When Love and Hate Collide: Chapter 1

I threw open the door and hauled the escaped Death-Eater into my shabby living quarters. Actually, it’s a flat in New York City. It’s got one bedroom and it’s nowhere near

Fifth Avenue. The rent’s cheaper.

‘My’ Death Eater was simpering like an idiot and blabbering on about how he hadn’t meant to join with Voldemort…it had just…happened. People become very lame when

frightened. But really…he’d had a good fourteen years to come up with a good excuse. Wouldn’t you have made good use of that time?

"What are you going to do with me?" Vito’s voice was shaking. He was only a few inches taller than me, which was quite surprising. I’d always imagined male Death Eaters

to be tall and strong and if my memory served me right, the ones I had encountered were exactly that. "How did you find me?" he asked, trying another tactic, no doubt trying

to find a way to escape.

I rolled my eyes. For the love of… "I really haven’t decided yet," I said, giving him a sly smile.

"Are you-are you going to kill me?" He had gone very pale.

"Possibly. If you upset me…and we wouldn’t that, would we?" I faked a small laugh and then left the room, afraid I’d start laughing genuinely. Some people could be so

gullible. Especially if they were fearing death and destruction. I quickly ducked back in and shot thin cords at his wrists and feet from the tip of my wand. I pulled hard and he

fell against the wall.

Shaking my head, I tossed something into the fire, pulling up the hood of my robes so that my face couldn’t been seen. I always wear robes when conversing with the Ministry.

I have no desire to be discovered here. I’m perfectly happy living outside of England and I’d like to keep it that way. "Witling? A word, if you please."

"Zoetic?" Came a dazed voice, dragging out my alias in a most annoying way.

‘No, the tooth fairy,’ I thought sarcastically. "Yes, Witling. I’ve got Vito here. Where should I leave him?" I inquired, getting straight to the point. Talking to the Ministry has

always made me feel uneasy and it’s not different now.

There was a slight pause. "Erm…well…uh…perhaps…if you…well…uh?" he sounded a little bemused at my question.

"The prisoner, Witling, the prisoner. What – should – I – do – with – him?" I raised my voice speaking slower than before and pronouncing my words carefully. Some people

do this to foreigners. That’s something I’ve never understood…if the people you’re talking to don’t know the language you’re barking at them in, do you really think raising

your voice is going to help? Sadly, I digress.

Another long pause. "Could you bring him here?"

"What?" The question threw me off-guard and sent me spiraling back to reality. I’d been dreaming about falling into my nice, cozy bed and sleeping for at least six hours.

"Well…we’re…we’re having a small…a problem right now…nothing too large…we can handle it…" he trailed off, sounding puzzled, as if he couldn’t quite understand what

the problem was. I’ve always thought he was a moron, but this was a bit much.

"Witling, my part of the deal is to catch the prisoner. I don’t have time to run around, carting him across the globe!" I was being rude but I didn’t care. I wasn’t particularly

fond of apparating with prisoners. I always got the feeling that they were about to Avada Kedavra me or something…

"Oh…yes…of course not…" he sounded even more distracted.

"Witling, is this a bad time?" I asked knowingly. He was cheating on his wife with some little secretary that had been there for six months. A sordid affair if ever I saw one.

‘Because if it is, then, screw you, I’m letting him go!’ I added silently.

"No, no…not a bad time…just…had some problems with the Triwizard Tournament…nothing for you to worry about." He sounded as if I should be making the problems

with the Tournament my first and only priority.

"I wasn’t worrying," I pointed out. Witling is a great wizard. Too bad he’s as dumb as a beetle. With no legs.

"Of course not," he muttered, again sounding vague. Then he raised his voice, sounding firm. "Listen, Zoetic…I employ you. Not the other way around. Your job is to

deliver the – uh – former Death-Eater to wherever I tell you. And I’m telling you to bring him here."

My jaw dropped open. "Fine," I said tightly. And before you start criticizing me about how I can’t stand up to Ministry Officials…I still have to pay the bills, you know what

I’m saying?

"Good. Bring him into the Ministry Offices. Someone from the Department of Mysteries will meet you there."

Before I could protest, the fire blew out. I sighed heavily. This had just shattered my day. Not that it had been going very well to start with but that is entirely besides the point.

I walked reluctantly back into the room where Vito was tied up, still looking like a scared little child. It took all my self-control not to hex him something awful and send him up

to London in a brown paper bag.

"Get up," I snapped, taking my annoyance at the Ministry out on Vito. Not that he didn’t deserve it. He wasn’t in Voldemort’s Inner Circle, but he still did a hell of a lot of

damage. Killed countless children. It seemed he liked torturing innocent little kids. How a man can commit those kinds of crimes and then just leave the country as if nothing

ever happened is something I still can’t get my mind around.

"Wh-where are you taking me?" he stammered, his eyes flickering around the room.

I rolled my eyes. This pathetic excuse for a man had been a Death-Eater? Excuse me while I laugh myself into oblivion. "Out," I muttered simply, yanking him to his feet and

using a simple charm to bind both his arms to my left one.

He shot me a funny sort of smile. "I could get used to this," he said softly, smiling and showing me lots of gleaming white teeth. Apparently, he had a thing for women too.

"Don’t," I advised. "It won’t do you any good." Sighing heavily, I picked up my wand, only to have Vito try to knock it out of my hands. I slapped him hard and put the

Full-Body Bind on him. (All right, so who cares if it is something you learn in your first year of school? It works…) "Stupid," I mumbled under my breath.

I closed my eyes and prayed we wouldn’t end up somewhere under the glaciers in Antarctica. I opened one eye and then the other. Perfect…deserted alley where I keep my

broom. Hauling Vito onto it, I sighed heavily. "Up," I muttered.

*****

Perfect…The Ministry of Magic was just ahead. About bloody time too…my back was sore from sitting in the same position for so long and my arms had long since lost

feeling. It was a good thing Vito didn’t move around too much…I’d probably have watched him plummet a good five hundred feet before reacting.

"Zoetic?" came an inquiring voice.

I stared at the man in front of me. He had to be at least eight feet tall! "Yes?" I answered after a few minutes. He must have thought I was stupid or something.

"I’m Bode…I’ll be taking your prisoner from here."

I was very careful to keep my face covered by the hood of my robes. No one needed to know I was back in England. I scrutinized him with narrowed eyes. "All right then."

He stood back and waited patiently while I removed the ropes that were binding Vito to my arm. The second I let go of him, he promptly pitched head-first into the floor. I

didn’t even take the Full Body Bind off of him as I turned around and started walking outside. It would be a quieter place to set off from.

"-I’ve already told you, Cornelius," came a quiet voice from where a door had just opened.

"Dumbledore, this is absolute nonsense. Please do not bother me again about such trivial matters," Cornelius Fudge replied coldly. Well…he was certainly not much. That was

for sure.

"Very well. Good day, Minister."

Fudge made no reply, save for the slamming of his office door. Dumbledore stood watching it for a moment before turning around and looking right at me. I quickly spun

around and started out the door. So much for not being seen. But if two people were having an argument, wouldn’t you stop to listen? It was too tempting.

I breathed in the cool night air and sighed with relief. England’s air smells different to New York’s. I don’t know why…just…something. I pulled out my wand and was

getting ready to depart when I heard movement behind me. I ducked and kicked out with my foot. It connected with someone’s shins and the person fell over with a loud grunt.

I straightened up and glared at the person who had obviously been about to put a hex on me.

And then my anger ebbed away. Sitting on the wet grass, looking very much amused, was Albus Dumbledore.

Oh, of all the bad luck…

"Professor," I spluttered. "I’m so sorry!"

He waved me away, getting to his feet and chuckling good-naturedly. "No harm done, no harm done." His twinkling blue eyes suddenly narrowed, staring right into mine.

He knew…

In my haste to ensure that I hadn’t accidentally injured my old Headmaster, I had completely forgotten that I was wearing hooded robes. (That’s what happens when you only

wear hooded robes once every three months. Ugh…) The hood had fallen away, leaving my face completely exposed.

"Aria? Aria Walsh?"

Why couldn’t he have forgotten me? But, I guess that’s too much to hope for…Albus Dumbledore never forgets. It’s disgusting and admirable at the same time.

"N-no…why would…you ask something like that?" I fumbled, cursing myself for sounding like I was lying and trying to pull the hood back over my head at the same time.

He reached out and stopped me. "I never thought I would see you alive again, Aria," he sounded calm, as if were merely discussing the weather.

I swallowed. Lying is one thing. Lying to your old Headmaster, who can tell when you’re lying is another. "Oh," I muttered.

"How have you been?"

I shrugged, glancing at the sky. "Getting by."

He seemed to be sizing me up, which was making me feel really uncomfortable. "Perhaps I should re-phrase that. Where have you been?" His voice sounded even;

controlled. It was somewhat terrifying.

I paused. How would I answer this one? "Not to sound offensive, Professor…but that is none of your business."

He chuckled. "Of course not. Would you mind taking a walk with me?" Without waiting for a reply, he seized my wrist and started pulling me alongside him.

There was a long silence.

"Enjoying life?"

"Huh? Wha- Oh…of course," I answered, realizing that I had lapsed back into my old nervous habit of chewing on the right side of my bottom lip. I hadn’t chewed on my lip

since…well…since I had first left England.

He nodded, staring straight in front of him. "You’ve been gone a long time, Aria."

"I have," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I suppose you heard about the escape." It was a statement, not a question and I knew immediately who he was referring to. Sirius Black was the most notorious prisoner to

have ever escaped from Azkaban. He’d been on the run for a couple of years and no one had any idea where the heck he was. Not that I cared of course.

I swallowed hard. "I did. Has he been caught yet?" I asked, in an attempt to be polite.

Dumbledore chuckled in a way I couldn’t quite decipher. "No." He almost sounded amused at my question.

I resumed chewing on my lip, wondering if I dared ask what I truly wanted to know. "How-how’s Harry?" I squeaked.

Another chuckle. "Doing very well, actually."

"Oh?"

"You’d be proud of him."

"No doubt I would be," I said softly, getting a sudden pang of…homesickness? I hadn’t been homesick since I’d first moved away. That was nearly fourteen years ago and I

had sworn that I would never feel that way again. After all, what did I have to be homesick about when I had a perfectly good life?

Dumbledore glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, almost as if he were weighing what to say next. "Aria…perhaps…it is time you came home?" It was a question and

almost sounded like he was telling me to follow his instructions.

I stared around at the place we had walked into. It was a park. I recognized it as the one I had often visited with my friends in the summers when we had attended Hogwarts,

very close to Diagon Alley. I shrugged in reply. "Why would I want to do that?" Oh, he knew that coming home would be so easy…so very easy…but I couldn’t just step

back into the life I had once known. Everything had changed. I had changed.

He snorted, a very un-like Dumbledore thing to do. "If you won’t admit it, Ms Walsh, I won’t be the one to point it out. However…I do have a proposition for you." He must

have seen that I was about to say ‘no’ because he cut me off before I could say anything else. "If you would meet a friend and I for lunch tomorrow, I would be glad to discuss

it with you."

Oh, damnit. Dumbledore was smart. He knew that my curiosity had been spiked and by having lunch tomorrow, he would ensure that I stayed in the country for the night. I

hated broomsticks and riding one at night was worse than riding one during the day. An excuse to stay would not be passed over. Blast. "What sort of proposition?" I asked,

trying to sound suspicious and failing miserably.

He smirked at me, his eyes twinkling. "I’ll see you tomorrow." There was a very faint pop and he disappeared.

"Oh, for Pete’s sake!" I cursed. He hadn’t told me where to meet him and his mystery friend. Not that I was going or anything like that…

"Dixon’s, Ms Walsh, if you will. Around one o’clock should be fine."

I jumped violently and glanced behind me. I hated it when he did that. Why would you give the impression you’d disappeared when, in fact, all you’d used was a small invisibility charm? Well, all right…I’d do it too, if I knew how. Despite the fact that my heart was beating like a very fast drum, I started to laugh. Why, the last time he’d done that, Sirius had almost-

I stopped smiling abruptly. The memories that were flooding back were so fresh they were almost painful. I pulled the hood over my head so that it covered my face and slipped into the shadows.

Chapter 2

What did I think I was doing? It was quarter to one and I was standing outside of Dixon’s, a tiny restaurant in a very quiet area. I had spent the night in a cheap motel, seeing that I didn’t really have that much money and it was, after all, only one night.

I hadn’t gotten much sleep and I looked the worse off for it. I had these huge bags under my eyes and I was yawning every five seconds. As a result of that, my eyes were all watery. All in all, I looked absolutely horrible.

I leaned against the wall and sighed heavily. Just thirty-six hours ago, I had been happily living in my flat in the heart of New York City and my only worry had been whether or not my hair was straight. No, that was a lie. I had worried whether or not the next task I went out on would kill me. I had worried about whether or not Voldemort was really coming back, or if it had been a rumour. I worried about Harry, wondered if he was happy, if he was surviving school. I worried about Remus, wondered if he’d managed to resurrect his life in a way I hadn’t. But most of all, I worried about Sirius. I wondered if Azkaban had caused him to lose his mind. To forget all about me.

Of course, after he’d escaped, I worried that he would hunt down Harry. Maybe that’s a lie. I knew he wouldn’t hurt James’ son. He just wouldn’t. But I had also thought he wouldn’t hurt James and look how wrong I’d been about that.

I blame myself for what happened. Maybe there was something I could have done…should have done…but it was so out of character. Sirius was not a murderer. Part of me, the logical part, told me that all the evidence pointed to the contrary and yet another part of me…something inside was screaming for me to believe in him.

I looked at my watch lazily. Five minutes past one. I made a fast decision. I did not, on any accounts, want to stay in England a moment longer. I didn’t want to hear anything my old Headmaster had to say and I didn’t want to see who the mystery person was. I didn’t want to know and I didn’t care. I mean, why should I?

…Hmm…Perhaps I would just take a peek…after all, it couldn’t hurt to see who I might have been meeting…could it?

I pressed myself against the wall to ensure that I wouldn’t be seen by anyone in the restaurant. To my great joy (not exactly, but…) it was nearly empty, save for a tiny table at

the back, where two very out-of-place people were sitting. I recognized Professor Dumbledore straight away. His long silver hair and even longer silver beard somewhat gave

him away. But his companion was less recognizable. He was tall and middle-aged, from what I could tell, with horrible scars all over his face and a disfigured nose. I shivered uncontrollably. He was scary-looking.

Oh great. I sound like a five year old child scared of monsters in my closet.

Suddenly, I got the impression I was being watched and Professor Dumbledore gazed right at me. He didn’t give any indication that he’d seen me but I knew he had. Which

left me with the same debate. Did I dare listen to what he had to say?

Well, I wish I could say that I made a quick decision and walked inside. Instead, I stood outside on the street like a complete idiot and thought about it for the better part of

twenty-three minutes. Oh, it would be so easy to just listen to what they had to say. After all, I had no obligations to them. And at the same time, I wanted to know what it was. I

wanted to listen. I wanted to know. I was curious. It was a strange feeling. For fourteen years, I had received my tasks, carried them out and gone to bed. Sometimes I had done

research but I had long since stopped feeling curiousness. It just wasn’t necessary. But, Lord, was it boring. You stop having that thirst for living…that drive that makes life

fun. It’s like you’re constantly on auto-pilot and everything’s always the same.

I took a deep breath, stood up taller and walked slowly inside.

*****

Professor Dumbledore and his companion stood up as I reached the table. "Aria, it’s nice to see you again," he greeted, shaking my outstretched hand.

I mumbled something inaudible and looked at the other man in absolute fascination. He was unlike anything I had ever seen. His face was scarred, almost disgustingly so, and

he had obviously not been born with the eye that was rolling around and around, before finally fixing itself on me.

"This is Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Alastor, this is Aria Walsh."

Alastor Moody took my hand in a bone-crushing grip, shaking it forcefully before dropping it. He didn’t say anything, merely grunting at me. Alastor Moody…Alastor Moody…who the hell was Alastor Moody? The name was vaguely familiar but I didn’t know why. I was pretty sure I didn’t know him (I’d remember a face like that) but

then…where was he from?

"Aria…I have taken the liberty of informing Alastor of your previous work," started Dumbledore. I raised an eyebrow. The only previous work he knew of had occurred more

than a decade ago and I certainly hadn’t been very good.

"Interesting," Alastor Moody interrupted gruffly. My eyebrows raised even higher. I wondered exactly what he’d been told.

"Um…thank you."

"Alastor was an auror quite a few years ago."

Of course! Mad-Eye Moody! That’s who he was! I was so triumphant at my memory that I forgot to listen to what was being said.

"-that perhaps you would consider this." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I’m sorry…I don’t understand." I’ve always done that. If you don’t listen, just pretend not to understand. It generally works. Although it can make you look like a really big

idiot.

Dumbledore stared at me. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning?"

I didn’t protest. The beginning was always a good place to start. It prepared you for the shock that would come at the climax of the story. And, after all, how bad could it be?

"Voldemort’s returned."

I inhaled sharply. Evidently, it could be pretty bad. "He’s what?" I questioned stupidly.

"You heard him, lassie." Moody’s voice was lower now. Grating, almost.

I stared at Dumbledore and Moody, my eyes flickering from one to the other. Was this their idea of a joke? Because it wasn’t funny. No, I realized. No one would joke about something like this. "How?" I choked out. "When?"

"At the end of the last school year," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is a very long and complicated story…but it involved Voldemort using Harry Potter to return his powers to him. And with his powers return the old Death Eaters. The ones that were not caught and sent to Azkaban. I am sure you remember what it was like before, Aria."

My blood ran cold. I remembered seeing the Dark Mark, frightening flashes of green light, bodies…I could hear children screaming for their parents…

"We must do our best to ensure that it doesn’t happen again."

There was a long pause as I tried to digest the information I had just received. "What about the Ministry? Can’t Fudge do something?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that

my hands were shaking.

Moody made a dismissive sound. "Pah! The Ministry wouldn’t know a Death Eater had returned if one slapped them in the face!"

Dumbledore didn’t answer him, but I could see he felt the same way.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, my mouth dry.

Dumbledore peered at me over his half-moon spectacles. "I want you and Alastor to hunt down any Death Eaters that were not captured and make sure that they are unable to perform magic. And I don’t mean the ones in Voldemort’s Inner Circle."

Just like him to get straight to the point. I opened my mouth and paused. "Uhm…if I were to do this…to help Alastor…what…how could we be sure that they didn’t use magic?"

"Imprison them," said Dumbledore cheerfully, as if he were merely commenting on the weather and not something that was threatening the very fate of the world. "We just have to be sure that they will not escape and return to support Voldemort."

I remained quiet. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Alastor Moody was a legend. Half the cells in Azkaban had been filled because of him. And in the days when

Voldemort had been in power, he had been the best auror in England. I was being given the chance to work with him, to learn from someone who had seen it all. "Where would we imprison them?" I asked quietly.

I saw an unmistakable grin cross Dumbledore’s lined face. "A magical enclosure, sealed off with ancient spells and hexes. Possibly a little muggle stuff. After it’s been de-sensitized to magic, of course."

I swallowed hard. This could be the rest of my life. But, there was so much to consider… "Hold on a second…what did you mean that he used Harry Potter to return his powers?" I could feel two angry blotches of red staining my usually pale cheeks. Why couldn’t Voldemort just leave Harry alone?

Dumbledore exchanged a look with Moody. "Aria…it’s…as I said…very complicated. There’s more to explain than I would be able to." He sounded vague. Too vague. I

didn’t like it.

I stared at my hands. Was this what I wanted? If I said yes, my life would change forever. There would be no turning back. No deciding I only wanted to go half way. No, this time, I would see it through until the end. "Try," I muttered hoarsely.

He sighed heavily. "You must have heard about Hogwarts hosting the Triwizard Tournament this past year?" I nodded. "Well," he continued, looking slightly hesitant now, "there were some…complications that resulted in the re-birth of our favourite dark lord-" even I had to smile at that one, "-and…the death of a student."

The smile vanished from my face. "A student?" I echoed.

Dumbledore nodded and he looked much more sobered now. "Cedric Diggory."

Diggory…Amos’ son. He must have only been sixteen, seventeen at the most. "Look, Professor…I want to help you out, believe me I do, but-"

"Harry has dueled with him."

The words that had been falling from my lips disappeared. "Wi-with Voldemort?" I asked weakly. "Is he-I mean, did he-"

"He survived. A miracle of fate, I can assure you. Ms Walsh, I don’t want to pressure you into this. It will be very dangerous and frustrating. But you understand the risks…you’ve worked as an auror before. You know what the risks are. You know what happens if you are caught."

I continued to chew on my lip. "Professor, I was a lousy auror," I pointed out, remembering the days I had partnered Sirius (and get your minds out of the gutter). "I couldn’t work spells and I nearly got myself killed about a hundred times."

Moody suddenly shot me, what he obviously thought was, a kind smile. "There, Lassie…don’t you worry about the technical stuff. We’ll be working together. I’m not toogood at that research stuff so we’ll leave that up to you. If, of course, you want to help us out."

I stared at him. "I’ve always worked alone though," I muttered without thinking.

A flash of surprise appeared on Dumbledore’s face. I had not informed him what I had been doing since I’d left England and prior to that, I had most definitely not worked on

my own.

"Lookie here, Walsh," Moody sounded gruff again. "I don’t like research, ya hear? I don’t like hunting down a Death Eater before I capture him. I’m not even sure if I would know where to begin if I were to do that, all right?"

I stared at him.

"What Alastor is saying," Dumbledore clarified, "is that you two would be working together. Partners, essentially. It would be much safer and no doubt, easier to hunt down

and capture certain Death Eaters. The ones that were not put on trial. The ones that ‘disappeared’ when Voldemort did."

I’m quite sure that my jaw dropped open. I had thought that I would be working under Moody but as his partner…? The idea was absolutely preposterous. "I-"

"And, naturally, you will be helping us to protect Harry as Voldemort seems to have some sort of hidden agenda against him." He’d waited until the very end to tell me this.

I chewed on my bottom lip thoughtfully. This was almost like a chance for redemption. I had given up too easily when it came to keeping Harry. I could have fought for him, I

suppose. But by that time, my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I know that he must have been better off with them than he would have been with me. They could give him things

I couldn’t. Take care of him in a way I would never have been able to. And logically, he would have been safer with them. Which he had been.

Then why had Voldemort come back? Used Harry to come back to this world? I shuddered at the very thought. If I agreed to this, if I agreed to help Dumbledore, I would be able to watch over Harry. I’d be able to make sure he was all right. I’d be able to do…what James and Lily…and even Sirius must have tried to do. Because Sirius must have cared for him at some point in time. We were both there, the day Harry was born and I remember Sirius staring into my eyes as he held Harry in his arms and there was just this look of complete amazement and…love in his eyes. Someone couldn’t change so much, so drastically…it just wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. And yet, as is obvious to all, it was.

I opened my mouth and prayed that this was the right thing to do. "Where do I start?"

*****

Moody lived in a secluded little shack. It was falling apart and in the middle of nowhere. Quite frankly, it was creepy as hell, although it certainly fit the man who lived in it.

Despite his…appearance, Alastor Moody was a nice man. His demeanor was rather brusque and his sentences often short but on the whole, we got along very well.

I slept on his couch for three nights and hung around his house and its surrounding fields for four days. I preferred to stay out of his way during the day, when he’d often shut

himself in his room and I could hear the blasting of wood against wood and see sparks shooting from underneath the door.

On my third night there, I was lying outside in the fields watching the stars. Have you ever watched stars when you couldn’t even see your hand in the dark? It’s absolutely

breath-taking. They’re like tiny studs on a piece of nearly-black velvet. I felt like I could reach and touch one.

Astronomy has always mesmerized me. The placement of the stars themselves is so perfect…so precise.

My thoughts drifted, as they tend to do when I have nothing to concentrate on at that moment in time…

"Remus…it’s cold out here," Sirius whined.

Remus ignored him.

"Jaaaammmeesss…can’t you tell him that-"

"Oh, Sirius, shut up!" I snapped. "You’re driving us all insane!"

He grinned. "I was just saying-"

"For Heaven’s sake!" Lily muttered. "Can we just copy down these charts and get back inside?"

"Bark bark," Sirius muttered back.

She shot him a look and he returned it with a wide-eyed innocent one.

"Okay…I think I’ve found Orion’s Belt!" Remus exclaimed, just as Lily was about to deck Sirius.

I scrambled over to where he was sitting with a ruler in one hand and a quill in the other. "Where? Where?"

"Little over-eager, are we?" Sirius grumbled.

"No, I just want to go back inside and not have to freeze my-"

"Excuse me? Can we get back to the topic at hand?" Remus said irritably. "Now, look…if that’s Orion’s Belt, then we should assume that…um…that one is Canis Minor."

I stared at him blankly as he and Lily scribbled frantically on their parchments. James was trying very hard to write with his left hand (God only knows why) and Sirius was

lying on his back, staring up at the skies, not even bothering to copy it down. "Canis who?"

Everyone turned and gave me threatening looks.

"What?"

Sirius sighed dramatically. "Honestly, Aria…you’re worse than Peter!"

"Don’t insult him when he’s not here to defend himself," I said automatically. Poor Peter was in the infirmary, having gotten hexed by a sixth year Hufflepuff. Don’t ask.

"As you wish!" he said, in a sing-song voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Lil?"

"Uhm, hmm?" she murmured as she made a pattern of small dots on her parchment.

"Who’s Canis?"

Remus snorted. "Canis Minor was one of Orion’s dogs."

"Commonly known as the ‘Lesser Dog’, Canis Minor-" James continued, in a rather silly voice.

Lily elbowed him. "Shut up, would you, James?"

"Why? It’s true!" he said, looking bewildered.

"Who cares?" Sirius interjected, still staring at the sky. "I can see Canis Major."

"Well now, THAT’S an accomplishment!" I said sarcastically. "I’m sure if he were still alive, he’d be really proud of you, Sirius."

I was rewarded with a shout of laughter. "Canis Major was Orion’s other dog," Sirius managed to gasp out between his chuckles.

I looked at the sky and then back at him. "So?"

Lily sighed happily. "All right…I’ve just finished with Canis Minor…did you know that Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the sky?"

I threw my parchment at her. "Who cares?"

She tossed my parchment back at me. "You should, for one. We ARE getting tested on this, you know."

"Who cares?" said Sirius, sounding bored. "It never changes. Every day, every year, every decade…all the same. Must be dead boring being up there."

Lily looked appalled. "Sirius-"

"Lil, I was just kidding. Relax."

I giggled at the look on her face. She looked absolutely insulted. It didn’t last long. Remus glanced at his Astronomy notes. "Have you got Canis Major yet, Aria?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Can pigs fly?" Sirius sat up and opened his mouth, no doubt to tell me that it was possible for pigs to fly. "No," I continued. "I have no

idea what Canis whatever-you-said is."

Sirius sighed heavily, making me feel incredibly stupid, and leaned over me, picking up my discarded quill and snatching my parchment. "All right, see…right here is Orion.

These three make up Orion’s Belt. Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak," he said, quickly writing their names in. "This constellation here is Canis Minor, which, as Four-Eyes

over here told us, is also known as the ‘Lesser Dog’-"

"Hey!" James protested.

Sirius waved him off. "This star right here is Procyon-"

"Which means ‘before the dog," Lily interrupted.

Sirius shot her a pained look. "Thank you, Lil. That was SO necessary."

She smirked. "You’re welcome."

He ignored her. "So, knowing all that, what’s the name of this constellation?"

I stared at it, narrowing my eyes until it got bleary. "Um…after the dog?" I guessed.

James and Remus collapsed in fits of laughter, Lily placed her hand over her mouth, trying to muffle hers and Sirius dropped the quill and flopped backwards. "Good

Lord!"

I shrugged. "Was that wrong?"

Sirius sat back up, shaking his head. "I wonder about you sometimes."

"Oh shut up. Besides, if it’s not ‘after the dog’, what is it, Genius?" Okay, so I was hoping this would catch him off guard.

"Canis Major. Genius," he said mockingly.

I sighed heavily and threw my parchment into the air in frustration. "Oh, bloody hell!"

Remus and James cracked up all over again and it suddenly occurred to me that everyone was finished their Astronomy charts, whereas mine had been blank until Sirius

had taken over.

"It’s not as difficult as you’re making it out to be," said Lily, trying to be helpful. She pointed at the sky. "See, the stars make a formation and-"

"Yes, well, not that any of that matters," Sirius interrupted loudly. "Because all you have to write is that this constellation is Canis Major."

I shrugged, picked up my quill and followed his instructions. "Good…now…that star right there is Furud. That’s Murzim. That’s Aludra-"

"Did you know that Aludra means maidenhead?" Lily cut in.

I dropped my quill and stared at her. "Does that play a part in this or something?" I asked.

Remus and James were giggling like children and Sirius looked ready to throw Lily off the Astronomy Tower. "No, I just thought I’d mention it," she said airily.

"IF you don’t mind," Sirius started, "I’D like to continue. Now…hey…you’ve messed this constellation up!"

I stared at him, open-mouthed. "I’ve messed it up?!?" I echoed. "How is that even possible?!? YOU drew it!"

He waved his hand dismissively. "A minor technicality. In any case. You’ve forgotten the brightest star in the sky. After the sun, of course."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. I-am-so-smart-because-I-know-where-Canis-Marker-is!"

"Canis Major," he corrected tiredly.

"Whatever."

"As I was saying, you’ve forgotten Sirius."

I had never been so confused in my life. "What?" I said, after a minute’s pause.

Even Lily was giggling now. Sirius looked embarrassed. "You have to label this one, right here."

"Well, obviously! But how can I label it if I don’t know the name?"

"Sirius!" James gasped out.

"What?" I asked again. What was the matter with all of them? "What’s it called?"

"Sirius," Remus was trying to get his giggles under control.

I rolled my eyes. "Stop talking to him! I just want to know what the name of this star is and then we can go back inside!"

"Sirius!" Lily said.

I was getting severely ticked off. "What has gotten into you all?!?"

Sirius shook his head dramatically. "The name of the star is Sirius, you dolt!" he exclaimed, snorting with laughter.

I started to write it down and then stared at my parchment before glancing back up at him. "Your parents named you after a dog?!?"

Sirius looked insulted, James was lying on the ground cackling like a maniac, Remus was leaning against the wall laughing insanely and even Lily had taken part in the

mirth. "No," he said stiffly. "They named me after the brightest star in the sky."

"But why?" I pressed. "I think it’s more fitting for you to be named after a dog. Getting back to your roots and all that."

There was more laughter and I could tell that Sirius was beginning to get just a little fed up with all the laughter in his ears.

"Shouldn’t they have named you Canis Major? Or Minor, seeing that it’s the ‘lesser dog’?"

Lily stopped laughing abruptly and stared at me. "What do you know? She can retain information!"

Sirius laughed and immediately turned it into a hacking sort of cough upon seeing my glare. "Just write it down."

I sighed heavily and complied. The wind picked up and it started to get rather cold. Sirius shivered. "Are you done, Aria? Just…cause it’s getting really cold out here. Could

you get on with it?" Geez…there was no need to be rude!

"Yeah, hurry up!" Remus muttered.

"Don’t rush me! I have to write down Dog-Boy’s name."

James smirked wickedly at Sirius, who was turning several shades of red. "Yeah, Dog-Boy…you heard her…stop panicking!"

Sirius growled at him, sounding remarkably like a dog.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Lily said, looking serious. "You sound like a…well…dog." She collapsed in a fit of giggles as Sirius shot her a murderous look.

I laughed as I wrote my name with a flourish. "Easy…Dog-Boy. We can go now."

He glared at me as we got to our feet.

"Why do I have to be Dog-Boy?" I could hear him grumbling all the way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Because it suits you," Lily said primly. "And don’t growl at me like that. You sound like a dog."

It continued like this all the way to the common room and was probably getting rather old, except whenever someone said it, we’d all start laughing again. It was one of the

most memorable homework experiences I had.

Sirius, the dog star. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. I guess even the brightest stars can fall…

"Lassie? What are you doing out here?"

I jumped violently and squinted into the darkness. "Lumos," I muttered.

Moody was standing not even a foot away from me.

I squeaked and jumped back in surprise. He smirked. "Easy, Lass, easy. You should probably come inside right about now. It’s getting late."

"I’ll be in in a second."

He nodded. "All right, Lassie. Good night."

I watched him limp back into his shack before relaxing. He kept insisting upon calling me ‘Lass’ or ‘Lassie’. Not that it bothered me, but ‘Lassie’ was the name of a dog. My

eyes flickered back to Canis Major. One star stood out among the rest. I sighed heavily and turned away.

*****

I stared around 'my' house in complete amazement. When Dumbledore had mentioned he knew someone in the real estate business, I had expected some crummy little flat, the

likes of which I had been getting used to for years. This, however, was like a mansion, compared to what I had been living in. It had four bedrooms and was obviously much too

large for one person but it was nice to once again have the luxury of a bed that didn’t creak and pipes that gave out hot water without any magical prompting.

"Lassie? Where are ya?" I could hear the thumping of Moody’s wooden leg and he walked across the oak floors.

"Here," I called out, staring in awe at the office that had been set up. It was huge, with sunlight streaming through the windows.

Moody brushed past me, carrying boxes and boxes of what I can only assume were papers and such. Several more boxes followed him into the room. "Dumbledore mentioned

something about a secret passage," he said setting the boxes down on the floor with an almighty thump and instructing the others to do the same with a flick of his wand. "I

say we set about looking for it. It’ll be where we do most of our work. It can’t be traced, which is rather nice and technically doesn’t exist as part of this house."

I stared at him apprehensively. He really was creepy-looking and that magical eye made it ten times worse.

He leaned forward, grinning in a way that made him see even more terrifying. "Ya aren’t getting cold feet, are you, Lassie?"

I smirked back. "Nope."

"Good. Because I know I can’t do this alone. I’m not as young as I used to be." He didn’t sound wistful, merely as if he wanted to be sure I knew this.

I turned back to stare out of the huge windows as Moody started tapping on the walls and floor with his wand. I crossed my arms and sighed, getting lost in my thoughts. This

was all happening a little fast for me. What would my landlady think when she saw the flat empty and no rent waiting for her?

"You should be more careful," came Moody’s low voice from behind me.

I whirled around and found myself staring down the end of his out-stretched wand. The surprise must have been evident in my face because he laughed and lowered the

mahogany wand in his hand.

"Constant vigilance, Lassie. Constant vigilance. It’s something I was taught when I was training to be an Auror. You can’t afford to be caught like that."

I just gaped at him, open-mouthed.

He chuckled again. "Now come on, Lass…I think I’ve found it."

I stood there for a second longer to collect my wits and then followed him to the other side of the room, away from the bookshelves and desks.

He glanced at me sharply. "Notice how this part of the wall is slightly different in the carvings right here?"

I looked at it carefully. It looked exactly the same to me. "Um…no?" I figured honestly would be the best policy.

He stepped back and for a second, I thought he was going to hurl a violent hex at me (he wasn’t rumoured to have the most stable of personalities). Instead, he merely chuckled.

"Not many people would, Lassie, not many people would. Which is precisely why you’ve got to learn to tell the difference." He pointed his wand at the hundreds of

bookshelves that lined the walls. "Those will, no doubt, help you. Now, back to this. See, right here, the rose has three lines inside the petal about two centimetres long and here

it only has three lines that are one and a half centimetres long? Well, that’s the kind of thing you’ve got to notice!" he said, when he saw the dubious look on my face. Who the

heck notices things like that? "Now, I’m going to assume that this part of the wall was added later than the other parts and therefore carved by a different person who could

only mimic what was already done. So…let’s see…"

He pressed his wand against the wall and muttered something that I couldn’t hear.

"Who dares awaken me?" came a rumbling voice from…the wall?

"Ah, shut up," Moody muttered.

The wall seemed to be thinking this over. "Alastor Moody, I presume. Very well. You may enter. And who is this?" I got that prickling sensation that the wall was looking at

me, which is absolutely ridiculous because it was…well…it was a wall!

"Aria Walsh."

The wall sighed. "Moody…I’m assuming that you have a good reason to be here? I’ve been enjoying a very nice slumber for over a decade now. For what reason have you

disturbed it?"

"We’re going to be needing the passage that you’re hiding," he said forcefully.

"For what?"

"Business," he said shortly.

The wall sighed again. "And your wishes?" His wishes? A talking wall…an intelligent talking wall…this was absolutely ludicrous.

"That only two people will ever enter here. Aria and myself."

"Fine, fine," the wall agreed irritably. "You aren’t going to be coming and going all the time, are you?"

"Sorry," Moody said, not sounding sorry at all, "but we can’t disclose that information. Do I have your word?"

The wall sighed yet again. "Am I to assume that the Dark Lord has played some strange role in all of this?"

"You would be."

"Very well then. You have my word that, for as long as you wish, Aria and yourself are the only ones who will set foot inside here. Unless accompanied by one of you, of

course." The wall swung backwards to reveal something that reminded me of the top portion of a bar stool.

"After you, Lassie."

I stepped onto the platform and with a sudden lurch, I realized I was falling. I landed hard on top of a large cushion, which immediately drenched me in dust. I coughed and

quickly got off the mass of white feathers and away from the clouds of dust.

"All right, Lass?" Moody sounded slightly concerned, although his facial features didn’t show it.

"Just fine," I choked out.

He nodded and turned away, lighting some torches with his wand. "I haven’t set foot in here for…years. Not since Voldemort…" he trailed off and I saw him lifting a picture

frame up and examining it. "Covered in dust," he said, sounding disgusted. "Whole place is."

Only now did I realize how large this…hidden room was. It was easily the size of one tennis court, maybe even two, and contained six large wooden desks and cabinets up to

the ceiling. "What-" I started.

"Auror’s hideout," he answered, without even looking at me.

I stared around again. It was so unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Like something right out of the movies. "I didn’t know these really existed," I said without thinking. I

immediately felt my face get hot. What a stupid thing to say.

He glanced at me. "Auror’s had ranks. You and your friends…probably slightly lower down. No Death Eater would have bothered trying to find you." He was stating a fact.

There was a long pause as he used his wand to rid the room of all the dust that had accumulated over the years.

"Were you there?" I blurted out.

"Was I where?"

"There…when Voldemort returned."

His magical eye stopped revolving and fixed itself on me. "No, Lassie…I wasn’t. I was actually imprisoned in my trunk at the time."

I stared at him, not sure whether he was joking or not. I, for one, would not have been as free to speak about my imprisonment in a trunk.

Moody’s lips curved into a smile, making his face more twisted than before and yet, I felt comfortable with him. He reminded me of what my father should have been like. "I

heard the story from Albus, myself," he said, glancing at me. "But, we’ve got our work cut out for us. No other Death-Eaters will join him because we aren’t going to let

them." He sounded so sure of himself. So unafraid.

"Why can’t he just go away?" I snapped, talking to myself.

"Because that would be too easy." He answered my rhetorical question.

I scoffed. "His plans for world domination are absolutely ridiculous. I can’t imagine what the bloody hell runs through his mind. Whoopee…let’s turn the whole world around

so it’s run by the dark forces. And once it is, what the heck is he going to do then? He didn’t give it much thought, did he?!?"

Moody raised an eyebrow at me. "Calm down, Lassie, calm down. You can’t begin to fathom how a Dark Wizard’s mind works…it’s too complex."

I didn’t respond to this. Wasn’t everything ‘too complex’ in this life?

I sat idly and watched Moody ‘clean’ his hideaway. There were obviously many treasured possessions lurking in the many drawers and cupboards; things he’d left there,

hoping they’d stay. I was just beginning to get rather bored, seeing him surrounded by papers and photographs, as he sat on the floor and looked through each one carefully

when he gave a strangled sound of surprise.

"What is it? What’s wrong?" I asked frantically, reaching for my wand.

He stared at me for a second before looking at the photograph in his hand and then back at me. He didn’t answer me.

Slowly, I got off the desk I was sitting on and took a seat beside him. The picture in his hand was of a couple who were obviously very much in love. The man was tall and

smiling as he played with a strand of the woman’s blonde hair. "Who are they?" I whispered, feeling that it was wrong to talk normally at this moment in time.

"Lara Fletchley," he said softly, in a tone quite unlike his usual gruff one, "and Marcus McKinnon."

McKinnon? That was a very famous last name. The McKinnons had been one of the most powerful wizarding families destroyed by Voldemort. I waited for him to continue.

"They were both Aurors," he said, still sounding as if he were in a trance. "Two of the best. Worked here…" he trailed off and an unreadable expression appeared in his eyes.

"Well, I think we can clean this up later, don’t you? Come on, Lassie…let’s go find something to eat." He got to his feet (well…foot but I have a feeling that isn’t really

important right now) and dusted himself off. I stared at him as he stepped onto the platform and disappeared.

Slowly, I got up and with one last glance at the picture, I too stepped onto the platform and vanished. I got the impression that Alastor Moody had secrets of his own that he wished to share with no one. And that was just fine by me.

---