Title: Eyes of the Chosen
Author: Emcee
Summary: Harry meets Hufflepuff's new Seeker, while Sirius talks to his ex-wife.
Author's Note: Thank-you to my muses, Rae and Fre and my beta and Pablo. This story is AU to "Order of the Phoenix". It is the sequel to Labyrinth of Illusion.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" and the characters, places and things related to it do not belong to me. They are from the brilliant mind of JK Rowling. They belong to her and her publishers. I am not making any profit from this fan fiction.

CHAPTER FIVE
Machka and Derek

Harry, Hermione and Ron slowly walked down the corridor back to the Hospital Wing. They had their heads bowed, not speaking as they made their way through the empty castle.

Ron had a hand to his temples, gentle massaging his forehead. He still had a dull ache from the vision last night.

"Did...." Hermione started, looking to Ron. She stopped short, lowering her head again.

"She felt a lot of pain, Hermione," Ron answered her unasked question. "I felt it. She was scared and in pain.... She...." He let out a breath. "She was still alive when they...." He shook his head, trying to forget the images.

Harry stopped walking, watching Hermione and Ron go ahead of him. They stopped, turning back to look at him. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"You two go ahead," Harry said, "I want to go talk to Dumbledore."

"You don't want us to go with you?" Ron ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you sure about that, Harry?"

He nodded. "It's private."

"Don't be long," Hermione said, giving a weak smile. "Madame Pomfrey is going to be mad."

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I'll try to be back in the Hospital Wing within the hour."

Harry turned around, heading towards Dumbledore's office. He kept staring at the floor. His feet were cold. He hadn't bothered to put on his shoes to go see Sirius. He had been walking around for the last hour in just his socks. They were really dirty. It would take the house-elves hours to try and clean them.

He looked up when he heard someone walking in the opposite direction. He was a bit surprised to see a student walking down the halls.

He was a Hufflepuff. He wasn't in uniform, but Harry remembered him from the first and only Quidditch game of the season. He played Seeker for the Hufflepuff team. His name was Derek.

Derek stopped in the hallway, looking at Harry. His light grey eyes surveyed the cuts and bruises on Harry's face.

Harry looked back at Derek. He was an awkward kid. He was tall and gangly, like he had gone through a growth spurt and still hadn't adjusted to the changes in his body. His long, black hair was kept back in a ponytail.

"Hi," Harry said dully. He hoped Derek didn't push too much for a conversation. He really wanted to speak to Dumbledore.

Come to think of it, Harry had never heard Derek talk. He had seen Derek hanging around Cedric Diggory, before he had died. But he had never actually heard him say anything.

"H-Hi H-H-Harry," Derek whispered. He spoke into his chest, a tremor to his voice "I'm glad t-to s-see you're okay."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Well, that answered the question as to why Derek was such a silent guy. "Thanks Derek. I need to go-- I need to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Is th-there a p-problem?" Derek asked, looking up. He furrowed his brow. "Like when C-C-Cedric...."

"Kind of," Harry sighed. He leaned against the wall, looking at Derek. "You were friends with Cedric, weren't you?"

Derek shook his head. "N-no.... N-not really...." He shrugged. "Kind of. I-I was really n-nervous my f-first year of school. C-C-Cedric helped me. He let m-m-me hang out wi-with h-him."

Harry nodded. "I see you've gotten over that."

"I-I know I'm still p-p-pretty bad," Derek stammered. "It's g-g-gotten worse s-s-since..."

"Since Cedric died," Harry finished. "I understand. I'm sorry. Listen, Derek... I'd really like to talk to you. But I have to go. I need to see Dumbledore."

Derek nodded, letting Harry by.

Harry had only gone three steps when Derek added, "Are you going to tell S-S-Sirius?"

Harry's eyes went wide. He turned slowly. "How do you know about Sirius?"

Machka bent down, picking up a book that lay on the ground. Her gaze was trained on Sirius. "You picked a bad time to come back, Sirius. I was just reinforcing the wards surrounding the camp."

"I see you revoked my invitation," he casually commented, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Listen, we need to--"

He couldn't finish. The leather-bound volume connected with his forehead. Sirius gave a cry, grabbing his head. "What was that for?" He snarled.

"What wasn't it for?" Machka yelled back. "I have about a million reasons to throw things at you, Sirius Black!"

"You have to listen to me, Machka-- It wasn't me. It was Peter. He was..." He tried to reach her, hitting the barrier.

"I know. Peter was James and Lily's Secret Keeper. He framed you." Machka sighed. "Come in, Sirius."

Slowly, Sirius walked to the barrier. He brought his hands up to test it. He found the resistance gone. He stepped through hesitantly. "What do you mean you know?"

Machka turned, striding towards the camp. "I mean I know. Remus told me."

"Remus told you? That bastard. He didn't tell me!" Sirius ran to catch up with her. "Wait-- If you know, what's with all of the hostility?"

"You don't need to be a murderous traitor for me to be hostile to you." She shot back. She turned to him, crossing her arms. "You look like hell."

"I spent twelve years in prison. Plus I just had a book chucked at my head." He covered the blooming bruise on his forehead with his hand. "That's not why I'm here. I need to speak with you."

Machka stopped, sighing. She took off her cloak, brushing her raven hair off her face. "What is it?"

"We found a Romany at the school-- from your clan-- at the school."

Machka went still, her face paling. "Jakhori..." She whispered.

"Is that her name?" Sirius lowered his head. "Machka, she was dead. We're pretty sure it was the Death Eaters."

Machka nodded slowly. "Voldemort's followers. But why would they want to kill Jakhori?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you might have an idea."

Machka stopped in front of a tent. It was a small, brown thing. It wasn't very much to look at. It looked like one stiff breeze might blow it over. She lifted the flap. "After you, Sirius."

Sirius ducked into the tent, stepping into the comfortable rustic cabin. He drew his lower lip up. "It hasn't changed much."

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Machka asked. "Anything going on?"

Sirius sat down, sighing. "No, I don't think so. I want to see Jakhori's parents. Tell them what happened."

Machka shook her head. "Jakhori has no parents. She was a halfblood. Her father was Merlin. Her mother abandoned her after she was born to rejoin her lover."

"She didn't have anyone..." Sirius whispered, shutting his eyes tightly.

"It's a common occurrence with my people. You know that." Machka gave a bitter smile. "In the fifty years since we have come to Hogsmeade, only one Merlin has married into our family."

"Did you know the girl well?" Sirius reached out, taking Machka's hand. He rubbed her knuckles gently.

Machka nodded slowly. "I taught her. She had also been friends with Savori when they were children."

"Savori...." Sirius stood up quickly. "Is- Is Savori okay? She's out of school now, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is... She's... Okay."

Sirius felt tears well in his eyes. "How old is she now? Eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Nineteen," Machka replied, a bittersweet smile passing her lips. "Almost twenty."

Letting go of Machka, Sirius began to pace. "Is she here? Is she safe?"

"Savori is safe. So is Derek."

"Derek!" Sirius smiled, pacing again. This wasn't a worried pace like before. It was a manic and excited. "I knew it. I saw him at Hogwarts. He plays on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. He looks just like--"

"Sirius!" Machka shouted. "Stop!"

Sirius halted, turning to face Machka. "What? I just want to know about my children."

"Well, you haven't cared for the last three years, so I don't know why you should start now." Machka shook her head furiously. "You can't start acting like the proud father. Not when something like this has happened!"

"Machka, Darling..." Sirius grabbed her hand, giving her a pleading look. "Please."

"You lost the right to call me Darling when we got divorced, Sirius." Machka pulled her hand away. "Now if you excuse me, I need to figure out just why Voldemort killed my student."

"Your student." Sirius took in the words. "You teach Divinations to the Kalderasha children." He swallowed hard. "Did Jakhori-- Was she-- Did she have the potential?"

Machka nodded slowly. "Yes. Jakhori had the potential. That's not why..." She sat down, blinking. "That's why Voldemort killed her."

Harry didn't think. He didn't care if Derek was a nervous little third-year. He grabbed him by the collar, shoving him hard against the wall.

He curled his lip into a snarl, green eyes flaring in anger. "What do you know about Sirius?"

In the back of his mind, Harry wondered if some of Yasha's mind control still lingered within him. Certainly this act of aggression was out of character for him.

"D-Don't yo-yo-you st-st-still ha-have t-t-to s-s-see P-P-Professor D-Dumbledore?" Derek's eyes were wide in horror, his stammer more pronounced. He brought his hands up, fighting against Harry's tight grip.

"No!" Harry yelled. "I want to know how the hell you know about Sirius!" He shoved Derek against the wall harder. "Are you going to tell the Ministry? Turn him over to the Dementors?"

"Of co-course n-n-not." Derek pounded on Harry's fists. "P-p-please, Ha-Ha-Harry...."

"Harry," the voice was even and calm, definitely not one of Derek's stuttered pleas. It was cool and quiet, but there was no question it was a command.

Harry turned his head. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Am I interrupting something?"

Harry let go of Derek, letting the younger student take in deep gasps of air. "He knows about Sirius!" Harry's voice was much shriller than he had meant. He pointed a finger at Derek. "He knows I've been communicating with him!"

He then looked at his hands. "I was going to..." He brought his trembling hands to his mouth. He was going to kill Derek. He had felt the anger surging through him. Was this the last vestige of Yasha's control? Or was this just Harry?

Dumbledore ignored Harry, looking straight as Derek. "Derek? Did you tell Harry that?"

Derek nodded, going quiet again. He kept his gaze downcast, his hands trembling at being addressed by the Headmaster.

"Derek, go to your Common Room. I will speak with you later. Harry, I would like to see you in my office." Dumbledore turned on his heels, walking slowly towards his office. He gave the password and the gargoyle jumped out of the way, revealing the entrance. Dumbledore gestured to the hole. "After you, please."

Harry slunk in, dropping his shoulders. The weight of what he had done finally hit him.

He had been ready to kill Derek. He had wanted to curse him to oblivion, to tear out his throat just so he couldn't speak against Sirius.

Harry snatched up Dumbledore's wastebasket, bringing it to his face. He heaved, throwing up the contents of his stomach. Fawkes let out a pitiful warble and flew to Harry's shoulder.

"It will take time, Harry," Dumbledore reassured him, "This is a reaction to everything you've been through."

"I wanted to kill him."

Dumbledore nodded. "You think you did. Harry, everything you are feeling is a result of Yasha's tampering with your mind. It will pass."

"When will it stop? Yasha's dead." Harry raked his fingers through his dark hair.

Dumbledore shook his head, taking over his glasses and cleaning them. "This is not Yasha's influence. This is the after effect. Your mind is fighting for control of itself again."

Harry looked up slowly. "How does Derek Kalderasha know about Sirius?"

There was a long pause. "It is not my place to reveal Sirius' private affairs. I suggest you speak with him."

Harry groaned. "So we're back onto the conspiracy."

"This is not a conspiracy against you, Harry. This is simply not my business. It is Sirius' revelation to make."

Harry furrowed his brow. "What connection could Sirius possibly have to..." His eyes grew wide. "Oh..."

With a loud thunk, Machka placed several large books down on the table in front of Sirius.

"Here we go, the diaries of the five Guardians before me." She tapped the top book. "I figure if we work through them backward, we'll be able to find the spell The Unnamed One wishes to use."

Sirius raked a hand through His hair. "This is going to take us days.'

Machka sighed deeply. "I just hope one of these books will tell us why Jakhori was murdered."

Sirius learned forward. "Should I owl Dumbledore? Tell him to transport the body here?" He reached out, touching Machka's hand.

"Why?" She asked, pushing his hand away. "Dead is dead. There's nothing we can do for her. You did the autopsy. No point in dwelling on it."

"Kitten... You were friends with this girl. You don't feel anything?"

"I'd prefer not to be called Kitten." She rubbed her forehead. "Do you remember how to read Romani, Sirius?"

"It's a bit rusty, but I think I can get by." Sirius blinked. "Wait... Why can't I call you Kitten?"

"Because I'm a grown woman. How many people still call you Padfoot?"

"Just Moony, but he's the only one left." Sirius lowered her head. "Thanks for bringing that up."

"Sorry," Machka slumped down. "Are you finding anything?"

"Just lots and lots of boring stuff about the second sight." Sirius shut the book.

"You always seemed interested in the second sight when we were teenagers."

Sirius cracked a small smile. "I was trying to get you into bed."

Machka's head jerked up. "But we were married when I was studying to be a Guardian."

His grin grew. "It was a lot tougher getting you into bed after we were married."

Balling her fist, Machka hit Sirius hard in the shoulder. "You're such an ass!"

"I was just kidding! Geez, lighten up!"

"Lighten up? Lighten up?" Machka slammed her diary down onto the table. "Sirius, I am researching dark spells to find out why someone murdered my student! This is not a situation in which one should 'lighten up'!"

"I'm sorry. Calm down, Kitten." Sirius got up slowly, cradling her face. "We're going to work this out together. Now, tell me what to look for."

"I can take care of this myself." Machka pushed his hands away. "It's my job. I protect the Kalderasha seers."

Sirius gave her a tiny smile. "Well, it's my job to protect you."

"And you've been doing a bang up job." Machka hissed.

"Machka..." Sirius started.

"Sirius, if you really want to help me-- Sit down, shut up and research."

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