Fa A Bhialainn Ann

Part 3

Fiona sat in the high-backed armchair by the fire, trying to ignore the creepy way the shadows danced about the dungeon of a common room. No matter that it had been nearly two-and-a-half months since she'd started at Hogwarts; the Slytherin common room still managed to give her "the collywobbles," as Lily quite jokingly put it.

Though she was hard at work solving an Arithmancy problem, she found her mind kept wandering to the upcoming Halloween dance. Not that she had any interest at all in going. Lily had managed to convince her to come along, just to see Sirius, James, and Remus, and to meet another friend of theirs, Peter Pettigrew.

As it was, Fiona had agreed, just so long as no dancing whatsoever was involved. Lily had assured her that she would not have to dance if she didn't want to, but Fi suspected that before the evening was over, Lily would be begging her to dance with someone, "just for fun!" And Fi would probably purse her lips, cross her arms and legs, and be her usual anti-social self (A/N: Haha, Robyn! Sorry, inside joke...). Fiona sighed, scribbling down the last few numbers and cramming the rubber stopper into her ink bottle. Fun beyond belief...

She was so lost in thought that she nearly jumped two feet in the air as someone other than Lily approached her chair. Recovering enough to look up, she noticed that it was the last person she'd EVER expect to talk to her--Severus Snape. Fiona quickly adopted her usual "Oh, it's YOU" facial expression, and gave an impatient "Yes?"

He looked extremely uncomfortable. More uncomfortable and nervous, in fact, then Fiona ever remembered seeing him. There wasn't a nasty sneer playing across his lips, and for some reason the glittery black eyes wouldn't meet hers and instead examined the numerous cracks in the ceiling. He mumbled something incoherent.

"Sorry?" Fiona asked, somewhat curious.

"Wouldyougotothedancewime?"

A wave of utter--what was it, numbness?--swept over Fi. Severus Snape had just asked her to the Halloween dance. Fiona shook her head, not quite sure how to take this. He looked quite pathetic, actually, and if

her own face hadn't been burning from the embarrassment of even being ASKED to go, she'd have found the way he was shuffling his feet very amusing. Heck, she would have taken all the pleasure in the world in

MOCKING him. But now she felt oddly sorry for him.

"I can't, Severus. I...emm...WOULD, but I've decided not to go with anyone this time. I'm just going by myself, and only just 'cause Lily wants me to go. Emm...Sorry..."

He made an indistinct noise in his throat and swept off somewhere into the shadows of Slytherin House.

Fiona let out a deep breath. What had THAT been about? What had possessed him to--

"Whoa..."

Fi turned an exasperated look on Lily, who apparently had been standing in the nearest shady corner. "You'll catch flies if you don't shut your mouth."

Lily obediently clamped her mouth shut and, grinning, sat in the chair next to Fiona. "Can you BELIEVE that? SNAPE! I mean..." She shook her head. "Who'd've thought it..."

"Certainly not I," Fi muttered. "Gah, what was I supposed to say? I mean..."

Lily suppressed a giggle. "What'll you do if someone you WANT to go with asks you?"

"First off," Fiona muttered, flipping through her potions text, "there's no one I want to go with, as of now. Secondly...Well, there is no Secondly, really..." She shrugged. "I don't particularly want to do this, but I'm eternally grateful for the lovely hex you put on Narcissa. That was simply beautiful."

Lily giggled. "Remember the--the slapping noises!"

Fiona grinned, holding back laughter. "And the look on Lucius' face the next morning!"

Lily bit her lip, giggling softly. "Yes, that was one of my better little deeds, wasn't it?"

"Certainly. So, I may as well ask: What do I have to wear to this thing?"

***

It was Halloween night, and Lily was adding the finishing touches to Fiona. Dressed in plain, deep blue dress robes, Fiona was seated on Lily's bed in their dormitories. Narcissa, in her usual black, was

applying layer after layer of make-up, while the other girls giggled over the boys they were soon to meet up with.

"C'mon, Fi, just a little! It'll barely show up!"

"NO!"

"It's just lipstick..."

Fiona had managed to chase Lily away when threatened with mascara, but for some reason, her friend was much more persistent about lipstick. Fiona crossed her arms and put on her annoyed face. "No, Lily. I don't wear make-up."

"But it would look SO good--"

"No."

Lily heaved a great sigh. "Fine."

Once finished convincing Fi to leave her hair down, allowing to cascade in dark waves down her back, Lily grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of Slytherin house and towards the Great Hall.

Upon entering, Fi had to admit that the Great Hall looked stupendous. The live bats that flew back and forth across the enchanted ceiling, and the cool, crisp breeze that magically played about the Hall gave the perfect atmosphere for the holiday. Lily, still with an iron grip on her wrist, pulled her towards the far end of the hall, where four boys were sitting--three of whom very familiar.

"FI!" Sirius gave one of his famous broad grins and made a point of kissing her hand in a very mock-dignified way. "How simply SPLENDID to see you here!"

James, who had been busy giving Lily a quick hug, turned to Fiona. "Hello again! You know, we never get time to talk after Care of Magical Creatures. Kettleburn keeps us 'til the last minute!"

Fiona nodded. "Yeah, I know. Maybe we should make time to do homework in the library or something."

At this point, Fiona turned to see Remus, waiting patiently for her to notice him. And she did. "Hullo, Remus."

"Hi," he said in his usual mild voice. "What, you don't have a date?"

"'Fraid not." Fiona shot a stern look at Lily, who was apparently dying to tell them about Snape. The redhead was smiling somewhat impishly at Fi and looked on the verge of shouting to the entire hall. Fi raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged, grinning, and mouthed, 'I won't...Don't worry.'

James gave Lily an inquiring look. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Lily muttered, catching Fi's eye and grinning.

The last boy had joined the group. "Uhm...Hullo, I'm Peter," he said nervously.

Fiona shook his hand firmly. "I'm Fi. Good to meet you."

He gave a weak smile and walked off to talk to some blonde girl across the hall. Sirius, meanwhile, was on tiptoe, trying to see over everyone's heads. "Where's Annelle?"

James snickered. "I don't know, Padfoot. Did you arrange to meet her?"

"Maybe," Sirius muttered vaguely. "Ah! There she is!"

Ignoring the look of utter confusion on Fiona's face at what James had called him, Sirius strode across the hall to where a grinning, purple-robed Annelle was waiting, looking quite smug. Lily giggled and shook her head. "She only was late to make him squirm."

"And it worked, didn't it?" James asked, grinning.

Lily sighed. "I guess. Ooh, the music's starting! D'you want to dance?"

"Aren't I supposed to be the one to ask you?"

"New rules. Women's rights and such. C'mon!" With that, Lily now deposited the iron grip on James' arm and led him out onto the floor, where a rather slow waltz was playing. Sirius and Annelle were tangoing across the floor, scattering students and teachers alike.

Fiona sighed. "Well, I guess I'll go sit down, then."

Remus gave her a sideways look. "Why? Go ask someone to dance! You heard Lily--women's rights and such."

Fiona shook her head violently, her hair whipping around. "No, I couldn't."

"Sure you could!"

"No, I..." Fiona shrugged nervously. "I can't, REALLY."

"Why not?"

"I can't dance," she muttered.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"I can't dance!"

"Oh." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then apparently came to a conclusion, because he turned to her.

"Well, that can be remedied. Fi, d'you want to dance?"

Not sure if he was serious, she looked up. He looked serious enough. "Maybe you didn't catch this: I can't..."

"Yes, you can! C'mon!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out towards the dance floor.

"No, Remus! No, I...My ankles are weak, and...My knees don't work properly, and...Oh, this is silly, but..." She finally gave up protesting as he pulled her out to the middle of the floor.

"Now," he said, assuming a businesslike manner, "one hand goes on my shoulder, and you hold MY hand with the other." She did as she was told, blushing as he put a hand on her waist. WHY did she blush? WHY then?

She hated not having control over what her face did. As if spots weren't enough...

"Right," he said. "Now, your feet go sort of opposite mine, okay? It's a three-step. One-two-three, one-two-three..."

Gradually, and after tripping over herself several times, Fiona managed to get the dance down. She wasn't perfect at it, but she could manage without stepping on Remus' feet. Even though she still had to count

"One-two-three, one-two-three..." out loud. Remus found it quite amusing.

"It's not a test, you know," he said, grinning at the top of her head--she was busy watching her feet to keep from tripping, all the while counting. "Some of it's making it up as you go along."

She gave him a look, and in doing so, lost concentration and tripped slightly. "I'm not creative enough."

That wasn't really true...Well, maybe with dance. Fiona, besides playing several instruments, loved to paint and draw. She was actually QUITE creative, but dancing, and with REMUS, for that matter, made her feel highly self-conscious and uncreative.

"Oh, come on. You've honestly NEVER danced before?"

"Well..." Fiona stopped counting for a moment. "We have parties, sometimes, at home. Mostly, I play the music, along with my Da, and everyone else dances. I think I danced once, with Da, but they had to practically drag me away from my flute." She was quiet, thinking for a moment, about that party. And about the various times she'd gone out at night to dance in the faery rings...No! She wouldn't think about that!

"I probably oughtn't say anything, but you're dancing, Fi."

It was true. She'd been distracted enough that she was no longer counting, and yet she hadn't tripped yet!

As soon as that was realized, she became so astonished that she did trip. And quite thoroughly, too.

Remus managed to catch her before she fell flat on her face, causing her to fight turning crimson again, and laughed as they walked off the dance floor. "There," he said. "Now you know how to dance. So, why don't you go ask someone?"

"Are you kidding?" she asked, crossing her arms. "That was exhausting! Do you have any idea at'all how much work I put into that just then? I'm not nearly coordinated enough for that sort of thing! Do you

HONESTLY expect me to go ASK to do it AGAIN? I mean--" she stopped, realizing that he was holding back laughter. "What's so amusing?"

He shrugged. "You are. You honestly haven't ever done this before, have you? Other than with your father,

I mean."

Fiona put her hands on her hips, looking for a good response. "No," she managed. Lame.

He gave his usual quiet smile, apparently over his sudden bout of uncharacteristic--what, flirting? No,

Fi thought. Why would he?

"Well, you'll simply have to practice, then." He shrugged.

"'Practice?'" Fiona repeated. "Hmph. I've got another month-and-a-half before I need to worry about the

Yule Ball. Which I may not even go to."

"You're not going?"

"Did I say that?"

"No, but you implied it. Will you please come?"

"Why?" Fiona asked, somewhat bitterly. "So I can trip over myself?"

"No, so I'll have someone to dance with." He grinned. "Other than Peter."

Fiona gave him a skeptical look. "You actually WANT to dance with me again? Remus, I worry for your sanity."

He shook his head. "I would love to dance with you again. Will you please come next time?" Fiona didn't respond, and he sighed deeply. "You're going to make this hard for me, aren't you?"

"What?" she muttered, completely mystified.

He sighed again. "D'you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

There was that numbness again. But this time, it was different. Something sort of--giddy, maybe?--overtook her stomach, and it was all she could do to keep from emitting a little giggle, like those mindless girls in her dormitory. "I...Yes. Yes, I'll go. With you. Uh-huh." She allowed herself a smallish smile before turning and practically skipping out of the Great Hall with the other students, who were now leaving the ball.

Though she didn't see it, Remus smiled too, exceptionally glad that his skin wasn't nearly as pale as hers, or this evening's little bout of Sirius-ness would have left him brighter red than the Gryffindor Banner.

Also unseen to the both of them was Severus Snape, who was eyeing Remus Lupin with much more dislike than was usual. To put it LIGHTLY.

***

Part 4

***

"Fi!"

Fiona turned, already knowing who'd called her. "What's up?"

Lily trotted up to her, grinning. "First quidditch match of the year! Tomorrow afternoon! Ravenclaw versus Slytherin. You gonna come?" (A/N: Work with me here, guys. I know Quidditch is really in the spring, but for the sake of the story...I JUST GOT A PLOT FIGURED OUT! CUT ME SOME SLACK!)

Fiona bit her lip, thinking. "What time?"

"Emm...Oh, yeah, one-thirty. Right after lunch."

"Oh," Fi muttered, going distinctly red in the face. "Uhm...I...uh..."

"What?" Lily asked, detecting a secret. "Come on, Fi, tell me."

Fiona shot her a look--that happened a lot with her and Lily--and crossed her arms. "I...have a tutoring session tomorrow. After lunch. In the library. For Defense."

"With--?" Lily prompted, causing Fi to blush a deeper shade of crimson.

"Remus," she muttered. Rather embarrassed by Lily's giggling at this, she pursed her lips. "Well, he IS the top student, you know. He's really good at Defense. REALLY," she added when Lily gave her a skeptical glance.

"If you say so," she said. "Well, try to make it to the match, okay? James is coming--"

"Then you won't have time to talk to me anyway."

Now it was Lily's turn to blush. "Okay, I'll stop teasing you if you stop teasing me."

"Well that's no fun."

"You're right. So, about this tutoring..."

"Don't even go there."

***

The next afternoon, Fiona wolfed down her lunch and found Remus, and together they headed off for the library. Settling in a corner table, they could hear the rest of the school heading out the doors and into the stands.

"You're sure you don't want to go watch the match? Slytherin is playing, after all." Remus unpacked his textbooks as he spoke, stacking them on the table.

Fiona shrugged. "I don't care about Quidditch. Or Slytherin. So I can miss the match." She looked up, scowling.

Remus was giving her a sympathetic look. "Fi, you're supposed to have...well...LOYALTY towards your house, whether you want to be there or not. It's...I dunno. You shoudn't feel so horrible about Slytherin."

"Why in the world shouldn't I? It's where all the darkest wizards have come from, isn't it? And I'm there now."

He sighed, setting his now empty bookbag on the floor next to his chair. "Fiona, you're NOT a dark witch, okay?"

"How do you know?" she asked stubbornly, not really expecting him to humor her with an answer. After all, she was being rather childish.

But he did. "Because dark witches and wizards don't WANT to be good. You do," he answered mildly.

She was about to retort with another "how do you know?", but he silenced her with a look. "Fiona, McGonagall even said that each of the houses have produced wonderful witches and wizards. Not ALL of the Slytherins turn evil. Look at Lily--she's not evil, is she?"

"Well, no, but--"

"Then you can't stereotype the Slytherins. Personally, I can see why you don't think you belong there. I think you and Lily both belong in another house. Maybe Ravenclaw. But Lily tends to be somewhat short-tempered and is QUITE capable of being vengeful. And she's clever and somewhat sly, you know that. Maybe that's what the hat saw in her. As for you, what's your bloodline?"

Usually Fiona would have taken a bit of offense at this, but Remus was different. He NEVER mocked anyone for their family. "Well, I'm Muggle-born. Da's a farmer's son, Ma's from Dublin."

"You're sure?"

"Well, yes. I DO know my own bloodlines, after all." Fiona grinned, but stopped quickly. "See? Lily has Slytherin traits, so even though she's Muggle-born, she has a reason for being there. I'm a Muggle-born Irish farmgirl. I mean..." she hesitated. "Do I have...You know...Slytherin-ish traits?"

"Not that I'm aware of." He opened one of his books. "You have a bit of a temper, but so does James, and he's basically the super-Gryffindor. Maybe it was bungled. I doubt it, though. That hat's not ever made a mistake.

Everyone has been put in their house for a very good reason, though they may not know it yet."

"I hate it when you act so philosophical."

He shrugged. "My point is, you can have friends and enemies anywhere, and you shouldn't stereotype people, like the Slytherins, based on prats like Malfoy, Snape, and Parkinson. Okay?"

"Yes, but why am I in Slytherin, then?"

He looked at her for a moment, forgetting his books. After a moment, he sighed. "I don't know. Like I said, you'll probably know someday."

Fiona made a derisive noise in her throat, but nodded. She jumped as a voice behind her sneered, "Wise words for something like YOU, Lupin."

Fi whipped around to see Severus leaning casually against the nearest bookshelf, glaring at Remus with his cold black eyes. Remus shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment, Severus," he said calmly.

"What, not cheering Aaron and Lucius on?" Fiona said stiffly. He had been unusually unpleasant since she'd turned him down for the Halloween dance.

"Actually, Professor Blasphen asked me to come find you. Slytherins ARE supposed to support their house, you know." A hint of a smile crossed his face--but not a warm one. "I expect she'll be MOST displeased to find that you were absent from the game to sit and chat in the library with a GRYFFINDOR."

Fiona shrugged, beyond caring. "She's 'most displeased' with the mere sight of me. I don't really care at this point."

"Ahh, but see, it's not YOU who needs to care. Our beastly little friend here will be in trouble for detaining you. He doesn't get along very well with Professor Blasphen, either. She might just have to take a few points from Gryffindor, you know."

Fiona smiled sweetly and spat out a rather nasty insult at Severus--in English--before giving Remus an apologetic look and gathering her books. "Okay, Snape, have it your way. Let me put away my books and I'll come watch the

Testosterone-pumped trolls do their thing."

Severus gave her a rather startled look, both from being called "Snape" instead of his first name, and also from her little interpretation of Quidditch. It didn't bother her, though--Remus was covering a smile with one of his large hands. So it was worth it.

She stood from her seat and brushed past Severus with a lofty expression on her face before slamming her side into the door to open it. Once in the hallway, she winced from the slight ache it had caused, but hey, she'd made her point. What did he think he was doing, monitoring her like that? As if she couldn't take care of herself. And threatening to get REMUS into trouble was low. Very low. Why was he doing this? Fiona shook her head, angrily chucking her books onto her bed, and completely oblivious to the conversation taking place in the library now that she'd left.

***

"What do you think you're DOING, keeping her away from the match? YOU may not appreciate Slytherin, but if she's in this house, she needs to support it." Severus looked extremely miffed, to say the least.

Remus sighed. "If you were actually listening to our conversation, which I have no doubt you were, then you know I was TRYING to get her to go to the match, and to respect your house. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to my common room--"

"Not so fast, Lupin! Have you ever even THOUGHT about the possibilities of this? Of what COULD happen to her?"

Remus bristled. "What d'you mean?" he asked, knowing perfectly well where this conversation was going.

"What if you attacked her? Bit her? KILLED her? You're putting her in danger by letting her get attached to you.

What if something were to happen?"

Remus scowled, losing his usual calmness. "She's not attached..." he said impatiently.

Severus snorted. "'Not attached?' You saw her. She was sitting about six inches away from you before I--"

"Might I suggest, 'allowed my scent to wander'? You probably scared her off, swooping over like some overgrown, smelly nocturnal animal." Remus was standing now, eye to eye with Snape.

Severus sneered. "--Whatever. The point is, you're a danger to her. Stop playing with your prey."

Remus' jaw dropped, an expression he usually considered uncouth. Remembering this, he quickly closed it. "You are way out of line, Snape," he growled.

"Am I?" he murmured. "What happens when she gets curious as to where you go each month? What happens when she decides to follow you, O Feral One, and finds out the same thing I did last year? James won't be there to save her, too."

And then it finally dawned on Remus: "You're jealous, aren't you?"

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm merely concerned that you might inflict pain and misery, or even DEATH, upon some ignorant girl who's too busy fawning over you to notice the danger."

Remus said nothing. He crammed his books into his bag, trying not to allow his hands to shake, and stalked stiffly out of the library, leaving a rather satisfied-looking Severus behind him.

***

Fiona didn't even look up from her book as Lily danced through the door to their dormitory. "How was the match?" she managed, around a mouthful of cookie. The house elves were always so kind to her; perhaps because they didn't have to speak English to her...

Lily sighed, evoking soft giggles from Fi. "It was great."

"Who won?"

"Uhm...I don't...quite know..."

Fiona laughed loudly, offering Lily a cookie, which she took. Lily grinned, examining the cookie thoughtfully.

"How was the tutoring session? Or did you learn anything ACADEMIC?"

Fi made a rather disgusted face and threw a pillow at her friend. "Actually, all I learned was that Slytherin, supposedly, isn't as much of a rat's nest as I, being the Slytherin, think. This theory was only proven wrong as our dear friend Severus chose that moment to show up and threaten to get Remus into trouble for 'detaining me'. Can you BELIEVE that?"

Lily shook her head, an annoyed expression on her face. "That git."

"I know!" Fi exclaimed. "So I left. I grabbed my books and said something nasty to him--yes, in English--and just marched right out. I do believe he was quite surprised. Oh, and I called him 'Snape' instead of the usual 'Severus.'"

"He can't've liked that," Lily said, offering a small smile. "Not to bring you down for showing that idiot what you're made of, but did it occur to you that...Oh, I dunno...Never mind."

"No, don't you 'never mind' me. What?" Fiona was dead serious now, sitting on her bed and dragging a brush through her impossibly thick hair.

"You mean it's not occurred to you yet? Oh, Fi, you're SO oblivious..."

"Hey, I'm not the one who went to the match and doesn't know the score."

"Point taken. But...FI...Honestly. Snape's jealous. I thought you'd know, considering the fact that he asked you to the ball, only to be turned down and watch you then dance with Remus instead." Lily stated all of this in a very sweet voice, as though explaining that one and one was two to a small child.

"Well, life's tough and then you die. Relationships don't always work, especially when you're a slimy, greasy little mass of nastiness, like he is. I need a cookie."

Lily sighed exasperatedly as Fi crammed another cookie in her mouth. "Fi, he and Remus are already on bad terms.

What d'you think happened after you left?"

"Remus probably told the slimeball to keep his nose in his own business. Or, he could have merely left for Gryffindor tower."

Lily sighed. "Fine. I guess you're right. It's just...Be careful, okay? Those guys are quite full of themselves, you know. They will fight to the bitter end. And that's not just James and Severus, either. Remus, though he hates being violent, does tend to have a temper. And, if Severus hit a tender subject, like his family's...em...social status, it could be a problem." (A/N: Remember, guys, Lily doesn't know about Remus yet, just the boys. 'Kay?)

"He'll be okay." Fiona shoved the last half of her cookie into her mouth and brushed the crumbs off her robes.

"Yes. I suppose."

At that moment, Narcissa entered the room, small pointed face wearing an expression of one who smells something unpleasant. "I'm to tell you two that we're having a party to celebrate the victory of Slytherin."

"Oh, so SLYTHERIN won!" Fi said, grinning. "May as well, don't you think, Lily?"

"Sure, we'll be right out." Lily made shooing motions with her hands at Narcissa, whose look of loathing deepened as she regretfully left the room. Lily sighed. "Fiona, just...Be careful. This is quite a situation, you know."

"Stop worrying. Remus is a big boy; he can take care of himself. I'm going out there. Why don't you change out of your Date With James clothes and get into something less...purple."

Lily grinned as Fiona left for the common room. "Yeah, I'll stop worrying, Fi," she muttered, grin faltering, "but sometimes I think Remus NEEDS someone to care for him..."

***

Fiona sighed, grabbing a bottle of butterbeer and sitting down against the wall. Snape was avoiding eye-contact, but Fiona glared just the same, even at his back. The git. Why couldn't he keep his nose in his own business?

She noticed that he was standing with Lucius and Aaron. Quite normal, really, but there was something odd about the way they were whispering together. Obviously they were plotting, but against whom? Fi's curiosity was peaked, so she moved a little closer. Lucius noticed and they all turned to glare at her before retreating to a more distant corner. Fiona sighed. Maybe, just maybe...No, she couldn't. What if she lost control? What if they...

Well, for that matter, what would she care if the faeries DID wreak havoc in the Slytherin common room? Sirius, anyway, would think it a brilliant joke, and would probably take credit for it, not even knowing who REALLY did it...

No! she told herself. No, no, no! Think...Is there ANY other way? Remembering what Lily had said, Fiona became concerned. What if they were going to do something to Remus?

Closing her eyes in concentration, she called. There was a small popping noise that only she heard, and a small, quite literally flaming red creature appeared, fluttering its tiny orange and yellow wings. Fiona paused, just taking in the pixy's appearance. She (it could only be female) was small, with shiny dark eyes and a pointy little face, and hair composed of flames that whipped around her head, giving her a somewhat chaotic look. Fi remembered what was happening when the pixy put her minute little hands on her hips and said in a tiny voice,

"Well? I answered, didn't I, Fae-speaker?"

"Oh," Fi muttered, careful not to allow anyone in the room to see her talking to what appeared to be thin air. "I was wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble, could..."

"Well, spit it out," the pixy said. "I've not got all century."

"I will, I'm getting there," Fi said, rather annoyed at this small being's impatience. "I need to know what those boys are saying over there. It...It sounds sort of silly, I know, but it may be important. Could you please do it for me--they can't see you. Please, erm..."

"Firebell."

"Firebell, then. Would you, please?"

Firebell sighed, flames whipping about her small face. "Very well. Since you asked nicely."

"Thank you," Fi breathed. "Emm...I'll get you something to eat, if you like. How does chocolate sound?"

Firebell brightened greatly. "Well, then, if there's CHOCOLATE involved...I've not had chocolate in at least fifty years...Mortal food, you know."

"Yes, well..." Fi muttered distractedly. "Please find out what they're saying, while I go get you some food. Okay?"

"Very well." The pixy fluttered off, and Fi managed to find a chocolate frog among the other party treats. After a moment, Firebell returned and grabbed the frog. "Well, they're discussing something about a werewolf, and setting a big brute of a dog loose. Lots of violence, lots of evil laughter. Unpleasant little things, humans, if you ask me."

"Gee, thanks." She thought a moment. "Werewolf?" Fi muttered vaguely. "I didn't know there was a werewolf nearby...

Well, maybe in the forest, but..."

"His name was strange," Firebell said, mouth full of chocolate. "Like, 'Loopy' or 'Loony' or something."

"Lupin?" Fi suggested, going cold all over.

"Yes, that was it," the pixy said cheerily, dusting her little hands off. "Well, thanks for the chocolate, fae-speaker. You're one of the few nice humans I've met."

Fi nodded numbly, not watching as the pixy disappeared with a small pop. Remus, a werewolf? And something to do with a big dog? It didn't make sense...Remus, a WEREWOLF? No...He would have told her, right? They told each other everything. Right? RIGHT?

Part 5

Fiona sighed deeply, lying under her covers in her green-draped bed. Was Remus...a werewolf? If so--and

it was entirely possible, really--why hadn't he told her?

'Don't be stupid,' the logical little voice in the back of her head said. 'Why haven't you told HIM about YOUR little secret? It's probably for the same reason, you twit.'

Nasty little logical voice.

Well, if Firebell had been telling the truth, and it WAS Remus, what was that bit with the large dog about? She knew the groundskeeper, Hagrid, who she had met a few times, owned a huge boarhound named

Fang...But Fang LOOKED much more fierce than he actually was. Besides, what kind of idiots WERE they, to think that a dog would defeat a fully-fledged werewolf? They were mean, no doubt about it, and not the brightest of evil boys, but even they weren't THAT stupid. Surely they had something else cooked up...

Fiona lifted her arms up behind her head, sighing. Lily was fast asleep, as were the other girls in the dormitory. But not Fi. Why did she worry about Remus so much? It was unnerving...She'd never had a person outside of her immediate family to worry about. No, her little ability made that difficult. It had left her a very mistrusting, shy, and somewhat angry person. So why was Remus different than all of the other people? Why did she all of a sudden care so much for his safety? Even though he might be a werewolf? And what would he think, once he found out what SHE was? A lovely pair they'd be--the two social outcasts of Hogwarts...

Her thoughts were interrupted as she shielded her eyes from a bright red light. Bringing her hands down from her face, she saw Firebell sitting cross-legged on her stomach, looking impatient. "Are you asleep, fae-speaker?"

"Not quite yet," Fi muttered groggily. "Why're you here? I mean, I didn't call you or anything."

"No, you didn't," the pixy agreed. "I just thought I'd fill you in on something interesting I saw while exploring this castle." She waved her hands around wildly for emphasis. "Very big place, isn't it?"

"'Tis. You've no idea how long it took me to figure out how to get from class to class."

"Yes, well," Firebell muttered. "I found the dog."

Fiona sat bolt-upright, knocking Firebell over backwards. "Sorry," Fi muttered, prodding the tiny thing into a sitting position with her fingertip.

"Yes, well," Firebell muttered testily, standing up unsteadily on Fi's knee. "D'you want to see it?"

"Very much so," Fi responded, making sure to allow Firebell to take flight before standing up. "Where is it?"

"I'm surprised you mortals have not heard it. It's right under your round little noses." Firebell halted in front of a wall of stone bricks, just like the others in the common room. "You go through here."

"I can't do that," Fi whispered, praying that no one would hear her from the dormitories. "I may be able to talk to you, but I can't go through walls with you."

The dark little eyes raised towards the ceiling and Firebell sighed deeply. "Mortals. HONESTLY." She flitted over to the torch bracket. "Wasn't this OBVIOUS to you lot?"

"Apparently not, O Superior One," Fi muttered, pursing her lips.

"Watch your mouth, fae-speaker. I AM showing you the dog, remember."

Fi sighed. "Yes, I know. Sorry."

"Right," Firebell said cheerily, apparently satisfied with the simple apology. "You just yank on this thing here and--"

The stone wall slid back with a soft grating noise. Listening for a moment to be sure that no one in the dormitories had woken up, Fiona stepped into the narrow staircase beyond the wall and Firebell closed the door with a simple hand motion. As the stone slid back into place, Fiona swallowed roughly. How odd was this, to be wandering around Slytherin house at night, with a fire-pixy for a guide?

She stopped in her tracks at the sound of fierce growling. The bottom of the stairwell ended in a corner, and flickering light was cast onto the landing, indicating a small fire. Fiona edged down the rest of the stairs, barely poking her head around the wall separating the stairs from the room beyond.

"Shut up, mongrel!"

That was Aaron. He threw something hard into a shadowy corner, and something MASSIVE moved and made a very angry growling noise. Something MUCH bigger than Fang, or any wolf she'd ever seen. Fiona would have liked to see just WHAT it was, but the shadows in that corner that enveloped the creature prevented her from doing just that.

"Will you keep it down?!" hissed a voice that sounded very much like Severus's deadly soft one. "The whole HOUSE will be down here if you don't shut it!"

"'S'not me, it's the--"

"Just shut it, Aaron."

Fiona bristled at the sound of Lucius' harsh voice. She watched silently as he swept over to the other boys, looking pained.

"Dirty old..." Fi muttered, but Firebell shot her a glare and she shut her mouth, once again conscious of her surroundings.

"Fine," Aaron snapped, and Fi heard him mutter, "Since when do YOU get to tell ME to shut it?"

"Since he's right," Snape sneered.

"Quite," Lucius said. "If we don't watch it, that mudblood twit will get curious. You saw her tonight."

Fiona distinctly heard Snape mumble, "She's not a twit..." but apparently was the only one who did, because the other boys merely stopped bickering and resumed glaring into the corner where the creature was still growling.

Aaron sighed loudly. "I was thinking...Why don't we just pit our little friend here against Lupin and watch the poor" --Fi cringed at the language-- "get ripped to shreds? I mean, it's not like he could

BEAT this thing..."

"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron..." Lucius said tiredly. "I've TOLD you. That plan might win, or it might not. The other plan will work much better, really, if you think about it. We set him loose on the full moon, when

Sprout's out working with those bloody mandrakes, and he attacks her. All she sees in the dark is something canine with big teeth and claws. That idiot of a headmaster knows perfectly well that Lupin's a werewolf.

He'll go with the obvious conclusion: Lupin got loose from his little hut and decided to have Sprout for a bedtime snack. And the Grim's long gone by then, so it's all good for us. Plus, we get to skip Herbology for a bit." He grinned.

Fiona's hand was pressed up against her mouth to keep from crying out. Something was SERIOUSLY wrong with these boys. They were plotting to frame Remus, and kill a teacher in the process, and without the slightest bit of remorse. She had known that they were unpleasant to have class with, and prejudiced, and yes, potentially evil, but this was WAY more than she'd ever expected from them. And now she didn't know quite how to handle it.

************************

After climbing silently up the stairs again, and back up to her dormitory, Fiona paced back and forth in front of her bed for the next two hours, trying to find a way to solve the problem. She would go to

Dumbledore, but then who KNEW what the boys would do to her, even if they got off by saying that it was all a stupid joke that she'd fallen for. Another option, which had been quickly stamped out, was to confront the boys herself and try to keep them from carrying out their plan. But who was to say they wouldn't kill her, too? They'd shown capability...

Finally, the clock on her dresser indicated that it was seven-thirty, and Fi knew that breakfast was being served in the Great Hall. Hoping that Remus would be there, she practically leapt into her robes and ran down to the Great Hall. This wasn't the best idea, as Remus wasn't there yet, and all she ended up doing was thoroughly winding herself.

At least, she reminded herself glumly, I have Care of Magical Creatures with him, first thing.

She scooped some porridge into a bowl and sighed, stirring it around. What was she going to do? What if they found out that she knew? What would they do to her? Would they get away with it? Would they ACTUALLY go through with this plan?

Breakfast came and went; still no Remus. Fi nearly panicked, thinking he'd already left for the full moon, but that wasn't for two more days. Scared of missing him, Fiona grabbed her books quickly and ran out onto the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. But Remus didn't arrive for that, either. According to a very confused Sirius, he had claimed he didn't feel well and had gone to the hospital wing. So, after class, Fi ran as quickly as she could to get to the hospital wing, but he wasn't there, either, though Madam Pomfrey was kind enough to tell the girl that he'd headed off towards Gryffindor tower.

Thoroughly winding herself once more, Fiona managed to find him, quickly walking towards the marble staircase in the entrance hall. "Remus!" she managed to gasp out.

He started and turned, looking nervous. "Fi, I--uhm--can't talk right now. I have to--erm--go to my dorm and--ah--get some books and--"

"Drop it," Fi panted. "Look I have to warn you--"

"I have to go, Fi, I can't talk."

"Remus, you don't understand--"

"No." He said it harshly, but there was a certain pain in his face. "Fi, I have to go. Get on to class."

Fiona stopped breathing, much less panting. He had NEVER spoken to her like that. "Wha-?...Remus, I--"

"Go on!" he said, shooing her. Abruptly, he turned and ran up the staircase, not looking back, as Fi stood at the bottom, staring at the spot where he'd been standing with an astonished and hurt expression on her round face.

************************

The next days seemed to drag by. Fiona tried various times to catch Remus after class, but he always seemed to be so much faster than her. Fi finally resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't speaking to her on purpose, though she couldn't think why. Was it because she'd made him angry? What had she done? She tortured herself with those questions, and what would happen on the full moon.

And, as all dreaded things do, the full moon arrived quicker than Fiona could ever have expected. That evening, Fi was rather vague towards everyone. Lily knew something was wrong, obviously, but knew her friend well enough to leave her alone. And Fi, though nervous, couldn't help but allow her brain to tell her that maybe, just MAYBE, they might get cold feet at the last minute. It was true that the boys were acting quite casually, considering the fact that they were plotting murder.

But as the evening progressed, Fi began to pick up the subtle hints they shot each other, and it was obvious that they were not about to back down. So, when the moon rose and it got dark out, the gnawing, sickening feeling in her stomach that had been building all day came to its peak and she felt quite ill with worry.

Careful to keep from being noticed, she sat in a chair by the fire, pretending to do her Potions assignment, and waiting for the last of the students in the common room to leave for bed. Normally, she remembered, she'd be among them. After all, they DID have an exam in Defense the next day. But this was more important.

Curling up in the chair, Fi waited for Lucius, Severus, and Aaron to come down the stairs. But they didn't.

And didn't. And didn't. And Fi began to wonder...What if they didn't come at all? What if this was all some elaborate scheme to trick her? What if they'd ALREADY let the thing loose? Unsure of what to do, Fi quietly stood, leaving her book in the chair, and tiptoed out of Slytherin house as quietly as was possible.

Sneaking through the drafty, emptied, and dark corridors of the school at night was not what one would call fun. Or easy. Once, when Peeves threatened to swoop down on her, she'd had to take a major detour through a passageway behind a tapestry of a woman and a unicorn, making her even more afraid of being too late.

Quietly closing the oak front doors behind her, Fi allowed herself a deep sigh of relief. She was brought back to earth abruptly as a long, mournful howl pierced the silence. Shivering slightly, and wondering whether it was the Grim or Remus, Fi stumbled through the darkness towards the greenhouses. Sure enough,

Professor Sprout was patting the soil around the last of the mandrakes, humming cheerily, apparently oblivious to the horrible howling sounds. Fi supposed the entire staff must know about Remus, and felt a small surge of anger at having to find out the way she had.

"Oh!" Fi quickly stifled the cry as something large and hairy came bounding out of the darkness and pounced, growling and clawing, on the Herbology professor. Fi stood for a fraction of a second, deaf with horror to the screams and roars issuing from the nearby fight, before a tiny voice in her head said, "NOW!"

"Oh..." Fi muttered, trying to concentrate over the horrible background noise. "Come to me...If you ever were to come, come now! Please...PLEASE come..." She put her hands down to her sides, palms out, and breathed deeply. "Please come...Hear me..."

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the huge dog was running away, towards the forest, with dozens of multicolored pinpricks of light surrounding it, biting, pinching, and inflicting all sorts of magical pains onto the beast. Numbly, Fi ran to Professor Sprout, who lay unmoving on the ground. The young woman's robes were torn and bloodied, and she obviously needed immediate medical attention, but she was still breathing. Fi stood and took a deep breath, preparing to call for help, but a voice shouted, "Stupefy!", and before she could utter a sound, all was black, and she knew no more.

Fi woke, stiff and sore, but warm. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but she blinked a few times and took in her surroundings. She was under a thick blanket, on a couch, with her Potions book...In the Slytherin common room. She sat up abruptly, causing throbbing pain in her head. 'Oh,' she thought. 'I forgot...No sudden movements after a summoning...'

On the other side of the room, Severus Snape quickly brought his head up from dozing and looked at her. "Oh. You're up."

"What d'you mean, 'you're up'? Was that YOU who stunned me?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You...You...I DESPISE you, you...You..."

"Will you SHUT IT for just a MOMENT?" Snape hissed testily.

Fiona glared as hard as she could, but stopped trying to think of an appropriate insult for the boy in front of her.

"Right," Snape said, crossing his arms. "First off, you're lucky I even found you in the first place. If I hadn't gotten to you, Lucius and Aaron would have. And they wouldn't have simply stunned you, either."

"How did you know I was out there?"

"You left your book. You never do that." He stated all of this so matter-of-factly, and Fi snorted.

"What, you actually PAY ATTENTION to what I do? Why bother? And why did you even bother to save me? Why not get rid of the mudblood twit, as well as Sprout and Remus?" Snape gave her a piercing look, not responding, and Fi shook her head disbelievingly. "Well if you're trying to make me like you, I assure you, it's NOT working."

"That is not the topic under discussion," Snape said, rather loudly. "The point is, I don't expect you to be anything but your usual snotty little self to me, but at least keep in mind that I saved you."

Something had been at the back of Fi's mind, fighting desperately to get out, and now it finally found its window of opportunity as she was turning Snape's words over in her mind. "Oh! What happened to Remus? Is he safe?"

Snape snorted. "Of COURSE he's safe. D'you honestly think HE got hurt?"

"You know what I mean," Fi growled. "What happened?" Snape mumbled something incoherent and looked away, assuming the same posture he had when he'd asked her to the Halloween dance. Fiona gritted her teeth. "I said, 'what happened'?"

Snape sighed. "He got...blamed for it. He's...I don't know. Dumbledore--"

Fi stood up abruptly, ignoring the pain in her head. "How COULD you? You KNEW it wasn't him! Why didn't you help him? Can't you ever just think for yourself? Why do you let Lucius order you around? Why?" She shook her head and covered her eyes, taking in deep breaths. She wasn't going to cry...How could this have happened? After she'd worked so hard to try to prevent it?

Suddenly, jeering laughter filled the room, and Fi looked up to see a rather apprehensive Snape standing next to Lucius, who was grinning maliciously, and Aaron, who was laughing rather stupidly. Lucius saw her and grinned more broadly, narrowing the cold gray eyes to mere slits. "So, you found out, then?"

Fi shook her head slowly, a look of pure fury on her face. "How...COULD...you..."

"Oh, quite easily, I assure you," Lucius said, before he and Aaron broke into laughter again, causing Fi's very blood to boil.

Fi clenched her fists, concentrating on one thing only: Lucius, Aaron, and Severus needed punishment. Serious, PAINFUL punishment. And she would give it to them. She would. They'd regret this. Sorely. These murderous thoughts coursed through her body, until the pounding of her heart was so loud she was sure the entire castlewas shaking from it, and all of a sudden, they came.

Whirring, brightly-colored wings and pointed little faces, each with an impish smirk upon it. Sharp little hands and feet, powerful and painful magic...The faeries were angry. Fi was angry, and it was just another excuse to cause mayhem. And they did.

Lucius was hanging from his expensive velvet robes, suspended from a torch bracket, while Aaron had tried to take refuge under a cloak rack, only to be prodded and pinched by various tiny fingers. Severus, meanwhile, was being chased about the room by a whole cloud of them, shouting as they pulled at his greasy hair. And, of course, this was the moment that the head of house, Professor Blasphen, decided to investigate the shouts of pain that were issuing from her common room. Fi watched, as if in slow motion, the wall opening, and the short, dark professor striding through, wearing a green dressing gown.

As one of the faeries removed all of her curlers with a simple flick of the wrist, the woman looked at Fi. "I KNEW this would happen! He should never have admitted you, the doddery old fool! Come with me!" A strong, ice-cold hand closed around her wrist and pulled her from the room, and with a simple spell, the faeries were all immobilized; frozen in thin air. And Fi, resigned and exhausted, let herself be led forcefully from the room.

***

Part 6

***

Numbly, Fi sat down in the large chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Blasphen had gone to wake Dumbledore and bring him down to "deal with" her. Eyes glazed over with the sort of dreading shock that always overcame her when this happened, Fi waited, thinking hostile thoughts. Those pigs...And now Remus was who-knew-where, she was in trouble, and Professor Sprout was hurt. It all could have been prevented had she just managed to put together a plan instead of panicking and acting blindly.

It had been so quiet, and she had been so lost in thought, that the sound of the office door opening and shutting made Fi jump about two feet in the air. Blushing a bit, she settled back down as the aged headmaster entered without Blasphen and sat down opposite her, on the other side of his desk. "Now, Miss McLellan, what seems to be the problem?"

Fi, through her shame and anger, managed to raise her eyebrows at this. "Professor Blasphen didn't tell you?"

"Well of course she did," Dumbledore said, smiling quietly. "But I would very much like to hear your version of events."

Fi sighed loudly. "But...I'm not sure telling anyone is such a good plan."

"Rest assured, Miss McLellan, you will not get into trouble for telling me what happened. I will not allow it."

Fiona sighed loudly again. "Well...I'll tell you. You probably won't believe me, but I'll tell you."

"I would very much appreciate that."

And so Fi recounted the past weeks' events to the headmaster, glad to have it off her chest. The more she talked, the more she felt as though a huge weight was being taken from her shoulders. It was very liberating.

"...And so, I woke in the common room, and found out that Remus had gotten blamed, and then Aaron and

Lucius came in and were laughing and gloating, and I couldn't take it any more. It just...It just sort of happened. I think I had a hand in it, subconsciously, but really, I couldn't control it once it happened."

"I see." The entire time she'd been speaking, Dumbledore's eyes had not left her face. He looked very tired, but he didn't seem too skeptical of the story she'd just told him. "You do know about the history of fae-speakers, don't you?"

Fi shook her head, embarrassed. "My parents...They're muggle. Mum's ancestry goes back through...sort of hedgewitches. None of them were really magical, but they could all talk to the fae. I suppose it goes through the women."

Dumbledore nodded. "It does. But do you know your ancestry more specifically, perchance?"

"How do you mean?"

"Where the bloodline of fae-speakers started?"

Fiona frowned in thought. "I think it was my gran. Yes...She started it."

"Was there anything unusual about your grandmother?" Dumbledore pressed.

Fi raised an eyebrow. What was he getting at? "I don't really know. She died before I was born, when Ma was still a little girl. All I know is that she was dark Irish. You know, black hair and blue eyes. She had pale skin, too, like mine. Why?"

"Was she an immortal?"

Fi was a bit taken aback. "Well she died, didn't she?"

"Quite correct..." He looked thoughtful. "Are you sure she didn't simply leave?"

"Ma said she died. That's what her Da told her." Fi thought for a moment. It was possible...But why was it significant?

"Interesting..." Dumbledore said softly. "I may need to speak to you again, Miss McLellan."

"That's fine," Fi murmured.

"Well, then, Miss McLellan--"

"Fiona, please."

"Fiona, then. You aren't in trouble. It was an accident, as far as I can tell, and I will make sure that you do not get into trouble for giving me your story." He slowly stood up from his seat.

Something then occurred to Fi, and she could have kicked herself for taking so long to remember it. "Uh, Professor? Where's Remus?"

Dumbledore sighed, looking still more exhausted, and turned his bright blue eyes on her again. "At the request of several of the staff members, he is locked in Professor Flitwick's office."

Fi nearly fell out of her chair. "But he's innocent!"

"I know, Fiona, but he doesn't seem it. In the morning, the minister of magic is going to come by and take him to be tried. Will you speak for him?"

"Of course..." Fi paused, at a loss. "Professor, can I go see him? Please?" It didn't occur to her until after she'd said it how stupid it sounded--Remus wasn't exactly capable of speech at the time.

Surprisingly, though, Dumbledore lifted a large gold watch out of his pocket, glanced at it, and opened the thick curtains around his window, revealing soft gray light. "Well, he's human for the time being.

I suppose it would be good for him to see you."

Astounded, Fi asked, "What time is it?"

"Five-thirty in the morning. You've had quite an evening, haven't you?"

Fi nodded mutely. "Can--can I go see Remus now?"

He nodded solemnly. "Come with me."

Fiona, lost in thought, didn't even pay attention to the various hallways she followed Dumbledore through. She just let herself follow the sweeping cloak in front of her and kept to herself. What would he say when he saw her? What would she do about the minister? How could she prove him innocent? And what would happen when she had to tell about Lucius, Aaron, and Severus? Would they get her into trouble?

She stopped thinking as Dumbledore came to a stop in front of Flitwick's office. Argus Filch, the newly hired caretaker, was guarding the door, a sour look on his face. After a moment of quiet muttering between Filch and the headmaster, Filch nodded in a rather resigned manner and unlocked the door for Fi.

Fi stepped inside to find Remus huddled in a corner, asleep. The door shut behind her and she heard the lock click, and swallowed roughly. She didn't think anything bad would happen, as Remus was human, but then, she'd never been around a werewolf before. Much less right after the full moon. She knelt down next to his sleeping form and brushed his hair out of his face.

With a slight yelp, his eyes flew open and he backed into the corner, surprising Fi and making her give a small shout of surprise as well. He saw who she was and hid his face in his hands. Fiona wasn't sure what to make of this until she noticed his shoulders were shaking from trying not to cry. Feeling a horrid twisting sensation in her chest, she scooted over next to him and wrapped him in a hug, not wanting to cry in front of him and make him feel worse.

"Fi, I didn't do it," he murmured hoarsely, sounding muffled. "I don't know who did, but I swear I didn't do it."

"Of course you didn't," she said, squeezing him tighter, for both her emotions and his. "Oh, what are they thinking? You couldn't've! I'll go talk to Dumbledore and get you out of here!"

"Actually, I could have..." Remus mumbled. "For all everyone knows, it's very possible. What's the point? Let them lock me up. I don't care. It'd be better that way."

"No, don't..." Fi said. "Don't talk like that."

"Why the hell shouldn't I?" he yelled angrily, pulling away from her and looking at the wall. "It's going to happen!"

"You don't know that...Everything will be okay, Remus--"

"No, it won't! It never is! I go through this once a month, and have for years and years, and I will for the rest of my life! I can never have a family for fear of attacking or killing one of them! I can never get work! I will be shunned from the wizarding world for the rest of my life! Why not lock me up? Put me out of my misery now!"

"Just stop it!" Fi said, fighting tears.

"No, you stop!" he hissed angrily. "You haven't the SLIGHTEST idea what it's like..."

Fiona backed away, hurt, and covered her mouth with one hand. Remus sighed. "Fi, I--" She shook her head. "Fi, please..."

She turned back to face him, angry, but felt it melt away when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were so sad and frightened-looking. Somehow, she knew to just hold out her arms, and he fell into them. "Nothing's going to happen, Remus. I promise," she murmured, letting him wrap his arms around her.

"You can't promise that."

"I just did. And I meant it."

He squeezed her tighter. "I just..." His voice broke and he trailed off.

She squeezed him tightly as well. "Shhh..."

He shook slightly, and she was surprised to find that he was crying. She pulled him away for a moment.

"Oh, come now..." she said, not quite sure where she was going with that statement.

He wiped his eyes quickly, determined not to let her see him in that state. "God, I'm tired of this..." he murmured. She pulled him into her arms again and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I'll always be blamed." His voice sounded muffled. "Why did I have to have been so stupid? Why couldn't I have stayed away from that forest when I was small? Why?"

She squeezed her arms tighter around him and he finished crying. Wiping his eyes furiously, he sat up.

"I'm sorry, Fi. I just..."

They both looked up as the door opened and Filch stepped in cautiously. "You'll have to leave, now, Miss McLellan. The minister arrives in about ten minutes."

Fi glanced at Remus. His face conveyed no emotion whatsoever, and it hurt Fi to know he'd already given up. "Yes, sir." She stood and started towards the door, but Remus called her back.

"Fi?"

She turned. "Yes?" she managed. Her voice cracked, revealing the tears she'd been trying to hide.

He looked at her seriously with his dark brown eyes. "It'll be okay."

She nodded quickly, biting her lip to keep from crying, and left the room with one hand over her mouth, bursting into quiet sobs as she heard the door shut and lock behind her. At a loss for what she was going to do, she ran back to her common room, ignoring the stares she received from the other occupants, and threw open the door to her dormitory. Lily, who had been brushing through her hair, stood up when she saw her friend in tears. "Oh, Fi, what's happened?"

In between fresh waves of tears, Fi told Lily everything--the faeries, Remus, Snape, the plot--everything. Lily didn't even bat an eye. She listened intently, occasionally offering a sympathetic hug.

Once Fi was through, Lily stood up and paced back and forth for a moment. Then she turned. "Fi, it's gonna be okay."

Fi wiped her eyes quickly. "How?"

Lily crossed her arms, biting her lip in thought. "We're going to go talk to Sirius and James. They'll have a lot to say in this matter."

"That's the master plan?" Fi asked incredulously. "Sirius and James?"

Lily almost smiled. "You've not had a chance to see them in action before...Trust me. If anyone can get a bunch of evil Slytherin boys in trouble, it's them. And," she added, "they'll be especially keen since it's SNAPE we're talking about here." She paced a moment longer, then grabbed Fi's wrist, pulling her up. "Off to Gryffindor tower, then!"

"How will we--?"

Lily shrugged dismissively. "How do you think I see James so often?"

Fiona stared at her. "But...You're a Slytherin..."

"And?" Lily asked, giving her a laughing green-eyed stare. "Your point is?"

"Well, I just thought..."

Lily shrugged again, leading Fi through various hallways. "That's exactly it. There's always a way, Fi, no matter what the odds are. There's always SOME possibility. And believe me, these two twits can find it for you."

They came to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress, asleep at the moment, and Lily cleared her throat loudly, causing her to wake up. She yawned and looked at them. "Oh, hello dear. Back again?"

"Yep." Lily pulled Fi up next to her as well. "And I need a favor."

The fat lady raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Can you grant her permission, too? I mean, she's a painter!"

Fi shrugged. "Sort of..."

"Good enough for me," the fat lady said. "Right, then. You can go in."

The portrait swung forward and Lily pulled Fi into the hidden room beyond.