"Sorry, Wyrren. The Watcher had to make us disappear. Something about having two James’s really upset her, for some reason." James shrugged. "Anyway, I’m assuming you’ve finished the animagus charm?"
Wyrren responded by turning into a mongoose, then back again. "I am a bit behind on my song charms, though, so Lily, if you wouldn’t mind going back to our lessons…"
Lily laughed and started teaching Wyrren again. James started thinking about what Sirius said about not doing anything with any teacher’s underwear and smiled. The flagpole seemed like a really good place to put a pair of boxers… getting there would be no problem, either.
"Don’t even think about it, James," Lily warned.
"Me? Underwear? Never…"
Epilogue
Eliza and Draco prowled around the school, checking doors to see if they were locked, helping James-the-ghost with his practical jokes, driving the teachers nuts, and generally having the time of their lives.
"Hey, Draco, have you been in this hallway yet? It doesn’t look familiar." Eliza frowned.
Draco frowned as well. "It does look familiar… but I can’t really place it…"
Eliza tugged on Draco’s arm. "Well, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go."
Draco sighed and ran after Eliza. "Eliza, I’m getting a bad feeling about this…"
"Oh, you and your bad feelings." Eliza shook her head and grabbed the handle of one of the doors. "Isn’t this the coolest door, Draco? It looks like it’s been made of ebony and crystal…"
Draco frowned. He could have sworn he’d seen that door somewhere…
Eliza swung the door open. The air inside the room was hot and dusty. Four enormous windows lined the far wall. They reminded Draco of the windows at his manor. The room was filled with sunshine.
"Eliza, I swear, I have seen this room before." Draco shook his head.
"Draco… look at that mirror," Eliza grinned, pointing at the tall, elegant mirror that went perfectly with the room’s décor. "There’s an inscription at the top of it…"
"Eliza, that’s the mirror of Erised." Draco pulled her away from it. "It shows you your heart’s desire. Do you know how dangerous that can be?"
Eliza frowned. "Erised stra ehru oyt ubeca fru oyt on woshi."
Eliza slipped out of Draco’s grip and gave him a peck on the cheek. "One look, then I’ll be right back. Promise."
Draco looked at her. "If you go, then I’m coming with you."
Eliza nodded, then stepped in front of the mirror. "That’s sweet…"
"What?" Draco stepped in front of the mirror as well. "You’re in the way."
"Oh, sorry." Eliza stepped aside.
Draco looked into the mirror and chuckled. "Ok… let’s go."
"So what did you see?" Eliza asked, once they were out of the room.
"You’d slap me if I told you." Draco said, turning slightly pink.
"Oh." Eliza giggled slightly, turning red. "I see. Ok… I saw my dad finally learning how to cook."
Draco burst out laughing. "Well, we all know that that’s not going to happen." Draco grinned and put his arm around Eliza’s shoulder.
Eliza took Draco’s arm off her shoulder. "Uh-uh-uh! Not after what you saw in that mirror."
"Rats. What’s for lunch?" Draco said, trying to put his arm around Eliza’s shoulder again.
"Well, as long as it’s not my dad cooking, we’ll be fine. You’d think the potions master would know how to cook, wouldn’t you?" Eliza took Draco’s arm off her shoulder again and walked down the hall.
* * *
The Watcher stood before Lord Voldemort, glowing brightly, as usual. Her huge eyes seemed to be taking in everything and nothing around her at the same time.
"You wished to see me?" The Watcher’s voice echoed strangely.
"Your debt has been filled?"
"Paid in full."
"I wish a favor." Voldemort said.
"And in return you shall give me?"
Voldemort grinned. His red eyes seemed to almost glow. "Serve me, and I shall give you such a drama that has never been seen before, nor will ever be seen again."
The Watcher considered. "Offer accepted. What is your wish?"
Voldemort leaned closely to the Watcher. The Watcher nodded. "Done."
Voldemort smiled, almost in a cat like manner, his thin fingers pressed together ever so slightly. This time, nothing could stand in his way. Not even the Potter child.
Ok… this is the second time I will ask you to review my work! Please, if this story was worth anything, made any impact… please review it. That's all I ask.

-Eliza Diawna Snape