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Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all the characters and places of Potterverse belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Everything else is mine so keep your hands
off of it unless you want me to sic Severus on you!

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 18: The Locket of R.A.B.

September 12^th

Harry was nearly bursting with
excitement as several other Order members began to arrive and number twelve
Grimmauld Place. Eris hadn�t been able to tell them much about
what they would be facing. It seemed
that Sirius� brother either had a strange sense of humor or a harsh sense of
how to make them all learn to work together.
Sirius was wearing a scowl that seemed to grow darker every time his
brother�s name was mentioned, as though he suspected the dead wizard of some
foul play. Harry was starting to think
that he needed to pull his godfather aside and have a little talk with him�or
maybe Eris would be a better choice.

Eris was standing near him,
talking animatedly to Remus and Naiya. �I can�t believe I didn�t realize that I
wasn�t really having nightmares. He said
that my mother and father were visiting with Harry and that they sent him
because they thought I would give him a chance to say his piece.�

Harry smiled. He really had thought that he was only
dreaming about his parents, but his little talk with Eris the night before had
set him straight. It was a pleasant
feeling that filled him at the thought that he could speak with his parents
every night if he learned to control his astral projection power.

Eris carried on with excited
chatter. �I�m not worried about this at
all really. Regulus said that everything
will be fine and that we should have no trouble getting through. I know there were a few times that he mentioned
that a smaller group would have an easier time of it. Regulus said that Harry and I should
definitely go in together though, no matter who else comes with us.�

Harry felt Sirius edge closer to
him and heard his godfather hiss in his ear, �Regulus said, Regulus said,
Regulus said�Merlin! What is he, her new
best friend?�

�Sirius, calm down,� Harry growled.

�I agree with him a bit, Harry,� said Draco
slipping up on his other side. �Are you
and Tahdei sure of this power? Its not some trick to make her feel like�I
don�t know�to give her a special friend or something? She could be very vulnerable to something
like that.�

Harry rolled his eyes to the
ceiling and prayed for strength as Sirius began to speak again in a hissing
whisper. �Really,
Malfoy? Was that how you managed
to become her friend then?�

That was
quite enough of that. Harry turned and
glared at his godfather, poking him the chest as he spoke. �You watch who you accusing of�whatever. Draco is Eris� best friend and if you want
even a snowball�s chance in hell of winning over my sister you�d best stay on
his good side, and mine.�

He felt Draco place a calming hand
on his shoulder. �It�s alright,
Harry. It�s only natural that he should
be protective of his chosen partner.�

Harry stiffened and turned
narrowed eyes on the blond, only to find him smirking back. �Oh, is that how it should be, Draco?�

Malfoy�s
smirk grew. �Of course. It�s the best sign.�

Harry glared harder. �The best sign of what?�

Sirius snickered behind him. �Harry, I believe your father once said
something similar to your mother when she defended him against some Slytherins
our seventh year. He said that it�s the
best sign that you�re falling.�

Harry stepped away from the two wizards,
letting his glare slip back and forth between them. Finally he threw his hands up into the
air. �Fine then. Make fun of me if it keeps the two of you
from fighting.�

He walked over to Eris and Remus, smiling
at his sister. �So, who else do you
think we should take in with us?�

Eris chewed on her bottom lip for
a moment before speaking. �Well,
definitely Severus, but not the elves.
They could be defenseless down there for all we know. We might want to bring Draco along. He�s handy with a wand when he feels like
putting in the effort.�

�I heard that,� Draco called from where he was
still standing beside Sirius.

Eris giggled and Harry shook his
head. �Okay, so we�ll take Malfoy and
Snape along.�

Eris frowned. �What�s the matter, Harry?�

Harry stared at the ground for a
moment. �I just wish�everyone is so
excited. Maybe it would be better if
they saved that feeling for after we actually get the Horcrux.�

Eris took his hand and squeezed it
gently. He loved the feeling of
reassurance he could get from such a simple touch. It was something he had never known before he
regained his sister, at least not to such an extent. �You�re probably right about that, but
there�s something else�isn�t there?�

�Are you sure you trust Regulus,� Harry asked
quietly. Remus was giving him a
disapproving look.

Surprisingly, Eris did not become
defensive as he thought she might. She
simply smiled and gave his hand another soft squeeze. �Yes.
When I first met him, I wasn�t sure if I did trust him, but now I don�t
know what I would have done without him.�

Harry smiled. �Good.
I don�t really doubt you. I want
you to know that. Mum and Dad did say
someone was with you. Its
just that Sirius is being�odd.�

�He has his reasons for distrusting his
brother, Harry. You know that,� Remus
said softly.

Eris was nodding. �Yes.
We have to respect that. Sirius
never knew that his brother revolted against Voldemort. It might be easy for all of us to just look
past what he was, but Sirius is connected to him by blood.�

Remus regained their attention
then. �Everyone we asked to come is
here. You two need to pick who�s to come
with you and then rest of us will be�backing you up from here. Madam Pomfrey is here and will be ready for
any injuries.�

Severus stepped up then. �Well I�m coming along. We might be best off with just the three of
us.�

Harry immediately shook his
head. �No, only three of us will not
do. It�s okay for keep ourselves mobile
in the enclosed hallways, but if we need to split up someone ends up alone.�

Severus sighed. �While I feel that I would be perfectly fine
on my own, I will concede to you desire here.
We should pick a fourth then.�

Harry looked over at Eris. His first thought was that Moody might be a
good choice, but the old auror wasn�t quite as quick
as he once was and he would probably spend more time glaring at Severus than
looking out for other dangers. �How about you, Remus?�

Remus shook his head. �I already promised to stay here and make
sure that Mad-Eye and some of our more distant members leave off Tahdei and Naiya.�

�We�ll bring Draco with us,� Eris said firmly. �We can rely on him to back up the three of
us equally, just like Severus will back Harry and I up
equally.�

Harry looked at Severus who was
giving him a piercing look. �She�s
right, Harry. What�s most important
going into a situation like this is being able to trust the people supporting
you. If you�re in the lead you can�t
have to worry about what might be coming up behind you.�

Harry sighed. �Sirius isn�t going to like this.�

Eris wrapped an arm around his
shoulders. �Harry, I wouldn�t have a
problem with Sirius coming with us if we had any idea of what to expect, but in
this situation�well�I��

Severus picked up where Eris
trailed off. �What you�re twin is so
eloquently trying to say is that Black is likely to let some ill befall me and
his recent obsessive behavior towards Eris suggests that he might even
unintentionally allow you to come to harm.�

Harry wanted to argue, wanted to
defend Sirius, but he really didn�t know what to say to that. All he managed was a feebly mumbled, �He�d
never let anything happen to me.�

Remus was right there trying to
make him feel better. �Severus just
means that a smitten man can be a bit single minded.�

Severus snorted. �Yes well, I imagine that everyone experiences
that sensation at some point in their life.�

Eris was waving Draco over and
Harry cringed when he saw Sirius choose to follow. The blond was the first of the two to
speak. �Made up your minds then?�

Harry nodded. �You�re coming down with us, Draco, if you
don�t object.�

Draco arched one fine
eyebrow. �You thought I�d let the pair
of you go in without me?�

Eris chuckled. �Just don�t get wand happy on us and try to
remember that we�re pretty capable of taking care of ourselves. We just need to get to that blasted locket
and get out with our skins.�

Sirius growled. �I�ll be coming along.�

Harry glanced at Eris, who was
looking just as uncomfortable as he felt, before speaking. �There�s not going to be a lot of space to
work, Sirius. We figure a small group is
best.�

�You�ve room for one more,� Sirius said firmly.

Harry looked to Severus for
support and was surprised when Eris stepped up to take charge�or at least take
a turn in the plan. �Sirius, if you come
with us you need to stay with me and stay out of the
way. If you�re asked to stay back, you
stay back with no arguments. Do you
understand?�

Sirius� expression became quite
stony for a moment, but the wizard remained calm. �I think I�m capable of doing that, Miss
Potter.�

Harry looked back at his
sister. Her eyes narrowed for a moment,
but the corner of her mouth twitched a bit as she responded. �That�s a good thing, Mr. Black.�

Everyone
was quiet for a moment and then Snape gave Eris a little nudge. �Can we get on with it now?�

Harry just prayed that this
tenuous peace would last through the uncertain surroundings of their expedition.

_______________________________________________________________________

Eris led everyone into the library
and walked over to the first case of books to the left of the entrance. She pulled out her Gregorovitch
wand (that she was becoming quite fond of) and tapped on a copy of Magick Most Evile. She hopped back as the bookcase swept out
sideways revealing a hidden passageway.

�My, my, Black, it seems that your brother had
even less originality than you,� Severus said snidely.

Eris gave him a quelling look and turn to face
Remus, Professor McGonagall, Moody, and the other Order members gathered. �Okay, we don�t have any idea how long this
is going to take. Will communicate via
the Patronus Charm, so leave the passageway open
unless it seems that something drastic has happened and you need to close it
for safety.�

Ginny and Hermione immediately
vocalized protests. Ron managed to hold
Hermione back (much to Eris� surprise), but Ginny pushed her way forward. �But, Eris, what if you get separated from
everyone else?�

Eris frowned. �I won�t.
Sirius and I are sticking together no matter what. Nothing to worry about.�

Ginny rolled her eyes. �Yes, well life would just be perfect if
everything went as planned, but what if you two get separated anyway.�

Professor McGonagall tossed her
hands into the air with a frustrated sound.
�What are you two going on about?�<br

Eris gave Ginny a warning look,
but that didn�t stop the redhead from spouting off. �Eris can�t cast the Patronus
Charm, professor. If she gets separated
she won�t be able to communicate with anyone!�

Molly let an indignant
semi-shriek. �That is unacceptable!�

Eris put her hands out in a
gesture of defense. �Molly, I understand
that it is a risk, but I have to lead everyone else to the locket.�

�Do you actually know where it is,� Molly
asked briskly.

Severus motioned for Eris to keep
quiet. �Mrs. Weasley, you need to
understand how this has worked so far for Eris.
She remembers a great deal of the information she was given, but several
extra facts have resurfaced in her mind as she has come across cues in the
physical world.�

�I see,� Molly said tightly and turned to
Sirius. �You�d best keep track of her,
Sirius Black, or you�ll have me to deal with when you return.�

�Yes, ma�am,� Sirius said solemnly.

Professor McGonagall cleared her
throat then. �As it is Friday evening,
you have the entire weekend to succeed before Madam Pomfrey, Miss Green, and
myself need to return to the school in order to avoid connecting ourselves too
closely with your movements.�

�We�d best get started then,� Eris said firmly
and turned to walk down the passage without another word. After a few steps she held her wand out
before her and whispered, �Lumos.�

Harry quickly fell into step
beside her and followed suit casting the spell.
She sensed that Sirius was immediately behind her. Draco was behind Harry and Severus was taking
up the rear. The walls of the corridor
were just a bit over three feet away on either side of them. It was not a good deal of space.

�Okay, Regulus said that the route there is
basically without detour,� Eris said in a hushed voice. �There are only two splits that come up and
he said to go right both times.�

�How big could this actually be,� Harry asked
quietly. �Only as big
as the manor right?�

Severus� voice floated up to
them. �Theoretically these passageways
could go as far as the Blacks desired.
There are plenty of spells that could keep us from knowing that we�re
heading deeper into the earth and just as many to keep them from interfering
with Muggle power lines and plumbing.�

�Interesting,� Harry muttered softly.

Things were going smoothly right
up until they began to near the first split in the passageway. Eris first noticed a faint glow beyond the light
her wand was putting off. A few moments
later she was certain that she heard a soft scratching sound.

She leaned close to Harry�s
ear. �Do you hear that?�

Harry nodded. �It actually sounds a bit familiar.�

Eris glanced back at Draco and saw
that the blond had his wand at the ready and seemed to be focusing hard on
aiming it through any space she and Harry allowed. She looked back at Harry. �Where have you heard it before?�

�It reminds me of the sounds that the basilisk
made when it was slithering through the school�s plumbing,� Harry said. �Its scales scratched against the pipes. That can�t be what this is though. There�s just not enough room.�

Eris nodded. �And basilisks don�t glow. Let�s assume that we�re hearing claws on the
stone.�

�Well that really narrows things down,� Draco
hissed.

At that
same moment, one of the sources of the strange glow chose to step out around
the corner.

�Salamanders,� Eris cried. �We need to find their source fire.�

Harry pointed his wand at the
approaching salamander. �Aguamenti!�

A hissing sound filled the air as
the water hit the salamander�s blue, glowing skin. It cried out in pain and scuttled
backwards. Severus quickly cast a
freezing charm on the creature, encasing it in a block of ice. �They�ll stick close to their source fire, so
its most likely further up our path. Douse and freeze every one we come
across. They�ll be destroyed when we
extinguish the source.�

As they
took their first right they were greeted by the sight of ten more
salamanders. Eris felt a brief moment of
panic, but it quickly turn to a surge of excitement as the shouts of �Aguamenti� filled
the air. Within moments all ten were
doused and frozen. Eris and her small
band hurried through the corridor towards a bright light source. When they reached it, Eris realized that it
was a miniature bonfire set up on an enchanted, ebony pyre.

Sirius cursed softly. �It�s an Everlasting Flame. Spells won�t put it out and its only a matter of time before those salamanders defrost.�

Eris bit her lip as everyone
turned to Severus. She found it mildly
amusing that everyone would look to the sour wizard for the answer. Severus just rolled his eyes. �And why exactly am I supposed to know what to do?
There�s a potion that can put out the flame, but I�m afraid my Inner Eye
failed to detect that I might need a potion that takes over a year to brew.�

Eris let loose a giggle. �Oh, Severus, don�t get testy. Harry should be able to put it out.�

�Right,� Harry said gravely. He stepped forward towards the fire and
closed his eyes. After a moment he
frowned and slowly extended one hand towards the fire.

Eris picked up on a low level of
distress echoing down their bond. She
quickly opened her mind to her brother.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she spoke in soothing tones. �Just go easy, Harry. In many ways, it goes against your very
nature to extinguish any fire, but you mustn�t think that this is what you are
doing. You are taking the fire�s energy
into yourself. By joining with you, the
fire is offered the chance to be born a thousand times over.�

Eris felt a tingle up her spine
and she saw the fire flicker and die.
Sirius quickly stepped forward and clapped Harry on the back. �Well done, Harry. Now, let�s continue on double time. Salamanders are easily handled, but there
could be worse things ahead.�

Eris shivered. �Oh I guarantee it.�

Harry took her hand briefly and
then stepped out slightly in the lead.
After walking for at least an hour, the passageway grew colder. At first, Eris assumed that it was like Severus
had said and they were moving deeper into the earth. Because of this, she felt no cause for
alarm. After a few more minutes the
chill grew and Eris felt a hand on her arm.
She turned to see a concerned looking Sirius.

�Get behind me, Eris,� he said firmly. Eris gave him a questioning look, but he
shook his head. �Go on and get behind
Snape.�

Eris gritted her teeth and let
Sirius move in front of her. When
Severus stepped towards her she gave him a pointed look, but he only offered a
slight shrug. She did not allow him to
move ahead of her, but she did stand beside him. The cold only grew as they moved
forwards. It seemed to seep through her
skin and she found herself suddenly feeling a bit negative about their little
adventure. Sure, Regulus had said that
things would be easy for them, but look where that kind of thinking had gotten
him. He was dead. A few more steps and worse thoughts began to
fill her mind. She figured that Lucius
must really have succeeded in breaking her if she was giving up so easily. Where was the little bit of bravery she had
once possessed? No wonder the Sorting
Hat had decided to let her escape being placed in Gryffindor house.

It was
then that she noticed that Sirius was visibly shaking. A quick glance at Harry showed that he was
only slightly less effective. Beside
her, Severus looked quite tense and she felt that if he was a man of less
complete control he would be shaking as badly as Sirius. Draco appeared a bit disturbed, but was
probably the least affected of them all.

Sirius suddenly dropped to his
knees. Eris gasped and quickly knelt
beside him, pulling his trembling form close.
Even as she held the wizard, every horrible thing that had happened to
her that past summer came back to her.
Soon she was clinging to Sirius like a lifeline and he was tightly
returning the embrace. �What is it? What�s happening?�

That was
when several black forms drifted from the shadows. Harry and Draco held their wands steady,
trained on the creatures. They were
facing Dementors.
Both boys cast the Patronus Charm and soon a
large stag and horse were chasing the Dementors
away. While the stage was shimmering
silver, the horse was jet black.

The Patronus
Charm was effective at first, but the Dementors
didn�t exactly have that many options for directions in which to run away. There seemed to six or seven of them, three
of which came back towards Eris and Sirius in an attempt to get away from the
stag and horse. That was when Eris
vaguely heard Severus cast the charm. A
moment later, a large, shimmering phoenix swooped towards them. Eris clenched her eyes shut and waited for
the intense feeling of cold to dissipate as the Dementors
were pushed further and further away.

As the
furious beat of her heart began to return to a regular speed she pulled
slightly away from Sirius to see how he was doing. �Sirius, are you alright? Can you stand up?�

Sirius was still trembling
slightly, but he nodded and they helped each other to their feet. While Sirius composed himself, Eris turned to
talk to Draco. �Your Patronus
is black? I thought you just made a
mistake this summer when you said that.�

Draco offered her a weak
smile. �Yes, it�s black, though I�ve
never really cared enough to figure out why.�

Harry patted him on the back. �We�ll have time to figure it out once we�re
out of this. Eris�Sirius, are you
feeling alright now?�

Eris nodded and Sirius did as
well, but he still looked shaky. It
didn�t surprise her that he would be the worst effected after all his years in
Azkaban. He looked up at her, and she
smiled, trying to erase the lingering fear and pain in his gray eyes. �Everything�s okay now,� she whispered. He smiled then.

They
quickly found their second right turn and not long afterwards they came to a small
chamber. On a pedestal in the middle of
the room sat the locket. She and Severus
set about casting detection charms. It
seemed that the Horcrux was completely unguarded in
its holding cell. Regulus had relied
completely upon the creatures stalking the passageways to protect it, them and
the secret of how to get into this particular section of the tunnels.

She glanced at Severus. �Could we really be that lucky, Sev?

�It would seem so,� Severus said with a
frown. �And do not shorten my name.�

�Of course, dear,� Eris said sweetly and
stepped up towards the pedestal with her hand outstretched.

Sirius jumped forward and grabbed
her. �No! Just in case, I don�t think that you or Harry
should take the locket.�

But when Sirius tried to take it
Harry yelled for him to stop. �You
shouldn�t either.�

�Why,� Sirius asked in confusion.<be>

Draco coughed and Harry stammered
for a moment. �Er�well�you
just shouldn�t.�

�I�ll do it,� Draco said rolling his eyes. �I�m perfectly expendable.�

�You are not,� Harry shouted.

Draco started to blush. Eris looked to Severus who rolled his eyes
and snatched up the locket. �I said
there was nothing wrong with��

Before Severus could finish his
statement, the ground began to shake.
Suddenly the walls began to shift.
Eris shoved Severus back towards the way they had come in. �Hurry! Merlin only knows how the passages are
changing. It�s best to go out the way we
came!�

Severus stuffed the locket in his
pocket as he moved back out into the corridor.
Harry and Draco were right behind him.
Sirius took Eris by the arm before moving to leave, but his momentum
spun her around a bit and she spotted something shining in the far wall. She didn�t have time to consider the
consequences of going for the object.
The wall it was positioned in was shifting from sight and she doubted
she would find it again. Wrenching herself free, Eris raced across the room, Sirius and the
others shouting protests behind her.
Reaching the wall, she saw that the square object was protruding
slightly from the wall. She pulled it
free and turned to return to the others.

She
nearly made it. The room was small after
all and she was driven both by fear and a strange need. She knew some how that the little object she
held was important. If she was separated
from the others and lost for good they would be without the golden square and
deep in her soul she knew that it would cost them time they didn�t have to
spare.

Sirius was reaching out for her
and when she tripped on the minute crack in the stone floor she thought for a
moment that she would still be propelled the rest of the way into his
arms. Instead she crashed down into the
unforgiving stone. She was so intent
upon protecting her tiny treasure that she failed to completely protect her
head from the floor. Little stars
floated before her eyes and she felt a trickle of blood.

______________________________________________________________________

Sirius� eyes
widened in horror as he watched Eris fall to the ground. Snape and the boys were only fifteen or
twenty feet down the corridor, but it was already too far for them to keep the
group together. He dove through the
shrinking space to Eris� side and turned to face the three wizards. Snape was flinging various spells at the closing
wall, but nothing slowed it down.

�Get the boys out of here,� Sirius shouted as
the wall sealed itself shut. He then
turned to Eris and pulled her to her feet.
�We have to get moving, sweetheart.
The walls are still shifting and we don�t want to risk being shut in
this room.�

He sighed as Eris nodded. She still seemed quite coherent. �I�m okay.
I didn�t hit my head too hard.
Let�s get out of here.�

Sirius held tight to Eris� hand as
they ran. It seemed that the exit
corridor was a good deal more complicated than the way in. They could barely go fifty feet without
having three choices of direction. After
their second turn, Eris began cursing yellow Xs on the walls so that they would
be able to know if they came upon a corridor twice. Thank goodness that the stone wasn�t
impervious to that.

�We went a good distance to get in there in
the first place,� Sirius said calmly as he slowed his speed a bit. The walls seemed to be settling and the floor
no longer shook. �With any luck, we�ll
emerge from one of the two passageways we didn�t turn down on the way in.�

�Yes, most likely,� Eris said
breathlessly. �Regulus seemed to think
that the library entrance was the only way in.�

Sirius tightened his grip on Eris�
hand at the mention of his brother. He
had to admit that they hadn�t been led astray by the deceased wizard, even with
the little side adventure they were currently on. �I�m sure he was correct,� he said tightly.

�This is no time for you to turn green,
Sirius,� Eris said.

Sirius sighed and took a
right. �I�m sorry. I just don�t�understand I guess.�

Eris frowned, but at least she
kept moving. �You have to try,
Sirius. I wasn�t in this reality. I was outside of my body and I was basically
outside of my fears. Regulus reminded me
both of you and Draco. I felt at ease
after the first few visits. He was
saving me from the nightmares, Sirius.�

He gave her hand a gentle
squeeze. �I believe you, sweetheart, but
why him? Why not your
mother or father?�

Eris refused to look at him then
as he tried to catch her eye. �They all
knew that I wouldn�t have been comfortable with that yet. I know I have to forgive them, but I�m not there
yet.�

�Okay then,� Sirius said softly. �I will endeavor to contain my excessive
jealousy of every man who you accept into your presence.�

Eris smiled shyly. �If it helps, I�m planning on spending a bit
more time with you.�

Sirius smirked. �Really? When were you thinking of doing that?�

She
squeezed his hand. �I haven�t pulled
away have I?�

He was about to try and say
something witty to gain another smile, but something grabbed his foot and
jerked him viciously away, causing him to topple to the floor. As his head connected with the stone he was
allowed one gut wrenching moment to see the horrified expression on Eris�
face. If the shit hadn�t hit the fan
already, the walls were definitely brown now.

________________________________________________________________________

Severus kept glancing behind him
as he urged Draco and Harry on. He was
praying to every deity and great witch or wizard he�d ever heard of that Eris
and Black would show up from around a corner.
The corridor was completely unchanged beyond the entrance to the chamber
closing. He and the boys had already
fought off the Dementors and they were currently
passing the remains of the salamanders.

Deep down he knew that Black and
Eris could take care of each other, but it was his instinct to need to be the one protecting his
unmated charge. If they were already a
pair the desire would be less intense, but it was not yet Black�s duty to care
for Eris.

He could see the exit approaching
fast then and Harry kept glancing back at him.
�We need to go back, Severus. We
have to find them.�

�Just keep moving, Potter,� Severus said
firmly. He would allow no
arguments. If Harry asked it of him, he
would come back into the passageways himself, but he would not let the boys
accompany him.

Draco was looking equally
concerned, but the young Malfoy had learned long ago not to argue with him. Instead, he took a hold of Harry�s arm and
urged him along the last ten feet.
Severus was glad that the boy was looking to take charge of his love
interest. He would never admit it, but
he wasn�t certain that he could contain himself and handle Harry if the boy
became emotional.

As they
reentered the library, Severus felt an unwelcome pang of guilt at the
prematurely happy looks on everyone�s faces.
�Don�t get too excited. We got
separated from Black and Eris.�

Lupin stepped forward. �Were either one of them hurt when you last
saw them?�

Severus frowned. �Eris had tripped and fallen, but I don�t
think she was seriously hurt in any way.
Black managed to get back to her before she was left alone. The walls were shifting.�

Remus nodded. �Draco, Harry, I want you two to stay here
and get checked out by Madame Pomfrey.
Severus and I will find our strays.�

Harry looked like he might protest
for a moment, but Draco held him back once again. �Okay, Remus.
Just�please�find them.�

�Of course we�ll find them, Harry,� Severus
said gently.

As he and
Lupin headed into the hidden tunnel his one thought was that the werewolf�s nose
would be a great asset. He only hoped
that they wouldn�t be following the scent of blood.

________________________________________________________________________

Eris could barely make out what
was attacking Sirius at first. It simply
seemed as though he was being enveloped by shadows. She increased the power of her Lumos spell and was able to make out what looked like thick,
black sheet pulling Sirius into itself.
Half of Sirius� leg was already no longer visible. He was being consumed by a Lethifold and the only thing that could drive off a Lethifold was the Patronus Charm.

For a brief moment she held on to
the hope that Sirius would be able to cast the charm himself, but the
creature�s abrupt attack seemed to have knocked away the wizard�s wand as well
as rendering him unconcious. A quick Ennervate reawakened her
companion and Sirius quickly began to fight against the creature. Now she needed to get him his wand. She looked for it frantically, certain that
returning it was the only way to get Sirius out of this situation.

Sirius� unusually calm voice
pulled her out of her panicked search.
�Eris�Eris sweetheart, you can do this.
Just think of the happiest moment of your life and cast the charm. You can do it.�

Eris paused and looked into
Sirius� eyes. She saw that he was no
longer struggling, which seemed to slow down the Lethifold�s
attack. Aiming her wand for the
creature, Eris closed her eyes and tried to summon up a memory worthy of the Patronus Charm.
Nothing from her childhood seemed powerful enough. Harry had once described to her the feeling
that it had taken for him to succeed.
One time he�d used the great depth of feeling that his friends put
inside�that was it.

Eris firmly fixed a mental picture
of the faces of everyone she�d come to care about over the summer in her
mind. Draco�s face was the first to come
to mind, but he was soon joined by Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and
Severus. Still, it wasn�t until she
opened her eyes and saw Sirius� face again that she truly felt the strength of
emotion that she was certain was necessary for success.

�Expecto Patronum!� she cried and a jet of silver light erupted
from her wand. It took on the form of a
dragon. It was beautiful. It was magnificent. It filled her with such a feeling of joy that
she wondered if unhappiness would ever be able to touch her again. She knew instinctively that her Patronus was derived from both Draco and Harry. Draco for obvious reasons and Harry for his
amazing animagus display.

The Lethifold
beat a hasty retreat and Sirius quickly leapt up and pulled her into his
arms. �You did great, sweetheart. Even Harry couldn�t have done it better and
you wouldn�t believe the things your brother can do with the Patronus Charm.�

Eris nodded, feeling a bit
weak. �Let�s find our way out of here.�

It only
took them a few minutes for them to find the right path and run into Remus and
Severus. He godfather quickly pulled her
into a tight embrace and refused to release her for the entire walk back to the
library. She didn�t fight him on
it. She was feeling a strange need to
experience such comfort. A chill ran
down her spine at the thought of what would have happened to Sirius if she had
failed. Should she have listened to
Ginny and Molly?

Harry and Draco pounced on her as
soon as she hit the library light. As
with Remus, she didn�t fight their affection.
She even went so far as to initiate an embrace with Hermione and Ginny. Then she turned to Severus. �You have it?�

Severus nodded. �I�ve already disposed of the portion of Voldemort�s soul. It
is now a harmless locket.�

Eris sighed. �We should probably keep it for now, but at
some point I believe we should simply destroy the thing lest someone be tempted
to follow the bastard�s lead.�

�I agree,� Harry said grimly. �It would be too much of a temptation to any
of his followers who might escape justice at the end of the war.�

Eris leaned into her brother�s
embrace momentarily before he moved away to discuss something with Remus and Tahdei. She walked
over to Severus. They stared at each
other for a moment and then he opened his arms to her. She practically dove into his embrace.

�Do try to avoid frightening me like that
again, dear heart,� Severus whispered into her hair.

She sighed in contentment, never
noticing the daggers that Sirius was staring at her mentor.
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