One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 140

Gwen smiles contentedly, listening to the splashing water.

Peeves dives in and out of the toilets, crowing a shanty that she can't quite decipher. It could be gibberish, or it could be an actual song. It was rather hard to tell.

She pops her now barren acid pop stick from her mouth and tosses it in the bin, humming along as Peeves sings. The splashing suddenly stops, the singing dying out with a quiver of fear. Gwen glances up at the abrupt change, her lips pursing as she says calmly,

"If it isn't the Bloody Baron."

The ghost wavers uncertainly in front of the Veela. She was well liked by the castle ghosts, the creatures and portraits as well. But the Baron had always remained nervous around her, likely due to her cordial relationship with Helena Ravenclaw.

Gwen quirks a brow and says louder, "Keep swimming, Peeves. I'll protect you."

The splashing returns, as does the singing. Peeves croons, "Witty Whitlock, a wee Veela lass, protecting Peevsie while she skips class!"

The Baron sends the poltergeist a withering look, causing him to laugh cheekily before miming zipping his mouth shut. He continues to swim, oblivious to the Baron's disgruntled muttering. The Ghost faces the patient Veela, hesitating before saying lowly, "The Headmaster has requested your presence."

The Veela blinks, stunning him when she quips,

"I'm busy."

He hovers in front of her, watching in amazement as her eyes drift down to her magazine and her humming commences again. He interjects, insisting, "Miss Whitlock—"

"Do you call Helena Miss Ravenclaw? Or is that too intimate of a question? I don't know how one should address someone they've murdered."

It looks could kill, the girl would be haunting the halls of Hogwarts just like the Baron. He lets out a exasperated sigh, saying quietly, "Please."

Gwen smiles kindly and climbs to her feet, musing, "It's a rather odd thing, being dead but still having a future ahead of you. Perhaps you can still make amends."

The Ghost looks wrought with emotion as the Veela comes to stand next to him. They share a meaningful nod before she leaves the bathroom and slowly begins her trek to the Headmaster's office. She takes her time, eager to make him wait just as she'd been waiting for months. Not a word from the wizard, not a peep.

The Gargoyle doesn't ask for the password anymore, it merely steps aside and allows her up the stairs to the cluttered room full of whizzing and whiting and soft chatter amongst portraits of past headmasters.

Dumbledore is waiting for it, fingers already steepled under his chin and eyes twinkling with thought. Fawkes is waiting too, perched on the back of her chair like he's been waiting for her. Gwen strokes his feathers gently as she sits down, smiling at the heat she can feel radiating from him.

When she faces Dumbledore head on, he sits up straighter, peers at her over his glasses. Gwen blinks before asking flatly,

"Finished avoiding me, have you?"

Dumbledore smiles, nodding once and responding simply, "Yes."

"Well good," Gwen huffs, shifting in her seat. "What's next?"

She was tired of being benched, tired of waiting around for something bad to happen. If Voldemort knew who she was, she either wasn't important enough for him to show interest or wasn't vulnerable enough yet. That was enough for her.

"Next," Dumbledore says calmly, "You will enjoy a peaceful holiday."

Gwen's eyes narrow, her pupils dark against the pale ice. She watches silently as the headmaster shifts in his chair, her words curt and forced, "You said you wanted me as your council."

Dumbledore sighs, "Miss Whitlock—"

"I'll tell Mundungus Fletcher to leave the Order."

This time, it's the wizard's eyes that narrow. He leans forward and asks lowly, "And why would he listen to you?"

"You're not the only person he owes a favor to," Gwen replies nonchalantly, reaching up to gently pet Fawkes' tail feathers. The stare down between the two of them is silent, tense. While Gwen never cared much for chess, she had him in what Remus told her was referred to as Zugzwang. He couldn't make a move. He couldn't win this argument.

Checkmate.

He breaks first, another gusty and reluctant sigh leaving him as he asks, "What would you like to know?"

Gwen's eyes twitch, the tiniest sign of her pleasure at being triumphant over the headmaster. She crosses her arms and says simply, "I want to know why he hasn't attacked yet."

"Why he hasn't attacked you?" Dumbledore wonders, quirking a brow as she waves off the question and smiles faintly.

"If he knows who I am, he also knows I'm on your side. There's no point in trying to convince me to join him, there's no point in torturing me until I do. He can't imperius me for my powers, it would probably just kill me. So, I think I'm of little importance to him for the time being. I want to know why he isn't attacking anyone. It's been nearly two months."

Dumbledore nods, watching with amusement as she anxiously grabs his box of lemon drops and pops three into her mouth. When she sets it back down, he replies honestly, "I'm not sure. He could be waiting for the right moment I suppose."

Gwen crinkles her nose and argues, "He has the right moment. He can do whatever he wants and still evade Aurors and you. So why isn't he?"

Dumbledore waits patiently as she chews on her candy, her voice small when she finally speaks again, "What if the next one is going to be worse?"

He peers at her over his glasses, brows furrowed in silent curiosity. Gwen swallows, mouth dry and sickly sweet. She can't help but wonder. What if the attack on Bulgaria was small in comparison to what was next?

"He has giants now," She murmurs. "Vampires. Likely werewolves and Veela as well. And plenty of pureblood wizard if families funding him and his endeavors. So what's next?"

For the first time since she and Dumbledore began to discuss these things, they sit in complete silence. They don't know. They can't know what's next.

And that was the scariest thing of all.

{{I know it's shorter—but I hope you guys like these ones. I really like writing about the war side of things. Hopefully another update tonight! I'm trying!!!! Love you (:}}