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Beyond the Veil of Time	By : AuctorRubra Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 1297 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter
characters, locations, or creatures created by J.K. Rowling. There is an
original character that is mine, some fake spells and such, and, of course, the
plot is mine.

Chapter 3: Tea and Toast

September 9^th, 1995

When Severus entered the Great
Hall for breakfast the morning after Alice�s arrival he was a bit disgruntled
to find her seated next to his usual chair. He sighed and resolved to ignore
her as well as possible. It didn�t particularly feel right to play the role of
the �snarky bat of the dungeons� with her, but it was necessary. The last
thing that was needed was for anyone to get suspicious of her, especially that
wretched Umbridge woman. He pulled out his chair, sat down, and placed a piece
of toast and a small scoop of scrambled eggs onto his plate. After picking at
his food for a few moments, he noticed the owls arriving with the morning
mail. A sinister looking Great Horned Owl swooped down to the staff table and
landed gracefully in front of Alice. It spread out its blackened wings and
puffed ups its speckled chest before offering up its leg to have the scroll
removed.

Severus watched out of the corner
of his eyes as Alice took the scroll and began to read. She handed the owl
some toast, her eyes never leaving the parchment in front of her. His
curiosity arouse when a frown of suspicion spread across Alice�s face.

�Something amiss, Miss
Grandelshaw,� he asked without looking at her. He didn�t want to appear too
interested, not with Umbridge sitting two chairs away.

�Yes, as a matter-of-fact,� she replied
quietly. �Did you give permission to one of the students in your house to go
home for breakfast tomorrow?�

He looked at her then, trying to
hide his surprise. He had agreed to such a request for Draco that very
morning. �Yes, young Mr. Malfoy said his father needed him for some business
and that he would return no later than his second class of the day. Why do you
ask?�

�Well, I just received an
invitation from one Lucius Malfoy asking me to �grace him with my presence�
tomorrow morning so that we can be properly introduced. Something to do with
him being a school governor and wanting to be acquainted with everyone working
here.� Alice shrugged and pulled out a quill to send her response on the small
card that arrived with the invitation.

Severus felt as though someone had
pushed a lump of ice into his stomach. Lucius would know who she was. More
importantly, the man would know what she was and be looking to deliver her to
his master. He tried to keep his voice calm. �Are you planning on going?�

�I don�t see why not,� Alice said
with another shrug as she reattached the scroll and sent the owl off after
gently scratching the feathers along its breastbone. �It would be pretty rude
of me to decline, don�t you think.�

�Definitely.� However, you
still shouldn�t go and I can�t think of any decent excuse to get you out of it!
Severus took his final bite of eggs, thinking carefully. �Are you done eating,
Miss Grandelshaw?�

Alice gave him a curious look and
sipped her pumpkin juice. �I guess so.�

�Good. Could you assist me with
something before the start of classes?� He needed to make sure she knew what
she was getting herself into.

�Of course,� she said politely,
but he almost smiled at the suspicion in her eyes. What an untrusting little
cat she was.

He pushed away from the table and
she followed as he led her down into the dungeons. She paused for a moment
once they reached the potions classroom, but he motioned for her to continue.
A smirk could no longer be repressed as she narrowed her eyes at him. Once
they reached to portal to his private chambers, he muttered the password and
led her inside. Before speaking, he made sure that all of his wards were
firmly in place.

�Alice, what do you know about
Lucius Malfoy?�

She seemed surprised at his use of
her given name. �Well, sir�nothing, other than he has a son here, who he says
is to escort me to their home tomorrow.�

Severus pinched the bridge of his
nose and wondered if Albus Dumbledore would ever learn to make sure people were
properly informed. �You must tread carefully. Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater,
a powerful member of Voldemort�s inner circle. No doubt Draco sent an owl to
his father the moment you were announced last night.�

�I suppose it�s to be expected
that he would want to know what�s going on around here.�

Yes, we should have anticipated
him taking immediate notice of your presence, but not for the reasons you�re
thinking. �You must be very careful of what you say around Lucius.
Every word you utter will be analyzed to discover where your loyalties lie. He
will be feeling you out to see if you are a potential ally or enemy. It would
be best if he thought you were neutral, that way you would at least keep
yourself from being a target.� There, that�s at least partly true.

Alice looked unconvinced. �Is it
even remotely possible that he was telling the truth and only wants to know who
I am because of his involvement with the school?�

Severus scowled at the girl fighting
the urge to knock some sense into her. �I sincerely doubt it, Miss
Grandelshaw. It would also be advisable for you to keep your�true nature
hidden from him.�

�You don�t need to tell me that,� Alice
snapped.

�Then perhaps you should consider
the fact that you may be walking into a trap,� Severus hissed.

Alice sighed then and he began to
wonder if there was something else going on that he wasn�t aware of. �Don�t
worry about me, Severus. Draco�he�s that pale skinned boy with the corn silk
hair?�

Severus nodded and his eyes
narrowed in suspicion. �Why do you ask?�

A shrug was her only response for
a moment. �There�s something about him�I walked passed him in the hall this
morning and he brushed against me��

�And,� Severus asked impatiently.

�Never mind, it was nothing,� Alice
said quickly. �I should probably be going. Will you let the boy know to meet
me in the front entrance at seven tomorrow morning?�

Severus began to nod and then
stopped himself. �Why won�t you tell him yourself?�

�Because I�m going to be avoiding
him for a while,� she said softly. �Now, if you�ll excuse me, I�m apparently
going to be interrogated by Professor Umbridge this morning.�

She quickly swept out of the room
then leaving Severus to glare at her back. What wasn�t she telling him?

__________________

Hermione was nibbling happily on
some bacon and reading her copy of the Daily Prophet when a movement at the
staff table caught her attention. She glanced over and saw Professor Snape and
Miss Grandelshaw leaving the Great Hall together. There was just something
about that woman�

�Hermione, are you done with that
yet?� Ron�s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him and
saw that he was eyeing her paper.

She sighed and handed it over to
him. �Sure, just be careful with it. There�s an articled in the back that I
want to check out later.�

Harry leaned in close to her and
whispered in her ear, �What are you thinking about?�

�Miss Grandelshaw,� she said while
stabbing at her eggs.

�Still think she�s some sort of
Death Eater spy sent in to murder us in our sleep?� Harry�s tone was playful,
but the thought had merit.

�I never said that,� she said with
a sniff. �There�s always the possibility that��

Ron decided to join in at this
point. �You�re not still on about that are you?�

�Honestly, Ron, you�d think it�s a
bad thing that I worry about Harry�s safety,� Hermione snapped.

Harry sighed then. �No one�s
saying that, Hermione.�

�Well, we need to consider these
kinds of possibilities.� Hermione glanced down at her plate and decided she�d
had enough to eat. �Any way, Dumbledore is the one who hired her, so I suppose
she is probably safe.�

�Yeah, since Snape is such a prime
example of the �safe� people Dumbledore hires,� Ron grumbled.

�Oh! I see, so you can be
suspicious of teachers and such but I can�t?� Hermione was aware of the fact
that her voice was becoming shrill and decided to drop the subject. �I�m
finished. I�ll see you in history of magic.�

She stood up and grabbed her bag,
marching out of the Great Hall and down towards the dungeons. She figured that
this was probably the direction that Professor Snape and Miss Grandelshaw had
gone in, but tried to tell herself that she wasn�t spying.

No, you�re not spying Hermione,
you just love getting to potions two hours early!

Hermione scowled and told her rather
sarcastic inner voice to shut it. She doubted that they would have gone to the
potions classroom if they were having a private conversation, so there probably
wasn�t anything to worry about. Still, if they weren�t in the potions
lab�well, then where were they?

As she neared the classroom, she
saw Miss Grandelshaw hurrying down the corridor. The young woman paused for a
moment when she caught sight of Hermione, a strange look upon her face.

�How are you this morning,
Hermione,� she asked in a casual tone.

Hermione felt that strange feeling
wash over her again and lost her voice for a moment. �Fine. Did you sleep
well your first night in the castle?�

�Yes, thank you. Getting to class
a little early aren�t you?� Miss Grandelshaw had begun to fidget, shifting her
weight back and forth from one foot to the other.

Hermione nodded. She began to
find the words to name the feeling that Miss Grandelshaw gave her. It was
contentment. Being near the witch made her feel safe and content. This was very
strange considering she had known her for less than twenty-four hours, but not
as dubiously suspicious as she had thought before. �I was just going to ask
Professor Snape a question about an assignment.�

�He should be back in a minute. I�ll
let you get to it then,� Miss Grandelshaw said as she began to move down the
hall once more. �Have a good day, Hermione.�

�You too, ma�am.�

Hermione hurried into the classroom
and began to process what had just happened. As soon as Alice had been several
feet away, the feeling of contentment dissipated. What on earth was going on?

___________________

Alice scowled as she made her way
to Professor Umbridge�s office. She knew that the distance between herself and
her bonded would perhaps cause some strain, but it didn�t seem like cause for
her instincts to search for another mate in earnest. There was something about
Hermione, something that was making her irresistible to Alice�s Caesian(1)
sensibilities. She was pure, new, and all too curious about Alice. If the
girl would simply bother to act disinterested than maybe Alice would be able to
ignore her. It wasn�t as if it would be such a big deal if they did bond.
They would be like sisters.

A small pang of regret echoed
throughout her body then. Sisters, just like the ones she had lost that
summer. The loss of a bonded was like experiencing death first hand. It had
felt like her heart and soul were being ripped from her chest. If Lee and
Derrick hadn�t been there she was certain she would have gone insane.

As she neared Professor Umbridge�s
office, she found the short, round woman waiting for her with a wide smile on
her face. �Good morning, Miss Grandelshaw,� the woman said in a sickeningly
sweet tone.

Alice had to suppress a cringe.
She didn�t like it, but she had to find a way to get on and stay this woman�s
good side for as long as possible. It simply wouldn�t do for her to know Alice�s
true reasons for being at the school. �Good morning, Professor Umbridge. I
hope I didn�t keep you waiting too long, I know you have classes to attend to.�

�Indeed I do, so I�ll try to keep
this as brief as possible.� Professor Umbridge motioned for Alice to follow
her into the office and then directed her to a straight-backed, wooden chair.
�Now, I just have a few questions I need to ask to clear up some confusion.�

Alice feigned surprise.
�Confusion, ma�am?�

�Yes, dear. Your paperwork says
you�re a fully trained auror and that, until a few weeks ago, you were in active
duty.� Umbridge�s smile grew wider and Alice thought her head might be about
split in two if she was any more pleased with herself. �You understand, don�t
you dear, that I find it rather odd that an auror would leave their job to work
at a school as a grounds keeper?�

Alice took a deep breath and
decided that the truth peppered with whatever lies were necessary was the best
choice at the moment. �Yes, ma�am, I would agree that it is quite odd. I had
the misfortune of losing several of my year mates and colleagues in an attack
this summer. I�m afraid the stress was more than I could take. My mom
contacted Professor Dumbledore to see if he knew of anything quiet I could
settle into for a while and compose myself.�

Professor Umbridge looked rather
suspicious at this point, but the hideous smile never left her lips. �Really?
An attack? By whom?�

Damn! She�s trying to find out
whether or not I believe Voldemort is back. �We never found out for
certain. We got a tip that there was a nest of dark wizards conspiring with
vampires in an old warehouse. Unfortunately, it was a trap and we lost most of
our contingent.�

�I�m very sorry to hear that.�
The filthy hag didn�t look very sorry, but Alice just smiled weakly and
nodded. �You really can�t trust those half-breeds. They run amuck terrorizing
our communities and endangering our humanity.�

�I couldn�t agree more. The
vampire sects were always the greatest danger we faced.� Alice knew she was
going to have to go a wash her mouth out with soap later. True, taking down
the vampires had been their primary objective, but only because Voldemort
gained their allegiance. There were many who remained neutral.

�I only have a few more questions,
dear.� Professor Umbridge picked up another piece of parchment and studied it
for a moment. �Could you expound a bit on the nature of your relationship with
Albus Dumbledore?�

�Certainly, he�s my godfather, but
I don�t know him very well. My mother�s family was well acquainted with him.�
Alice began to feel as though she was being backed into a corner. She knew
that mixing lies and truths would only get her so far, especially if Umbridge
knew about her father�

�And did your father have much
contact with the headmaster?�

�No, I�m afraid to say they don�t
like each other very much.� Alice struggled not to hold her breath.

�Would this have anything to do
with the fact that the headmaster once accused your father of being a Death
Eater in association with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?� Each word dripped out of
the woman�s mouth like sugarcoated venom.

Alice frowned then. �Yes, it has
a good deal to do with that. The Minestry of Magic found my father innocent,
of course, but my family still felt the need to move away from England. I
think my father was attempting to distance my mother from Professor Dumbledore
in the hopes that their friendship would dwindle. In my father�s opinion, and
this is an opinion I share, Albus Dumbledore meddles more often than is good
for him.�

Alice was probably just as surprised
as Umbridge at what she had just said, but for different reasons of course. It
was all true, every word of it. She had managed not to lie and still make it
sound the way it needed to.

�I�m sure the headmaster only does
what he thinks is best,� Umbridge said, shocking Alice. �However, he is going
much too far by trying to create a panic by telling the world that
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has risen again! We at the Minestry of Magic feel
that he is simply trying to seek attention for himself and Harry Potter.�

Alice shrugged. �I couldn�t tell
you his reasoning. Like I said, we don�t know each other very well. He
offered me this job as a favor to my mother, much to the displeasure of my
father. I would agree that he should be more careful of his claims.�

�Well then I hope I can count on
you to aid me in my efforts to keep the children of Hogwarts properly informed
and behaving according to Ministry regulations.� Professor Umbridge extended
one chubby hand to Alice.

Alice accepted her hand and smiled
at her little Devil�s bargain. �I don�t see any problem with following the
laws. Its what I was originally trained to do.�

�I must say this went much better
than I hoped.� Umbridge stood and went over to her tea service. �Would you
like a cup of tea, dear?�

Alice smiled and nodded. Dear.
She was in.

___________________________

Remus sat on the couch in front of
the fireplace reading the Daily Prophet and sighing as he came to the article
discussing Educational Decree #23. He could only imagine the amount of trouble
this was going to cause. His thoughts drifted to Harry, Ron and Hermione and
he wondered how often they would rub Dolores Umbridge the wrong way. The word
coming through the grapevine was that Harry had already served several nights
detention with the horrid woman. Perhaps Hermione would be able to keep him
out of further trouble.

If anyone could keep Harry in control,
it would be Hermione Granger. Or at least Remus was certain that Harry would
be getting several ear blistering lectures from the young witch on proper
behavior. She had always been so full of fire right from the first day Remus
met her.

There was a knocking at the door
and he frowned when he heard Kreacher grant someone entrance. Light footsteps
echoed down the hall and Remus turned to see Alice poke her head into the room.

�Hello, Mr. Lupin! Albus sent me
to leave a note for the other aurors.� Her tone was cheerful enough but
something in her eyes told Remus that things might not have gone very well her
first day.

He stood and walked over to take
her cloak, which was a bit damp. �Is it raining then?�

�Yes. One of the many reasons why
I thanked God every day that my parents raised me in the States.� Alice smiled
and made her way to the kitchen.

Remus chuckled and followed the
young woman. �You don�t get rain there then?�

�Not so often.� She pulled out a
piece of parchment and looked to be double checking what was written.

�Has something happened,� Remus
asked with growing concern.

�Huh? Oh, not really. Albus just
said that the aurors would probably like to know that I got in good with
Umbridge and that I probably won�t be listed as a suspicious person with the Ministry
any more.�

Remus frowned as she folded the
parchment up and put Moody�s name on the outside before slipping one corner
under a vase of flowers. �How did you manage that?�

Alice shrugged. �I told her what
she wanted to hear. I kept it as truthful as possible since she had my records
right in front of her, but I needed to insert a certain twist on the facts.�

�I take it that the Ministry was
rather curious as to why an auror was at Hogwarts,� Remus asked in a light tone
and began to prepare some tea.

Alice sat down at one of the
kitchen chairs and tilted her head to the side a bit. �To tell you the truth I
think they were more worried about Albus being my godfather, if you can believe
that!�

�Oh, I believe it with the way
they feel about him these days.� Remus brought the pot of tea to the table and
smiled at Alice. �You will stay for a bit, won�t you? I missed getting
acquainted with you last night.�

�Shouldn�t be a problem. Harry�s
tucked safely into bed and Nicodemus is watching him.� Alice smiled and
accepted a cup from Remus. �I don�t really care if he wants to sneak out, as
long as I�m there to follow him.�

Remus cast a sharp look at Alice
and the witch did have the good grace to look sheepish, but that didn�t stop
her from continuing her comments. �Really, Mr. Lupin, you can�t take all the
fun out his life. School would have been so boring if I hadn�t snuck out with
the twins once in a while.

�Of course. Even the best behaved
of us have gotten up to some mischief.� Remus smiled and offered her sugar and
cream.

He was slowly going over safe
topics in his mind, trying to pick something that wouldn�t end with him giving
her information she shouldn�t have. As Alice was taking the small cream
pitcher from his hand, her fingers brushed his and the girl jumped as though
she had been electrocuted. The pitcher fell to the floor and shattered and
cream splashed the floor. Alice jumped up, muttering curses under her breath,
and quickly repaired the pitcher and cleaned up the mess with a flick of her
wand.

�I�m really sorry about that,� she
said softly and then moved back into her seat. Remus watched her as she sipped
her tea, carefully avoiding his gaze. He had a pretty good feeling as to what
had just happened.

Sipping his tea, he went back to
picking his words carefully. �Are you feeling well?�

�Yes,� Alice answered quickly.
�Mr. Lupin��

�Please call me Remus,� he said
gently.

�Okay. Remus, did anyone explain
to you what was discussed at the meeting last night?� Remus smiled at how
apprehensive she was, mostly because he knew she was be careful of his
feelings.

�It�s alright, Alice. Sirius
reported everything to me.�

Alice released a long sigh of
relief and Remus chuckled. �Well, I�m glad somebody knew what was going on.�

Her face was set in a mock scowl
and there was humor in her tone. Remus suddenly felt a bit exposed, unsure of
how she was going to react during this first encounter. He had a pretty good
idea, but there was no way to be certain. �Alice, I�m sorry if I startled
you��

She stopped him with a wave of her
hand. �No harm done. At least now I know where you were last night.�

�It doesn�t bother you,� Remus
asked quietly. He was trying to act nonchalant, but her answer meant a great
deal to him.

�Remus, I have absolutely no
problem with werewolves, it�s usually the other way around. I didn�t mean to
over react, its just that�well�� Alice stopped and Remus gave her a curious
look when he saw a blush creeping up her face.

�What is it, dear?� He tried to
keep his tone soothing and coaxing.

�It�s not so much the lycanthropy
that startled me, but your own feelings about it,� Alice whispered. She
continued on, her voice barely audible even with Remus� excellent hearing.
�You�re so�sad, so lonely and that�s what shocked me, more than the werewolf
thing anyway.�

�How would you�� Remus stopped
himself then. He knew this answer already, but he wouldn�t mind hearing it
from her.

�It�s left a mark on your spirit.
It�s been a while since I�ve been around a werewolf or vampire so I�m not used
to getting the feelings from simple touches.� Alice frowned then. �Normally I
don�t feel anything at all unless I�m trying, but I keep running into people
who just basically bleed their souls all over me. I�m considering covering
myself with thorns so that people will stay away.�

Remus wasn�t sure he liked what he
was hearing. He knew whom at least one of her �tormenters� would be, but who
else could be bothering her? �Please, would you mind telling me who it is?�

�I don�t think it would hurt.� Alice
closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. �Let me see, that
Hermione friend of Harry�s was the first one. Then there was this boy who ran
into me before breakfast. There�s something else too�but I can�t really place
my finger on it. It�s quite different from the others.�

�Who was the boy,� Remus asked
before taking another sip of his tea.

�Professor Snape said his name is
Draco Malfoy.�

Tea sprayed everywhere after Remus
failed in his attempt to swallow his tea and shout at the same time. Alice was
looking at him like he was crazy at that point. �You want to bond with
Malfoy?!�

He had managed to keep his voice
to a dull roar, but she still looked offended. �Not exactly. Listen, Snape
already told me about the boy�s dad being a Death Eater, but that doesn�t stop
these sorts of things. Its not really about a person�s present form, it�s
about the spirit.�

Alice stood up then a looked as
though she was preparing to leave. �Alice, wait. I�m sorry, I was just very
surprised by what you said.�

�It�s okay. I don�t think there�s
anything I can do about all this. It must just be happening because I�m so far
away from my bonded.� Alice smiled then and Remus was glad that she wasn�t
angry.

�Why is he different?� Alice gave
him an odd look at this question. �You said that you weren�t really being
pulled to bond with Draco.�

Alice moved to the kitchen exit
before answering. �I�m not being pulled to him at all. It�s just that�well,
he�s like me, and I can sense that he�s bonded already, but he�s neutral and
from what Snape was telling me I would have expected something different.�

�Has Severus been treating you
well? You�ve mentioned him several times,� Remus said softly. He was trying
to process the new information Alice had given him and decide what it meant for
the Order.

�Well, he doesn�t seem to like me
very much, but I had to talk with him this morning because I got invited to
Malfoy Manor for breakfast tomorrow and he wanted to make sure I knew who I was
going to.� Alice pushed the kitchen door open then and headed out into the
hall. �Thanks for the tea I�ll probably see you later in the week!�

Before Remus could stop her, the
young witch was gone. Sirius came from around the corner in the hall, a grave
look on his face. �I take it you heard most of that.�

�Moony, we have a serious
problem,� the man growled.

Remus couldn�t help but release a sarcastic
chuckle at that understatement. �More than one I should think. We�d better
get in touch with Dumbledore, just in case she forgot to mention it to him.�

�Her and Snape,� Sirius snapped.
�Both of whom should know better. Especially Snivellus!�

Remus sighed and put a hand on his
old friend�s arm. �Severus obviously did what he could by warning her of
Lucius� background.

�But he didn�t tell her
everything!�

Remus frowned. �Well he really
couldn�t, could he?�

Sirius began to speak, but then
stopped and released a defeated sigh. Remus just gave the man�s arm a pat and
went to retrieve a quill and ink. All they could do was hope that Malfoy would
be too cautious to try anything with Alice after openly inviting her to his
home. They also needed to figure out what Draco being an Animus Caesius
could mean in the war against Voldemort.

_____________

September 10^th, 1995

Alice stood inside the main
entrance to Hogwarts with Albus at her side awaiting the arrival of Draco
Malfoy. Even after the many warnings she had received in regards to the boy�s
father, it was still the young wizard himself that left an uneasy feeling in
her stomach. She had met another like herself before, but only two others. This
boy felt familiar to her, almost as if she was bonded with him, but the sense
of connection was barely an echo of what she felt with Lee and Derrick.

�Are you certain about doing this,
Alice,� Albus asked quietly.

Alice nodded. �I can�t afford to
offend him, not if he has as much pull in the Ministry as you suggested. It
will put me back on the outs with Professor Umbridge and someone needs to be on
the inside of things.�

Alice fidgeted with her robes a
bit. She�d settled on a set of fine velvet robes similar to the ones she�d
arrived at Hogwarts in, but in a deep shade of blue. Her hair was carefully
combed and coifed. For the first time in her life, she was glad that her
father was enough of an arrogant pureblood to insist that she learn proper
etiquette. Of course, all her training did not guarantee that she would behave
properly. Her temper tended to get the best of her from time to time.

Albus placed a hand on her
shoulder and looked her directly in the eye. �I know you will handle yourself
well, my dear. However, never forget that the man you will be faced with today
has dark ulterior motives for meeting with you. Be as honest as possible with
him, but under no circumstances are you to volunteer personal information. He
no doubt already knows who your father is, but if he stays away from the topic
than I suggest you accept it for the blessing it is and follow suit.�

Alice smiled. �Don�t worry,
everything will be fine.�

She winked at her godfather and
then she turned to face the dungeons just in time to see Draco emerging. He
looked her way and she nodded to him.

�Mr. Malfoy, I understand that you
have permission to be absent until your Transfiguration class, but if it is at
all possible for you to return in time for Care of Magical Creatures, please
do.� Albus turned back to Alice then. �Draco is your responsibility while
away from the school, Miss Grandelshaw. Take good care of him.�

�Of course, headmaster.� Alice
inclined her head in agreement and smiled as Albus walked away. She turned her
attention back to the young wizard then. �Are you ready to go then, Mr.
Malfoy?�

�Yes.� The boy had an entirely
too arrogant air about him and Alice had to suppress a laugh. She�d dealt with
this type of self-important person before and sighed inwardly at the thought
that his father was probably even worse.

�Okay, since you can�t apparate,
we�ll be taking the Knight Bus.� Alice opened the entrance door and held it
ajar until the boy passed. �Oh, and if we are done early I�m sure there�s
something better we can do to use up the time until you�re to be back.�

Draco looked surprised but quickly
covered it up with an evil smirk. �Really, like what?�

Alice rolled her eyes and then
began to lead the way down to the Hogwarts gates. �Oh, I don�t know. How
about if you don�t give me any trouble during this little trip I�ll take you
for an ice cream?�

The boy shrugged and continued to
trudge along beside her. �Why did my father want to see you?�

Alice didn�t miss the sarcastic
stress the boy used when indicating her, but she chose to ignore it. �His letter
simply said that he wanted to be acquainted with everyone who works at the
school. You�re the one who let him know I was here. Why did you think he�d be
interested?�

�Who says I was the one?� Draco
refused to look at her and from his longs strides Alice got the impression that
he was trying to make her walk behind him.

�No one.� Alice looked up as a
few droplets of rain began to fall. She dropped her wand out of her sleeve and
she saw that this caught the boy�s attention. Bending down for a moment, she
snatched up a stick and quickly transfigured it into a large blue umbrella to
match her robes. �Come on, hun, or you�ll get wet.�

Draco hesitated for a moment and
then moved under the umbrella with her. He looked up and then pulled out his
own wand and pointed it at the umbrella. �Engorgio.�

The umbrella�s covering tripled in
size and the boy moved away from her. Alice chuckled. �I don�t bite�much.�

It was Draco�s turn to roll his
eyes and Alice just shrugged. He looked thoughtful for a moment. �Why do you
carry your wand up your sleeve?�

�I can get to it faster that
way.� Alice picked up her pace a bit then, happy to see that they were nearly
to the road where she could summon the Knight Bus.

�Why? Are you worried that we
might be attacked by the giant squid,� Draco drawled while motioning towards
the lake.

Alice just sighed and continued
walking. They reached the road to Hogsmeade and Alice stuck out her wand. A
loud �bang� echoed through the air and a large purple bus appeared before them.
The doors popped open and a wizard who looked to be a year or two older than Alice
stepped out and began to speak.

�Welcome to the Knight��

�Save it, friend. We�re in a
hurry,� Alice said curtly. She motioned for Draco to get on the bus and
followed closely behind.

�Where are you headed then,� the
wizard asked.

�Malfoy Manor,� Alice said. She
sat down on the bed next the one Draco had chosen. The other wizard handed her
a bill and she dug out some galleons for him. He was going to give her change,
but she shook her head. �Keep it and make it snappy.�

Alice put her elbows on her knees
and her face in her hands trying to ignore the jerks and swerves of the bus as
it took off. She glanced between her fingers to see Draco frowning at her.
Sitting back up she stuck her wand back up her sleeve and stared back at the
boy. He was turning out to be rather annoying and unlike how she perceived
herself or the other Caesians she had known.

�Are you going to tell me why you
do that,� he asked in a haughty tone.

�What?�

He let out an exasperated sigh and
Alice smiled. �Why do you put your wand up your sleeve instead of inside
your robes like everyone else?�

�I answered that already.� Alice
let the wand slip out quickly and fall into her firm grip. �I like it where I
know I can get at it.�

�I know but why? Do you plan on
dueling some time soon?�

Alice frowned again. She had a
feeling that anything she said to the boy would probably be relayed to his
father. �You ask too many questions, kid.�

Draco made a sour face. �Kid?
You�re what, three years older than me?�

�Listen, let�s just drop it. I�m
just stressed out about meeting your dad.� Alice reached a hand up and began
to rub the back of her neck. �I don�t do the whole high class social
interaction thing very often. That�s my parents� scene.�

�Well if you were brought up in a
proper family you will know how.� Alice nearly laughed at how snotty the boy
sounded.

�Draco, knowing and doing can be
two very different things.� She sighed softly and looked down at her wand and
the umbrella beside her.

Alice transfigured the umbrella
back into a stick and then occupied herself with changing its form several
times over. First, it turned into bouquet of daisies, then into a shoe, then a
spoon and so on and so forth until Draco tried to get her attention again.

�Is the company not entertaining
enough for you,� he asked snidely.

I tried with you, little boy
and you weren�t having any of it! �You never said if you wanted ice
cream,� Alice said choosing not to respond to his question.

�Why would we do that,� he
snapped.

�Because its fun and ice cream is tasty.�
Alice returned the stick to the form of an umbrella and pushed her wand into
her sleeve. �Haven�t you ever been out for ice cream before? Fortescue�s is
supposed to have some really amazing flavors.�

�You�re going to take me to Diagon
Ally?� The boy�s eyebrows raised in surprise. Alice noticed that he didn�t
answer her as to whether or not he�d been taken out for ice cream before.

She shrugged before responding.
�I need to get some food to Nicodemus anyway.�

�Who�s that?�

�My kneazle.� Alice braced
herself as the Knight Bus jerked to a halt in front of Malfoy Manor. Draco was
unprepared for the quick stop and flew forward off his bed. Alice was barely
able to catch him and keep them both from tumbling to the ground. She
straightened him up and gave him a concerned look. �Are you okay?�

Draco mumbled something under his
breath and pushed away from her. Fed up with his attitude Alice grabbed her umbrella
and marched off the Knight Bus leaving Draco to scramble after her. She opened
up the umbrella and decided to be gracious enough to wait for the boy instead
of leaving him in the rain. There was an impression to be made after all.

The manor was enormous and looked
lavishly extravagant even from the outside, but Alice had expected no less.
�Hurry up, hun. I think we�re late already.�

They were greeted at the door by a
rather haggard looking house elf who introduced itself as Gerty. She took their
cloaks and then led them into the sitting room where a man was waiting for them.
There was no mistaking it, he was definitely Draco�s father. He had the same
white-blond hair and aristocratic features.

�It�s a pleasure to finally meet
you, Mr. Malfoy,� Alice said in a light and pleasant tone.

She extended her hand to the
wizard, but instead of shaking it, he grasped it in both of his and raised it
to his lips. After planting a gentle kiss just above her knuckles, he held on
to her hand for longer than was necessary. Alice gazed into his blue eyes,
looking for any sign of his true intentions for inviting her there.

�The pleasure is all mine, Miss
Grandelshaw,� he said in smooth baritone voice. �And please call me Lucius.�

�Then I must ask you to call me
Alice,� she responded politely, wondering if he was ever going to bother to
give her hand back.

�Of course.� Instead of releasing
her then, he kept a firm grip and led her over to a small table with three
place settings. It was then that he let go of her hand to pull out her chair
and get her seated. Draco sat to her left and Lucius in front of her. �What
would you like this morning?�

Alice thought for a moment. �I
usually just have some toast and eggs.�

The food appeared on her plate
almost before she finished speaking and Lucius seemed pleased at her startled
gasp. �Our servants are quite diligent.�

�Indeed,� Alice said while she
accepted a cup of tea from a house elf that looked rather nervous. She declined
sugar and watched as the poor creature carefully poured cream into the cup
until she motioned for him to stop. The timid thing even stirred it for her!
She looked over at Lucius and quirked a brow.

�Are you unused to the attentions
of house elves,� Lucius asked with a cool smile.

Alice took a sip of her tea and
shooed the house elf away in an attempt to reassure the creature that
everything was too her liking. �My mother had one who was rather dedicated,
but I�ve grown used to caring for myself while at school.�

�I�ve heard that the Salem Institute
is strict in its policy of self reliance during auror training.� Lucius made
the comment casually, but Alice could tell that he was studying her for any
sign of dismay at his knowledge. She also noticed that Draco seemed both
surprised and intrigued by this information. No doubt, the entire school would
know by the next day.

Alice smiled warmly at her host.
�Do you make a point of knowing every employee of Hogwarts so thoroughly?�

�It is important to me that the
children are surrounded with proper role models and authority.�

Alice nodded approvingly and the
three of them ate in relative silence for the next thirty minutes or so.
Occasionally Lucius would ask her a seemingly innocent question. What did she
think of Albus Dumbledore? How was she getting along with Professor Umbridge?
Were the other professors getting acquainted with her yet? Had she met Harry
Potter yet and what did she think of him? She kept her answers and concise and
vague as possible short of being rude. Eventually he got to the topic she was
dreading.

�You know, Alice, I�m quite
certain I�ve met you father before,� Lucius said smoothly. �His name is
Alexander Grandelshaw, if I�m not mistaken. He had been out of Hogwarts for
several years by the time I began schooling, but I believe I ran into him at
several social functions.�

Social functions my ass! You
ran into him while the both of you were kissing the feet of that bastard
Voldemort. �That would be him. He and my mother left England before I was
born and I never had the pleasure of meeting any of his old acquaintances.�

�No I suppose you wouldn�t have,�
Lucius said with a slight smirk. �That was a dreadful ordeal that he went
through, but I assure you that he was not the only one to be attacked. Many of
the rather prominent pureblood families suffered the Ministry�s scrutiny during
those troubling times.�

Alice feigned surprise. �Surely
they weren�t so blind as to accuse your family of any indiscretion?�

�I�m afraid the fools were,�
Lucius said and shrugged gracefully. �It was a pure act of jealous nonsense.�

Alice nodded sympathetically.
�Someone is always bound to reach for more than they were born capable of.�

Suddenly Draco decided to join the
conversation, or end it at least. �Father, as much as I hate to break up your
delightful chat, Miss Grandelshaw promised me a special stop before returning
to Hogwarts.�

Glancing at the boy in surprise Alice
felt the sudden urge to kiss him for trying to get her away from his dreadful
father. �I did promise you ice cream, didn�t I?�

Luckily, if Lucius was upset at
the interruption his happiness at the fact that Alice was getting on with his
son more than made up for the fact. �Oh you did, did you? Well, I suppose you
two should be going then. We wouldn�t want to get Alice into any trouble.�

Alice nodded to Draco and quickly
removed herself from her seat before Lucius could come to assist her, hoping
that she wasn�t obvious about it. Sadly, there was no escape from the man as
he place one hand on the small of her back to lead her back to the entry. She
turned to Draco once they were at the door. �Did you want to say hello to your
mother before we leave, Draco?�

Draco began to respond with a
smile, but Lucius cut in. �I�m afraid Narcissa is out this morning. Perhaps
the next time you visit you will be able to meet her.�

�I look forward to it,� Alice
replied sweetly.

She put up with a few more
pleasantries and another kiss on the hand before she finally regained her cloak
and was allowed escape. It took all of her restraint not to sprint away from
the manor dragging Draco along behind her. When they passed the gates and Alice
felt the absence of the anti-apparation field, she took a moment to compose
herself. This did not go unnoticed by Draco.

�It wasn�t that bad was it,� the
boy asked softly.

Alice smiled slightly and shook
her head. �Your father is a very charming man, Draco. I see where you get it
from now.�

�Really? I got the feeling you
didn�t like him very much,� Draco drawled.

Alice laughed and took the boy�s
hand. He gave her a questioning look and she smiled sweetly. �Relax, kid. I
owe you an ice cream and I�ll be damned before you get me back on the Knight
Bus today.�

To her surprise, Draco granted her
with what seemed to be a genuine smile before they disappeared to apparate to
Diagon Ally.

_________________

Remus rushed to answer the sound
of frantic pounding on the front door of 12 Grimmauld Place. What he saw
surprised him quite a bit. �Alice! We weren�t expecting you for another week
or two.�

Alice hurried into the house and
turned to face Remus with a grim expression. �I really do not like Lucius
Malfoy at all. That man knows too much.�

Remus�s expression became
concerned and he led her towards the living room. �Did something happen this
morning?�

�I just need to use the fireplace
if that�s all right. I don�t trust the ones at Hogwarts right now.�

The light haired man nodded and Alice
rushed to the fireplace and threw a handful of floo powder in. �Jacob Johnson,
Salem Institute, Auror Division!�

Remus watched as the face of a middle-aged
wizard with closely cropped hair appeared in the fireplace. �Alice, what�s
happened? Are you all right?�

�Jake, you need to get here now.
Dumbledore gave you the information right?�

�Of course, just give me a sec.�

Remus turned when he heard Sirius
come running down the stairs. �What�s happening, Moony?�

All Remus could do was shrug.
�Apparently the meeting with Malfoy didn�t go quite as Alice wanted.�

Sirius swung to face Alice who was
pacing in front of the fireplace. The flames began to glow green and a tall
wizard with dishwater blond hair stepped out. Remus frowned as the wizard
pulled Alice into a hug and had to put a hand on Sirius to keep him from
commenting or interfering.

�What happened,� Remus asked in a
careful tone.

Alice looked his way and took a
deep breath. �Not much more than I expected, but he tried to drag my father
into it. Luckily we got out of there before he could really push for details.�

�We,� Sirius asked sharply.

�Yeah, me and Draco. Believe it
or not the little twerp is actually the one who interrupted his dad and said we
had to leave.� Alice had a bemused smile on her face then. �I don�t know if
he did it on purpose or not, but I owe him one. Course, the ice cream might
have made up for it.�

�Ice cream!� Sirius� voice jumped
significantly in volume and Remus kicked him in the shin.

�Sorry, Black. Next time I�ll
bring you some,� Alice said with a frown.

�Could someone please tell me why
I�m here?� Johnson was standing with his arms crossed watching the whole scene
with a small smile.

�I want you to put no less than
two aurors on my parents at all times, Jake,� Alice said in a firm tone.

Remus looked at her stunned. �I
thought you said nothing really happened?�

�He knows all of it already, it
doesn�t matter if I say it aloud,� Alice snapped. She turned back to Johnson
wagging a finger at him as she spoke. �Two aurors, Jake. I am deadly serious
about this. The minute they realize I�m not going to bat for their team my
parents are dead. They�ve already got it in for my dad.�

Jake nodded and then pulled Alice
into another hug. �Not a problem, kiddo.�

Remus almost laughed at the
expression on Alice�s face when the wizard called her �kiddo�. She gave the
older man a playful shove and held the pot of floo powder towards him. �Get
out of here, Johnson before I have these two beat you up.�

The auror laughed and took a
handful of the powder. �Oh, and just to give you fair warning, Alice. Lee and
Derrick are going to begin your leave training some time in the next two
weeks. They already have Dumbledore�s permission. Have fun!�

The auror disappeared with a laugh
and Remus looked to Alice to see that her face had gone a brilliant shade of
red. �Something the matter, Alice?�

�I can�t believe they�re going to
do this to me!�

Remus walked over and took the
girl�s hand. He was quite concerned at this point. �What?�

Alice looked up to him with
frustration in her eyes. �Leave training. They�re going to start attacking me
on the Hogwarts grounds to keep me in shape.�

Sirius stepped closer to them.
�Isn�t that a bit dangerous? Its going to draw a lot of attention to you,
isn�t it?�

Alice shrugged. �Lucius already
let slip to Draco that I�m an auror, so I�m sure everyone will know that soon
enough. Still, if Albus approved it I�m sure he will have impressed upon them
the importance of being as discreet as possible.�

Sirius gave a rough laugh. �That
or he�s told them to make it as big a display as possible to teach the kids
something.�

Alice groaned and put her head on
Remus� shoulder causing him to tense up, but the young witch didn�t seem to
notice. �I guess there�s nothing I can do about it now. I better get going.�
She leaned up and gave Remus a quick peck on the cheek and he felt himself
turning several shades of red.

As Alice headed for the door,
Remus saw her give Sirius an affectionate pat on the back before disappearing
into the hall. He took several steps back from his friend once he heard the
door close. �Now, Padfoot, you can�t blame that on me.�

Sirius turned a menacing scowl on
him then, but there was humor in his eyes. �Can�t I?�

A/N: Wow! Sorry that got
so long, but I was trying to get quite a bit of information in. In the next chapter
we find out what exactly this leave training is and Ron tries to convince
Hermione to help him get Ginny and Harry together.

(1) Caesian = This is just the
term that Alice often uses in regards to any Animus Caesius or qualities/powers
they posses.
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Beyond the Veil of Time