A.N. I know it has been many months since I have written this. College life with full time work is very demanding. So to make up for it I am trying to update as much as I can during this break. Last week was Retsu's Folly, today is Catharsis.

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Chapter 14

His nose tickled and he swiped at it to find that his hand was wet, in fact, so was his face. Slowly he blinked his eyes open, finding himself under the boughs of a tree thick with leaves. The ground and he, as well, were covered in mountain dew. Harry sat up quickly and surveyed his surroundings. He was in the woods somewhere and at the base of the tree closest to him sat a tall silver jar, a cloak, and a letter hanging in the air.

As he stood up he realized that he was wearing different clothes than he had been. Hurriedly he searched for the Resurrection Stone and breathed in relief when he found it on the chain around his neck. He wondered who had changed him while he was passed out, and more importantly who had healed him, because it would have taken someone of great skill to undo Dumbledore's curses.

The woods were not the same as the one he and Bianca had been in the fight with the goblins; there were no signs of battle. Bianca had obviously found help somewhere for the both of them, and he wondered where the girl was now. Maybe the letter is from her, Harry thought. Feeling thirsty he picked up the cool jar and looked at the clear liquid in it suspiciously. Throwing caution to the wind he raised the jar and drank deeply from it, and kept on drinking till there was not a drop left.

"What the Hell!" He threw the jar away from himself, realizing that some spell had compelled him to drink from it. However, he felt supremely refreshed and strong, as though he'd had a rejuvenation potion.

Now a little perturbed and hoping to find out where Bianca was, he plucked the letter hanging in the air. It read:

It's bitter joy to see you again, to have you so close but unable to have you with me is the worst torment I have been through and I have been through many since you were taken. I am compromised, so don't try to get in touch with me without caution; I am only safe to approach when I am wearing the pendant if you must see me. Unfortunately our mission cost me dearly; I am in some ways the greatest danger to you here. So you must be careful!

I hope you drank the potions I left you. If you have not, you must drink soon, it will repair the last of the curse damage on you and protect your blood from paternity and maternity identification spells for a few days. I saved you before your blood could be taken.

You were found underneath goblin bodies and brought to Mungo's. They treated you there and I took you away a moment before the enemy found you. Unfortunately Mungo's staff did not find traces of some of the more obscure curse damage on you, which I had to take care of. I have erased the memories of the staff and the enemy's agent, but others are aware of your existence.

There is much you have to know but I cannot put in writing or even speak it out loud. We will have to communicate in the old way.

Stay safe, I love you.

L.

Harry read the letter twice, unable to follow all that was said in it. He wondered who 'L' was and was he or she both a friend and a foe. He became anxious realizing that the letter mentioned nothing about Bianca. What had become of her?

He slipped the letter in his pocket and put the cloak waiting for him around his shoulders. The last he'd seen her she was fighting goblins. She wouldn't have left him buried under goblins if she could help it. So it was clear, she was either dead, a prisoner of the goblins, or something else had happened to her. Harry wondered about the 'enemy' the letter mentioned. His blood ran cold at these possibilities but he marshaled himself, if Bianca was alive, she needed him.

"I'm an idiot." Harry slapped himself and pulled out the resurrection stone around his neck. He spun it thrice and called his sister's name. When he had waited several minutes and her spirit didn't show, he sighed in relief, knowing for certain now that she was alive.

With hope aflame he disapparated, planning on visiting the chieftains of the goblins they had fought.

0000000000

Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black sat across from Minister Crouch as the sharply groomed man attempted to bore holes in the two wizards with his eyes.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I am sure you are aware why I have asked to see you," Minister Crouch began.

Albus Dumbledore smiled politely. "I cannot say I know, Barty. I presume it has something to do with Auror Black's presence. I'm fairly certain, however, that I have not had any run ins with the law lately."

The Minister bristled at the casual manner in which Dumbledore was dismissing his irritation. He leaned back in his chair, affecting a silence to show that he was not amused.

Sirius sat on one of the visitor chairs, realizing he was more or less just a spectator as two political powerhouses danced. The Minister, he noted, was impeccably dressed as usual in black pinstriped robes, with only the jewel studded cufflinks a departure from his seemingly austere wardrobe. Even the man's hair and moustache looked to be cut with a ruler. He snorted mentally at the contrast Dumbledore was to the Minister. Dumbledore, as always, was dressed in the most wizardly of garb he could find with little regard for the blacks and grays that Ministry top brass prescribed to.

The silence stretched, and while the Minister and Dumbledore seemed alright to sit mute, Sirius had things to do. "Minister, if you please, could you let me know what you need me for? There is quite a bit of paperwork that I still need to finish."

Minister Crouch sent Sirius a quelling look but the younger man met it with a blank look.

"Auror Black, you are simply here to confirm certain facts of the recent events as and when I require, your paperwork can wait."

"As you wish, Minister," Sirius said with a smile and got comfortable. No harm in having tried, he thought to himself.

"The kidnapped children who have been returned to their families…I would say it's safe to presume that you are familiar with them, Headmaster," the Minister began anew.

"Of course," said Dumbledore. "It's a joyous yet worrying occasion, given how most of the parents were not aware of the children's existence."

"Quite," agreed Minister Crouch. "A most disturbing mystery, definitely pointing to some foul play at the close of the war. Many of the families are good friends of yours, is that not so, Headmaster?"

"I like to think all of my previous students are on good terms with me." Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course." Minister Crouch said with a bland smile of his own. "Then you may have some insight into who amongst your friends is on a vigilante mission against the goblin rebel factions that we have just made peace with?"

Sirius frowned and noticed that Dumbledore looked puzzled as well.

"Minister, I have no knowledge of this, nor am I in a position to be aware of such things as you are implying," Dumbledore said, finally losing the pleasant tone he had maintained thus far.

"Let's speak openly, Headmaster. I have a strong reason to believe that you were involved with a vigilante organization in the war, possibly with the tacit cooperation of the government of the time. Others that I had identified in my time as head of the department of magical law enforcement to belong to that group are today the ones welcoming the children we found in the hands of the goblins. In other words, your people were victims of some strange goblin conspiracy," The Minister finished steepling his fingers and glaring at the far more powerful wizard.

"Barty, surely the people whose children were taken away are your responsibility foremost, as the Minister of Magic. It is no secret that I opposed the dark and many others did so as well, but to say that I was part of some extra-governmental organization is the product of some fevered mind." Dumbledore put up a hand to forestall Crouch's response and continued, "Leaving that aside for a moment, how does this tie into this vigilante issue you are experiencing?"

"I am not experiencing this problem. It is the goblin tribes that were rebelling who are being subjected to a terror campaign unless they give over a wizard girl who they supposedly have imprisoned. My people are certainly not harassing the goblins anymore, now that we have decisively beaten them and they have surrendered. This only leaves the one shadow group in our nation that has wizards and witches of sufficient magical power to go barging into goblin strongholds killing off their warriors!" Minister Crouch stood to his significant height, slamming his fist on his desk. "I will not have your people derail the peace process and reseed rebellious sentiment in the goblins, Dumbledore. I want you to cease and desist."

"Sit down, Barty," Dumbledore said with quiet authority, and the man found himself falling into his chair despite his intention to stay standing. "I will ask you to stop accusing me of being a vigilante. Now, I am unaware of this situation, and to my knowledge no one in my circle of friends is out looking for his or her child, much less attacking goblins."

"Minister," Sirius interposed himself into the exchange. "Do you have any more information on the person attacking the goblins?"

Crouch thought for a moment. "Much of the information is unreliable. Some of them say that it's a boy, other say it's an adult male. There might be two involved but I doubt a mere boy could survive an encounter with these goblins. Either way, the girl they keep demanding be returned is described to be around ten, hazel eyes, black hair, with a scar on her neck."

Sirius sat back with a thoughtful expression, hoping that Crouch hadn't seen recognition in his eyes. It's the boy, it has to be, Sirius thought.

"Dumbledore," Crouch interrupted their musings. "It is my understanding that a werewolf is to be thanked for finding these children. A Remus Lupin in your employ."

"That is correct," Dumbledore said. "You are well aware that the Longbottoms' child was kidnapped when he was less than a year old. Despite the Ministry's best efforts, he was not found."

"So you took upon yourself to put your man on the job?" Crouch asked with a disgusted expression.

"Mr. Lupin was and is extraordinarily talented but unfortunately his condition precludes him legally from working in many places. He was a friend of the Longbottoms' and a fighter for the light. He needed a job and the job needed someone to do it. If we had only been aware of the extent of the kidnappings, perhaps the Ministry would have brought more resources to bear on finding the boy." Dumbledore stood. "This meeting is over, Barty. I am not interested in vague accusations and conspiracy theories. It seems you have a serious and real problem to solve, I will show myself out so you can get to it. Good day."

The Minister had stood as well but Dumbledore swept from the room before any further unpleasantries could be exchanged. Sirius Black hung back and asked, "Minister, you said this wizard is killing the goblins? Could it be self-defense? He might've gone to them asking for information and knowing these goblins they might have decided to kill him."

Minister Crouch remained standing, staring at the hallway through the door Dumbledore had left. "It is not unlikely, as you say, given the particular goblin tribes we are dealing with, but considering the wizard is continuing to invade their strongholds to wipe the floor with them, I believe that he is contributing to creating a situation where 'self-defense' may be necessary." Crouch laughed.

Sirius smiled. "You seem less upset about the situation than you were when Dumbledore was in here."

Crouch sat down and crossed his legs, seeming to relax. "Politics, Auror Black," he said by way of explanation. "The truth is I'd rather have had those goblins not surrender so we could have legitimately destroyed them. Now they will continue to live and pass on their ideologies to younger generations, and a few years later these same names and same faces will be on the list of rebel leaders and warriors."

Sirius hummed to himself in thought. "So you approve of what this wizard is doing?"

"If it were your daughter, Sirius Black, what would you do?" Crouch asked, holding Sirius's eyes.

Sirius grinned, liking the Minister for the first time. "There would be a blood bath."

Crouch nodded. "Then you and this wizard have something in common. His tactics are…vicious, to make an understatement."

Sirius didn't like the look of approval on the man's face, realizing just how wide the cruel streak ran in the Minister. "I suppose you wish me to start an investigation."

"Yes, officially, at the least. It would be best to know who this wizard is, but inform me before making any arrests. I am far more interested in what happened with these children and how exactly were a bunch of goblins able to kidnap so many of them. A little outside pressure is working very well in breaking through their reluctance to talk," Crouch said.

"Sir, if I may ask, would it not be a politically dangerous move for you to finalize peace talks with these goblins once the rest of the world finds out that they had captured wizard children?" Sirius leaned forward, hoping that Crouch was feeling talkative enough to share more.

Crouch nodded with a pleased smile. "An obvious question, of course," he said. "One of my demands is that they hand over whoever is responsible, otherwise we go to war again. If history is any measure, the goblins will give us the names of a few scapegoats, who they will execute in accordance with their laws before we can question them. It will be an utterly unsatisfying end for all of us, but politically I will be covered."

Sirius made a disgusted sound. "I don't know how you stand it. That leaves a very bad taste in my mouth."

Crouch's face darkened in anger. "Oh, and mine as well, Auror Black, but that is the price for being in the place I am. Now, to matters more relevant to you, did you see this girl that I described at the night of the battle?"

"No, sir, I didn't come across any children," Sirius said with an open face.

"I know you have friends amongst Dumbledore's group. I have not had a chance to see the children who were recovered, have you had the opportunity?" Crouch continued.

"There are some celebrations planned. Welcome home type of events, I will see some then, and I can let you know if anyone matches the description."

Crouch smiled. "Thank you. Now, while the hunt for the goblin killing wizard is simply a mission on paper, I want to use it as a cover to investigate the circumstances around the kidnappings. I cannot imagine they did not have help from a wizard or a witch. And you understand what that means."

"Someone betrayed the wizarding world," Sirius provided.

"Exactly. I want that person or persons found, Mr. Black, and I want them shamed and in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. I will not stand for people selling out their kind." The skin around Crouch's eyes became tense in fury.

Sirius stood up and gave a short bow. "The Blacks were never much for traitors, Minister. The case will have my full attention." He nodded and exited the room.

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Two weeks later

Bianca spied through the key hole on James Potter and Remus Lupin talking about her. Mr. Lupin had given her leave to all the rooms in his small apartment as long as she promised not to leave. With the chance to know her father at hand she had promised quickly, knowing well Mr. Lupin had spelled the doors and windows to only open for him anyway.

"You've left this very late, James. I don't have much time to have her blood checked before the full moon," Remus was saying.

She saw her father sigh and shake his head. "There's been a lot going on. Dumbledore changed his strategy about how he wanted to tell the rest of the Order about the children. And there have been other issues." He sat on a musty arm chair with his hat in his hand.

Mr. Lupin doesn't look happy with father, Bianca thought. The wizard had been very gentle and sweet, she wondered if he had existed in either of the worlds she's been in before. It was a shame she had never met him.

"I know this is difficult-"

James interrupted Remus. "You have no idea how difficult it is."

"Fine, maybe I don't know, maybe I will never know what it's like, but however difficult this is for you, it must be much worse for her. She knows she's your daughter!" Remus snapped.

Bianca gasped, wondering how Mr. Lupin had figured her out. She had never confessed to either of them that she was James Potter's daughter.

"What are you talking about, Remus?" James frowned.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice the way she fixates on you in the brief moments you've been here. She asks about you and the Potters, very delicately mind you. She's trying to be subtle, but it's obvious she knows you are her father." Remus pulled a chair close to James, speaking now more softly.

"It's just the hero worship. Defeater of the dark lord here. That's all there is to it. They tell fairy tales about me, that's the only reason she's curious about me." James waved him off.

Bianca felt her heart ache and threaten to burst out of her chest. Hearing her father dismiss her was unbearable. She couldn't help herself and before she knew it, she was opening the door and in the sitting room.

She'd hung her head, unable to really look at them, and not wanting them to see the tears in her eyes. She heard movement but they didn't say anything, she wondered if they were angry at the interruption and the eavesdropping.

"I...I want to show Mr. Potter something, Mr. Lupin. Can I please have my wand back for a second? I promise I won't do anything bad." She still hadn't looked up and was startled a little when Mr. Lupin crouched by her and pressed her wand in her palm.

"It's alright, dear. I trust you. I really wish you would tell me your name, though," Mr. Lupin said.

Bianca smiled hesitantly; something about the man just put her at ease, even though she knew he was a werewolf. "It's…" She thought for a moment. "Harley." She gave her middle name just to be careful.

"Thank you for telling me your name, Harley. Now, go on, show us what you want to," Mr. Lupin encouraged.

Bianca looked up, seeing her father standing like a statue, his hat still in his hands, as if the thing held him together. A lance of pain went through her; he looked weak, and it was because of her. She had second thoughts about what she was going to do. Maybe it was best if he never knew her. He didn't look like he wanted to. Or maybe it was like Mr. Lupin had said, for some parents it would be painful to even think of what their children suffered in the many years they were apart. She was glad that Mr. Lupin had assumed she was one of those children and tried to glean information about what had happened to them from her.

He's just worried for me, she decided. He looks so much like Harry, she thought, and it made her smile. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted and her guardian stag streamed out of the wand.

It circled her once and walked in the small sitting room, brushing against Mr. Lupin, who had an expression of utter delight on his face. The stag went to stand in front of her father. The glow of the patronus made her father's face look bleached white, and his wide stunned eyes shone across the room.

When it disappeared, James met her eyes and held them for a long minute. Then he strode over and enveloped her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know, baby, I didn't know," he whispered, and Bianca could feel the guilt pouring in his words. She couldn't do anything but cry in joy and in grief.

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The lounge at the old Dumbledore home had been cleared of all unnecessary furniture to make room for the meeting. Simple chairs ringed the room, with a few tables with refreshments. Ariana Dumbledore did not know if lending a certain official air to the meeting was the best way to go about things. It was too impersonal a setting for what was to be a very emotional night for many. She sighed; tired of the uncertainty, worried about the traitor who had never been unmasked, and finally, the less than warm reunion she had had with her granddaughter.

There was a soft knock followed by her eldest brother entering the room. She looked to him anxiously, wondering if he had discovered what she had done. His somber face was enough of a sign for her, she gave a rueful smile. "Will you lecture me, brother?"

Albus Dumbledore came to stand in front of her so she had to crane her neck up painfully to look at him from her wheelchair. "I thought we had agreed that it was time for full disclosure on this matter."

"There is no conceivable way that the Order would stay loyal to you after they found out we had kept the kidnappings of the children a secret. You must see that!" Ariana wheeled herself back and away from the corner Albus had trapped her in.

"The way to redemption is closed unless one confesses, Ariana." Albus followed his sister.

"Oh! So you will lecture me after all," Ariana scoffed.

"You are acting like a child."

Ariana wheeled around to face her brother. "I am over ninety years old, and I have spent over a decade and a half of those years in this wheelchair because of the mistake I made of embracing idealism, Albus. Don't you dare call me a child when you are the one proposing some great odyssey of regret and redemption!"

Albus Dumbledore's face was white with fury. "It was you who put me on this path of seeking to undo my wrongs, dear sister, all those years ago. It's ironic that you sound like Gellert now…" He trailed off, seeing tears trail down Ariana's cheeks.

"My granddaughter is cold and distant. I cannot help but worry that they have done something to her, turned her against us. Whoever kidnapped these children had a long term plan. We need the Order now more than ever to watch out for each other. Albus, the Order is our family, our children…what will I do if they leave me?"

Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily. "So you went to their homes these past two weeks and obliviated them of the memory of us testing them for memory charms when the Longbottom kidnapping happened."

"How would the pain of knowing we knew the possibility of their children having been taken going to help anything? Is it any different than what you have done to Lily? Did you not wish to save her the pain of what she went through in her last years in Hogwarts?" Ariana pleaded, and knew she had convinced her brother, seeing his face become drawn at the mention of Lily.

"Lily was different," Albus whispered, "She was a sixteen year old girl, possessed by some creature that had convinced her he was the spirit of her son. That thing had twisted her mind and need I remind you that it's his curse that took your legs. It pained me greatly that she blamed us, and me most of all for banishing that supposed phantom child of hers. I had to obliviate her, for her sanity's sake."

"It was the only way you could think of saving Lily," Ariana said. "And this is the only way I can think of saving the Order."

"It was more than that," Albus said, "But it is in the past now."

Ariana scoffed. "Ah, yes, the prophecy you are unwilling to share."

"It was dangerous, and I believe still is. Even if there is the remotest chance that he can be summoned from wherever he rots, it would behoove us to remove the possibility. And not revealing the prophecy is one way I guard against that possibility." Albus turned suddenly towards the door. "We have our first guest it seems."

"Well, better start acting our ages then, instead of fighting like children," Ariana teased.

"You started it, dear sister." Albus smiled, and the two elderly siblings shared a smile.

Sirius Black walked into the room without a knock and stood to survey the place. "Wow, well this looks…empty and uninviting. Don't you think it's a little awkward sitting facing each other in this rectangle? And am I first? That's depressing, I was hoping to make an entry, I made sure I was an hour later than when you told me we were meeting, Madam Dumbledore."

Albus Dumbledore chuckled and saw his sister rolling her eyes at Sirius Black. She had always had a soft spot for Sirius, seeing him as someone in need of a mother. "I think my sister might've misspoken when she told you the time."

"Yes, I wanted to make certain you would be on time, and knowing your habits I felt it best to lie." Ariana smiled.

Sirius mock glared. "I'm a busy man, I will have you know. My time is precious. Incidentally I have been spending it searching for the goblin killer."

"And?" Ariana prompted, watching as her brother charmed the lounge with more comfortable chairs and created a more intimate setting. He had taken Sirius's comments to heart, apparently.

"Well…I may have hinted, let on, intimated, or otherwise given an indication to the goblins that I have the girl the goblin killer is looking for." Sirius beamed at her.

She held her head in her hands and said one word in great dismay, "Sirius."

"Very good, Sirius, I believe there have been two more attacks on the goblins just this week. The goblin killer should be on your tail by now, if you spoke to them before those attacks," Albus Dumbledore said, charming couches in various colors of his choice.

"Exactly," said Sirius. "And this is why I like your brother more, Madam Dumbledore, he approves of my ideas."

"Ingrate." Ariana laughed. "Now I shall be up at night worrying about you."

"So, the girl give up anything? Remus been able to get anything out of her yet?" Sirius asked, settling into one of Albus Dumbledore's transfigured creations.

"I have not heard anything. Since Lily will be here tonight, perhaps she can perform the charms on her blood to identify her parents. I know Remus has not had the chance to take her blood to either Poppy or Lily yet," Ariana shared.

"Circumstances surrounding her are very interesting. I had wished her mystery would be solved before tonight's meeting, but perhaps we will learn more today. I imagine Remus will have to bring her with him," Albus said.

Sirius looked around. "So where's the littlest Dumbledore of them all? I haven't had the pleasure yet."

Ariana pursed her lips in a thin line but spoke when both the men looked to her for an answer. "Adele is in her room. She says she likes to spend time by herself."

"Oh," Sirius said. "Well, don't worry, she's just a kid, it's probably a lot to absorb, reuniting with the family you have never known."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Sirius, for trying to comfort me but I am not that fragile," Ariana said repressively.

"Sounds like Adele and mystery girl will get along well then," Sirius said with a grin.

"Albus I hope you are not very fond of Sirius, I fear he will not be around for very much longer." Ariana turned to her brother who had a serene smile on his face.

"I think I'll just go get a drink then…it's good for longevity." Sirius stood up and walked out of Ariana's line of sight.

"It's your fault for indulging him so, dear sister," Albus Dumbledore said happily.

Ariana did not deign to answer and resolved to wait patiently for the rest of the Order. It was the first time in over ten years that they would meet as a group, but just the old crowd.

0000000000

The room had filled with the veterans of the last war; they sat or stood in clumps, cliques of trust which excluded others. Old suspicions resurged enough for there to be an undercurrent of uneasiness. They were trying to celebrate the joyous moment that had brought them together but the question hung in the air: Who was the traitor?

Yet there was one person that all groups greeted and spoke with freely. She seemed to be a rock of trust untarnished by the ripples of suspicions flowing in the room. Indeed, Lily Potter's political capital in the Order had grown exponentially with the latest events. None of them forgot the advice she had given during the war to keep any births secret and hide pregnancies. The Longbottoms had not been cautious and wanted to share their happiness with the Order…and it had cost them their child. Now, when it was apparent that others had suffered the same loss without any knowledge of it, their faith in Lily's wisdom and foresight had only deepened. Some thanked her for warning them all those years ago, others bemoaned that they must not have listened to her.

Lily Potter went from group to group, couple to couple, parent to parent, asking about their lives, their newfound children, their worries, their happiness. It was not unapparent to either of the Dumbledores that there was a current of anger against them for not protecting the Order. How could Albus Dumbledore not have known was an oft whispered question. Ariana wanted to remind them that her brother was neither omniscient nor omnipotent, but understood that the wizarding world's confidence in him was the source of his power as well. Lily, she hoped, would be the bond that kept the Order together. But she was an unpredictable and powerful witch, and her work in the Department of Mysteries was so well hidden that even her brother was unable to gain knowledge of it.

The door opened once more and all eyes turned to welcome James Potter and Remus Lupin. Remus had only a few hours before the Change came over him, and he would need to go to his hiding place. Remus was greeted with cheers, and for the first time that evening the tension left the Order. The deliverer of their children was finally there and they all wanted to thank him personally and hear how it was all done.

It took a while for others to notice that James Potter was holding a girl by the hand that they were unfamiliar with. Lily and James were facing each other and a circle of silence had fallen around them.

"Lily, could you please cast the charms on her…We need to identify her," James said. There were expectant whispers all around.

"Why wasn't I told about her before?" Lily demanded with a frown.

"There were circumstances, she was found fighting the goblins, trying to escape I think. Look we can talk about all that later." James gesticulated with his hand. "Let's just do this first. Her name is Harley."

The others watched in anticipation, wondering to whom the girl belonged. She was clutching James's hand and staring at Lily with the awe of a pilgrim come to her temple. Lily looked from the girl to James, as if reading his face. "You already know…don't you?" she asked.

"Yes," James answered with an unsure smile. "But to prove to everyone else I need you to cast the enchantments."

"Well I don't have blood samples of everyone in the Order here, they are with Poppy, but I guess since everyone is here, we could ask…" She trailed off when James shook his head no.

"All we need is yours and my blood, Lily," James said.

Lily's eyed widened and a second later her fists clenched. "That's impossible! I wasn't obliviated. Professor Dumbledore checked me many times, I've never been obliviated."

Ariana cursed inside, she had obliviated their memory of Albus and her checking them for the effects of the charm after the Longbottom kidnapping, but she hadn't remembered that Albus had used the tests as a ruse to obliviate Lily over the years when the spell wore off. It would only take someone other than Albus or her to test Lily and they would know that Lily indeed had been memory charmed.

"Forgive me, Lily. The charm was powerful. I feared that if I dispelled it, it would break your mind. It would have only caused you worry to know you had been obliviated with no way of knowing what you had been made to forget. I chose to save you the pain. I had no idea that you could possibly have another child from that time." Albus had stood to make his apology, and Ariana could practically see the rift forming between her brother and the rest of the Order. Ariana cursed herself bitterly for forgetting Lily's subsequent 'tests.' She was the one person in that room besides her husband who could keep them together, and she was suddenly a victim.

"Lily! Lily!" Remus was shaking Lily's shoulder, because she was simply standing there like a statue, unblinking. Her eyes were fixated on the girl's neck, where now the others noted a long scar ran.

Lily did not respond to Remus but fished out a necklace with a stag charm on it from her jeans. She put it around her neck and it seemed to the gathered that a change came over her; as if a ripple in the air ran over her body, but it seemed too fanciful a thought to be real. She became animated again. "Professor, we will speak about this later. Right now I need to confirm this. I need some privacy."

"You can use my study, Lily. You know where it is," Ariana said. Lily nodded to her distractedly and motioned for the girl to follow her.

James made to follow but was halted by Lily. "Stay, mingle. You're already convinced she's ours. Someone I trust has to stay and look for any signs of the traitor," she said. James felt Harley's hand let his go, and he could feel the reluctance in the girl. He'd expected Lily to be warmer to the girl than he had been, but perhaps his hesitation in acknowledging her was not so abnormal.

He turned back to the room which was buzzing a live wire with tension.

And now it all falls apart, he thought to himself.

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Bianca didn't know what to think. In the last world at least some things had been similar to the history that she remembered but in this new place everything was throwing her off. She could not have imagined having her parents alive, or them not knowing of her if they were alive. And her mother was seriously freaking her out. Where she had expected to find compassion and love in her green eyes, she found piercing calculation. When she had put on that locket, something had happened that reminded her of the magic Harry had used in his battle against Dumbledore. She was not reassured by the comparison.

She watched her mother send shadows from her wand to cover the walls of the study, where portraits and other paintings hung. She continued to cast more magic, only some familiar to Bianca, but it seemed her mother wanted total privacy. Finally she sat down across from her with a look of consideration.

"So how did you convince my husband that you are our daughter?" she asked in a neutral voice. Bianca wanted to cry but scolded herself for being so emotional. Her aunt had raised her better, she was a soldier, a warrior of the light, she did not cry…not till she started getting tossed to a new world every couple of months, she thought.

"I cast my patronus…it's a stag," Bianca answered, hoping her mother wouldn't ask the obvious question of how she knew her father was a stag animagus if she had never met him.

Her mother nodded and told her to raise her sleeve. Before Bianca had rolled it up all the way she felt a sting and sucked in her breath at the sudden pain. Her mother had made a cut and drawn blood before she'd realized. She did the same on her arm and the strings of blood now suspended in air melded, separated, and then entwined again. Bianca was fascinated by the magic, beginning to see motes of light within the blood.

She caught her mother's eye across the blood hanging in the air and found she had been staring at her with a slight curve of her lips. Bianca hesitated to think of it as a smile, it seemed too self-satisfied, too edged to be quite a warm gesture. Lily looked away from Bianca's eyes to the blood which had finished doing whatever it was doing. A silver sheen covered it as if it was glowing.

Lily vanished the blood and laced her fingers together in her lap. Bianca drank her sight in, loving her mother's beauty, wishing she had inherited her looks.

"Well, hello, daughter," Lily said with that same sharp smile.

Bianca let out a squeak of fright at the greeting. For some reason her mother was terrifying her. She dearly wished her father had come along. "Hello, M-mother."

"Now, this is the interesting part, Harley, just between us mother and daughter, I actually have all my memories, despite what I said in there. You see, I am a little immune to the obliviation charm. So I know very well that I didn't bear you or give birth to you, or had some goblin steal you in the night." Lily leaned forward and cupped her face in her hands, looking like a curious little girl.

Bianca laughed nervously. This was not going as she had hoped. Her father had been much easier.

"Where do you come from?" Lily asked with an insincere friendly smile.

Cold sweat ran down Bianca's back. "I don't think you'd believe me."

"Let me ask you a different question then," Lily said. "Did you deliberately leave Harry under goblin bodies to be burned or was that a mistake?"

In a second Bianca was off her chair and had her back pressed up against the invisible walls of the privacy ward Lily had set up. She was breathing hard and fear gripped her soul for Harry. "Is he alive? Is he okay? Please tell me!" She slumped to her knees. "How did you know?" She stilled, remembering too late that her mother should have no knowledge of Harry. She had checked with Mr. Lupin, the Potters only had daughters.

"Your concern is very convincing," her mother said as if she didn't quite believe her. "Yes, he is alive and out of danger. Next question, is your first name Bianca?"

"Y-yes," Bianca answered, relieved to hear about her brother, yet disturbed by her mother's knowledge and very obvious mistrust of her. The shadows running like waterfalls over the walls now looked a lot more ominous than when the conversation began.

"How old are you really?" Lily asked.

"Fifteen," Bianca answered, giving up on figuring out how she knew all the right questions to ask. Slowly she reclaimed the chair that had fallen when she'd flown off it in fright.

"I expect you know a little occlumency. I will be using legilimency on you now, and I am very adept at it, so don't try to play games with me. I will be looking at your memories of the fight with the goblins. Alright?" she said, taking out her wand.

It went against everything what had been drilled in her to accept what her mother wanted, but Bianca was so worn and needful of her mother to trust her she said yes. The spell was gentle; Bianca did not even realize when it had begun. She was staring at her mother face, the intent look on her features, memorizing the changing expressions. Slowly the cold distrustful blankness gave way to pain and a sad but proud smile.

She put her wand on the table, breaking the spell, and spread her arms inviting Bianca. Bianca didn't need more to be said, despite being thoroughly frightened by her mother, she desperately wanted to be held by her. "Harry is really okay, isn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, he's fine. That was a very brave thing you did, Bianca, the way you protected him." She paused and said, "I'm sorry for the interrogation. There are things you don't know about this world. I did not know if you had come from a timeline or a dimension where you were loyal to the family, I had to make certain."

"How do you know all this?" Bianca asked pulling away from her a little so she could see her mother's face.

"I met Harry when I was very young; he prepared me for things to come. It's a bit odd having your son being your mentor, but we had good times." She smiled, making Bianca smile too.

"I was so worried for Harry. Where is he?" Bianca asked.

"I put him someplace safe to recuperate. He left there some time ago, so he should be alright. Now, Bianca, you can only trust me when I am wearing this locket. All my memories of where you truly are from and other secrets are linked to this. When I am not wearing this I will have no knowledge of the conversation we just had."

"But why?" Bianca asked in confusion.

"For now all you need to know is our enemies want me to forget some important information and it would derail Harry's mission if that happens. I've survived and kept my own mind using this and some other measures. There are some cues which compel me to put this on, like your scar, your names, but it's not a failsafe system. I need you to hold this," Lily said, and pulled out a locket with a doe on it from her other pocket and put it around Bianca's neck. "Tell me to wear this if you see a situation where I need memories of your time travelling and dimension hopping. Ok?"

"You're trusting me with this?" Bianca asked, warmed by the confidence.

"Of course, you have to watch over me. That's your role in this. Harry had me get this ready years ago. Now I will transfer some memories of our talk here and only keep in my mind those memories that won't betray us." Lily motioned Bianca to get up and grabbed her wand to cast magic on the locket.

"So what will you remember?" Bianca asked, feeling terrible about losing the connection she had just made with her mother.

"That you were indeed taken when all these children were kidnapped, and you have led a difficult life. I will protect you from questioning." Lily looked up from her spell work and clasped Bianca's hands. "Just because I won't remember this conversation or your special history, don't think I am not me anymore."

Bianca grinned toothily. "I won't. But what about Harry, can't he come and stay with us?"

Lily frowned. "He doesn't know about the situation, so it's best no one is aware of him yet. When he does come back, he will have to lie low and not use some of his…particular magic, especially around the Dumbledores. Oh, by the way, your father doesn't know about any of this. So keep lips zipped." The dangerous look was back in her mother's eyes.

Bianca looked away. "Ok," she said, wishing her mother would go back to being sweet.

"Alright, time to join the others. Remember don't make eye contact with the Dumbledores too long, and don't trust anyone outside of the family. People can change very fast when timelines fluctuate." With those last words Lily took of the stag pendant and put it in her pocket. She dispelled the charms surrounding them.

Bianca took her mother's hand as she was led back into the lounge. For the first time in a long while, she felt content and safe. If only Harry was there to share it with her.

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