The two witches sat outside a coffee shop, both sipping tea and watching the people go by.

"Wasn't Sirius supposed to be the Secret Keeper?" Arlene asked "That would mean he really was the spy."

"The only people that knew were Sirius and the Potters," Paloma agreed "but we never got to hear Sirius' side."

Paloma paused and took a bite from her scone "I don't know, Arlene, maybe this is just me trying to make sense of Sirius being a Death Eater. If he was, why didn't Orion Black rewrite him in his will? Why write him out at all if he was a spy all along?"

She sighed and leaned back on her chair.

Arlene didn't ask more questions, it appeared her mum didn't have as much answers as she would've liked, only speculation.

Her mother didn't appear to want to talk anymore, either "Who are those?"

She looked in the direction her mother was pointing at and rolled her eyes "That's Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy, they're probably going to hex each other right now, I would suggest watching, it's very entertaining."

They were two far to hear what they were saying, they weren't two far, however, to see mud rise and hurl itself at Draco.

Arlene chocked on her tea "Wha-" she coughed a few times before breathing again "I heard the shack was haunted."

"Oh that's not true," Paloma said dismissively "One of our classmates was a werewolf and used to spend his full moons here, Dumbledore told the ghosts and teachers to spread rumours that this place is haunted so that nobody would wonder about the strange noises."

Arlene stared at her mum "Then what the was that mud-"

She didn't finish the question, because at that moment, Harry Potter's head appeared, floating in mid-air as he laughed.

"I see the Potter genes are still as strong as ever." Paloma said, shaking her head with amusement.

Her mother dropped a galleon and a handful of knuts then stood up "Let's go."

They started walking back to the castle, Paloma waving and stopping to greet some of the shop patrons as they went on.

"So," her mother said once they were outside the village and crossing the train tracks "how was the new term?"

Arlene shrugged "Studies are fine, I guess. I'm closer to Hermione now, which is cool, and oh! Sage is saying that I'm becoming part of Pansy's gang now, which I am totally not, I don't think Draco is a blond slug anymore, which is kinds weird-"

She was interrupted by her mother's laugher.

"Arlene, sweetie." She told her "People who are not friends with a person, don't spend time convincing themselves that they are not friends with a person."

"We are not friends." Arlene protested again.

"Sure." Paloma said, mimicking Sage's 'I am not convinced' tone of earlier.

"I'm not!"

"Not what?" a voice interrupted their mini argument, Remus Lupin stood at the open bridge between the two towers that Arlene and Paloma had just taken a turn to cross.

"Friends with Malfoy." Paloma replied "Hello Remus."

Lupin gave his student a look "Sure."

"Oh come on!"

Paloma burst into laughter again.

"Hello Paloma." Lupin returned the greeting politely.

"You know each other?" Arlene questioned in confusion.

"We were both prefects." She replied.

"And in the order together." He added.

They remained silent for a while.

"How's... everything?" Remus finally asked.

The 'with Sirius Black on the loose' went unsaid.

"The minister is being an arse, as usual." She simply said "You?"

"Brilliant," he replied vaguely "even with troublemakers like your daughter making my job harder."

She chuckled "How is she doing in class? I know that Arlene can be a handful." her mother asked as though she wasn't there.

"One of my greatest students, actually. My reports are in the classroom if you'd like to see them, it's right around the corner." He offered.

And so the conversation was dragged out even longer as they walked. Arlene wasn't worried too much about her marks, Defence against the Dark Arts was one of her favourite classes, she just got the sense that her mother was only doing this to avoid more conversation.

While the fact that there was no trial is a pretty major detail, it wasn't such strong evidence that her mother would go above and beyond to believe in Sirius' innocence.

Her mother knew something.

Paloma was trying to stray Arlene away from it all, but she seemed to have underestimated her daughter's intelligence.

If she was telling the truth, about not being sure, about it being a fool's quest, then she wouldn't have made a freakin' murder board. No. Arlene knew her mother, and she knew that she only made these boards when she was about to argue a hopeless case.

Suddenly, Arlene realised two things.

One, Paloma would make sure that Sirius had a trial this time around.

The second, she would be his defines.

Her only question was why.

Once they arrived at the classroom, the two didn't get what they came for, instead, they stood around like two schoolgirls and gossiped.

"We were just at Hogsmeade, Harry is a lot like James, isn't he?"

Lupin chuckled "That he is, why do you say?"

"I saw a parallel between him using the invisibility cloak to throw mud at Malfoy and James using it to jinx Snape." Paloma told him with a nostalgic smile.

Lupin frowned "Harry was at Hogsmead?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's not allowed to be there, mum."

Right then, the fireplace lit up.

"Lupin," Snape's wretched voice called out "I need a word."

Remus shook his head "Merlin and Morgana." He sighed "He really is like James."

The three of them walked to Snape's office, Paloma and Remus still chatting about what their old classmates were up to until they reached the Dungeons.

"You called, Severus?" said Lupin mildly as they stepped in.

"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this."

Snape pointed at a piece of parchment, on which words signed with 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs' were still shining, an odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face, Paloma looked like she was trying –and failing- to keep a straight face.

Arlene, realizing what it was, turned to Harry, who seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible, and glared.

'Nice going, asshole' she thought to herself.

"Well?" snapped Snape.

Lupin continued to stare at the map, Arlene had the impression that Lupin was doing some very quick thinking.

"Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic, this is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin, where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"

Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry's direction, warning him not to interrupt, her mother's hand raising and resting on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze to silently warn her as well.

"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop-"

"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"

Arlene didn't understand what he was getting at, although she could see that her mother was biting her lip, trying not to laugh.

"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" Paloma interrupted innocently "Harry, do you know any of these men?"

"No," said Harry quickly.

"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, turning back to Snape, looking very grateful for Paloma's intervention "It looks like a Zonko product to me-"

Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office, he was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak.

"I.. gave..Harry... that... stuff," he choked. "Bought it...in Zonko's... ages.. ago..."

"Well!" said Paloma, clapping her hands together and looking around cheerfully "That seems to clear that up! Now, if you'll excuse us."

"Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" Lupin folded the map and tucked it inside his robes.

"Mind staying? There's something I'd like to discuss." Snape glared, he didn't look very pleased with what had just transpired.

Lupin looked like a deer caught in headlights, but stayed nevertheless "Paloma, mind taking the kids back and explaining the uh- Zoko products Flich had banned?"

Paloma nodded, appearing to understand the hidden massage.

Her mother guided them out of the dungeons and into the halls, walking elegantly in front of them as the three trailed back. Arlene hadn't said anything throughout the whole ordeal, and she decided to maintain her silence once they got to the Entrance Hall.

"Miss Burke, we-" Ron started once Paloma stopped and turned around to give them all a stern 'I'm disappointed in you' look.

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Paloma shortly.

She glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered her voice "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago, and yes, I know it's a map, no, Arlene didn't tell me." she said as Harry and Ron looked amazed.

"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession, or how you managed to loop my daughter into this dangerous rule breaking."

Paloma paused, looking at the two of them as Arlene stood awkwardly by "I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in, particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around, and I would be very surprised if Lupin returned it to you, Harry."

Harry seemed to have expected that, and like Arlene, was too keen for explanations to protest.

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?"

"Because..." Paloma hesitated, "because you happen to know one of them."

"I do?"

"He does?"

"He does," Paloma confirmed "I'm afraid Remus was a bit of a troublemaker back in school."

"Professor Lupin!?" Ron exclaimed.

"Yes," Her mother said again "And if I were in your place, I wouldn't expect him to cover for you again. I know that after facing death a handful of times, danger seems silly, but I would've thought that after all the sacrifices your parents have made to make sure of your safety, you wouldn't risk it all for a bag of cheap tricks."

Then Paloma walked away for the second time that day, the only sound heard was the clicking of her heels, and Arlene guessed that Harry was feeling worse by far than he had at any point in Snape's office.