The Guardian

Disclaimer- I now own a computer desk…but still nothing to do with the Potter verse.

A/N- Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It makes it a lot easier to write! And now for what everyone has been waiting for…

Chapter 9
Into the veil

The bells tolled three when Rhiannon shook Remus awake. She wore a long white cotton dress; her hair hung loose the shorter layers curling a bit and her eyes were once again covered by her charmed glasses.
“Remus get up, I want you there incase something happens.” She shook his shoulder a bit harder.
He growled menacingly, making her giggle. “You don’t scare me; I slept with you for two years. Now get up!” She waved her hand at the sleeping wizard sending his mattress tumbling over.
‘Oi you brat what’d you do that for?” Remus’s voice was rough with sleep; she’d always liked waking him up like that. It was so entertaining.
“I want you to go with me to the ministry.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after three,” She waved at his closet and caught his robes as they flew out. “Now get dressed and meet us outside. I’m going to get Dumbledore.” She glided from the guest chambers greatly relieved that he hadn’t looked too closely at her.
The Elders had demanded something great of her, something she’d never expected in return for allowing Sirius to exit the veil he’d fallen into. They could be crafty when they wanted and apparently they had something in store for her. Her left wrist still stung a bit, her newest tattoo shimmering blue in the dim halls. At the moment it looked like random patterns and lines. At least no one would know who the image belonged to. She sighed and tugged her sleeve lower.
The gargoyle covering Dumbledore’s office jumped aside when she waved at it, as one of the only people that could enter the rooms at Hogwarts without the passwords she’d been in all four house common rooms in her time at the school. Dumbledore was up and dressed, talking quietly to Snape. She took a moment to study the Dark wizard; he wasn’t really all that bad. A snarky bastard yes, but who wouldn’t be with the life he led as a spy. He was an excellent teacher, demanding no less than perfection from his students but rarely getting it. She herself had been merely proficient at potions, nowhere near as good as her best friend Athena. Snape had snapped at her constantly just like any other Gryffindor until her third year. That was when she’d become a Guardian. He’d caught her returning to Gryffindor tower one night before she’d learned to return to the place she’d been pulled from. He’d looked into her mind after she’d refused to tell him where she’d been, what was there made him shudder. The library at Malfoy manor was a bloody mess and she’d been standing in the middle of it holding the hand of a young witch as she was mutilated. The death had still been fresh in her mind, as was the blood on her trainers and jumper. He’d avoided looking her in the eyes from that day on, unless she forced him.
If she was honest with herself they disliked each other more because they were too much alike than because of any real hatred. That and she just enjoyed taunting him.
“Severus,” she made her presence known to the Potions Master, smirking when he jumped. “Run along and tell Lucius that I’m here. Tell him Albus was watching you too closely for you to contact him.” She paused knowing what would happen if Snape kept silent much longer. “Leave out the part about Draco; you weren’t supposed to see it anyway.”
Snape looked like he wanted to argue but Dumbledore cut him off, “Go Severus. You know what will happen if you don’t, and I believe Rhiannon knows what will happen when you do.”
“He’ll summon you.” Snape sighed.
Realization dawned on her then; she understood The Elders reasoning, at least part of it.
“When it doesn’t work remind him that it has been thirteen years since he made that charm that perhaps its power has run out.”
She watched him stand up, start to bow to Dumbledore then stop and simply walk to the door. “Remember whose side you’re on Professor.” She hissed at he passed her.
His dark eyes glinted in anger. “Only if you’ll choose a damn side.”
“I have.” She shut the door in his face. “Ready?” She turned to Dumbledore.
He was eyeing her suspiciously, “What did you do?”
“Nothing that you need to worry about Albus.” She tugged at her sleeve.
He glared at her and before she could stop it her sleeves flew up.
“You bound yourself!” He yelled. Rhiannon flinched; she had seen the worst people imaginable. Had her life threatened repeatedly but none of that scared her like an angry Albus Dumbledore. “Why would you do something like this? You know what happens!”
“Yes I know Albus. If he dies I die I understand that.”
“And yet you still did it.”
Rhiannon glared at him, they were wasting time “I did it because that’s what the Elders demanded in return for letting Sirius out. It was the only way.”
Dumbledore didn’t know what to say so she turned to the door. “Come on I want to get there before Lucius.”
After meeting Remus at the doors they walked in silence to the apparation point. Rhiannon disappeared silently only to reappear just as silently in front of the ministry of magic. She looked up at the building with disgust. Remus and Dumbledore appeared with loud pops on either side of her.
“I hate this place.” She mumbled, “Stupid wankers, I remember my grandma after they took the veil from her. I was just a kid, maybe four or so. She said they were messing with something they didn’t understand. My grandfather had looked at me then said maybe this happened to teach someone a lesson. He spent a week sleeping on our couch.” She grinned. They walked into the lobby ignoring the security desk.
“Yes I remember your grandparents, they were good people.” Dumbledore guided them down corridors and through doors. They stood in a room surrounded by door and waited as it spun quickly then walked through the door in front of them.
“Wow this place is creepier than I remember.” Remus spoke for the first time.
Rhiannon looked around the large room. There was nothing but a stone arch with a tattered veil stretched across it. She felt its pull, the magic of it danced along her skin.
“Be careful Rhi.” Remus stood near the door watching the corridor beyond.
“Yeah I will.” She assured as she put her hands on either side of the stone arch. She felt the air around her shift. They’d set off an alarm. “Did you feel that?”
“Yes now hurry.” Dumbledore pulled his wand a sure sign that he was expecting trouble. She leaned into the space seeing the bright expanse shift and turn into the top of a cliff. Who the hell decided on this?
“Oh bloody hell that’s high.” She pulled back.
“Shit.” Remus growled and closed the door, “Malfoy just entered the corridor.”
“Go now.” Dumbledore yelled.
The door was yanked open before she could step in. “Creepy little Guardian, going to save my muggle loving cousin?” The voice made Rhiannon’s skin crawl. She turned to look back again; Bellatrix Lestrange stood looking every bit as crazy as she was just inside the door. Remus and Dumbledore were pressed against the wall waiting for her to come all the way in.
“Bella, you look… well” She hissed not liking where this was going.
“Better than I can say for you.” She pulled out a small dagger, balancing it in her palm.
Shit, Rhiannon thought watching her; this is not going to end well. “What do you want Bellatrix?”
The woman cackled, “Your job.”
“Good luck with that you crazy bitch.” Rhiannon saw the knife fly through the air but couldn’t move quick enough to stop it; it slammed into her shoulder knocking her back into the veil and over the edge of the cliff. She saw red burst from the end of both men’s wands then rocks flying past.