Alcyone adored this club, even though it was in one of the worst places it could be. She didn't care much for Knockturn alley, nor the hungry looks she got from disturbingly creepy old men. She hated the way they seemed to undress her with their eyes, but she ignored them best she could and wore large cloaks that covered her body so they didn't have anything to tempt them. She could remember being brought down here by her French tutor when she was younger, and that was the first time she'd experienced the un-pleasant looks.

Alcyone was relieved when she finally reached the club and she stepped into its warmth with a relieved smile. It was far too classy and cool for such a place as Knockturn alley, but it meant that it wasn't so crowded in there that one would feel claustrophobic. She sat down at the brightly lit club bar and ordered a bottle of firewhisky to drink by herself. She handed over the galleons required for the drink and took a large gulp of it, enjoying the burning feeling down her throat.

Deva had heard about a club in Knockturn Alley and she had decided to check it out. Though she wasn't a fan of Knockturn Alley, she had heard that this place wasn't so bad, and at the moment, she was longing to get a bit wasted. Though she was glad to see her old friends again, she was so confused and sad by the fact that they really weren't Deva's friends. They were Haley's. She sighed and saw the door to the club. Princess Poison's Nightclub.

She walked into it and over to the bar. She ordered a Firewhiskey and looked around. It was much classier than she had expected. Then her eyes landed on a woman sitting some seats away. Alcyone. A stab of pain hit Deva. As Parker had avoided her during the last year, Deva had avoided him and Alcyone. It had been so hard on her, but she couldn't take the thought of her carelessness leading to their demise when thinking about Swandeth. She had met up with Pyxis on several occasions, but it had been different, because Pyxis hadn't been Deva's best friend during the time when Swandeth had made her tell her who her closest friends were. Now, Deva was pretty sure that Swandeth had kept her friends separated through the thought of losing them as well as her parents. Alone one was less intimidating, and Swandeth had surely made an enemy out of Deva.

Deva rose from the stool and walked over to Alcyone when she got her bottle of firewhiskey. She saw that Alcyone had one too. She sat down and gave a smile to her.

"Rough day?" she asked grinningly.

Alcyone was busy thinking about her husband and her daughter, whom she missed dearly at home. She would return home tomorrow once she'd managed to hide that she'd been drinking again, and she would be reunited with her beautiful family once more. Her heart ached every time she thought about it, and she laid a hand on her flat stomach. She was going to ask her wonderful husband if they wanted another child, and if so she hoped it was another girl. Then, she would name her 'Haley'. Alcyone smiled as she noted that she seemed to enjoy naming her children after people she'd lost.

Haley had been her best friend, and much like Parker had distanced himself from Pyxis, Haley had distanced herself from Alcyone until she vanished and left a sad Alcyone behind. That was when she'd really turned to her then-boyfriend-now-husband, she'd needed him. Haley had supported her all-through out the pregnancy, and Alcyone missed her dearly. She smiled as she remembered the first time they'd hung out together, and had fast become best friends. She missed Haley dearly, and she was surprised when Deva from Hogwart's approached her with her own bottle of firewhisky.

"Heya Deva. Not really, just memories." She grinned.

Deva nodded. "Yes, they seem to be popular now," she said with a sigh.

Memories. Oh, how precious they were to Deva. She remembered so much from her life during Hogwarts, and so little from her life before it. She remembered meeting Alcyone for the first time as clear as if it was happening at that instant. She remembered how great a support Alcyone had been to her, and how worried and careful and motherly she herself had been when Alcyone got pregnant.

But the memory she remembered most was when she started distancing herself. She kept much to her common room where Alcyone couldn't enter, and for the first time she had been happy that she only shared the girls' dormitory with one other who liked silence as much as she did back then. But it had hurt so horribly to see Alcyone and stopping herself from going over, but rather turn around and walk away before the girl could see her. She had no idea how many times Alcyone had seen her turn and walk away, but she hoped it wasn't too many. Her intentions had never been to hurt Alcyone, but she knew she had done a terrible job at avoiding that, even though it was to protect her.

"Anything in particular you were thinking about?" Deva then asked Alcyone, "If it's a too personal question, then I won't mind if you don't want to talk about it."

Alcyone sighed, she'd noticed that among the group. It seemed that as they had grown older, each had become more thoughtful. "Yes, they are quite popular." She mumbled.

She had noticed amongst the group 2 familiar faces, and 1 semi-familiar face that she couldn't quite place, said semi-familiar face sitting beside her right now. The other 2 faces she knew to be Parker and Pyxis who were Slytherin's in the year above her. She could remember them being almost inseparable, but now there was a tension between them. She could remember Pyxis slowly gravitating towards Haley over the final year, and Alcyone would admit that she'd been slightly jealous at first. However, she'd gotten over that after a while as it seemed Pyxis and Haley weren't all that close, but she had been worried for a while.

Alcyone still wondered where Haley went, and though her owl had always been able to find her no matter where she was in the past, the owl had always returned home without the letter she'd sent to Haley, but with none to return. She wondered if her owl just dumped the letter and flew home, but after a few years of trying to find her 'sister' as she used to think of her, she'd given up hope and had to get help, for Haley's disappearance had been the final straw for Alcyone's mental well-being.

"That's alright, Deva. I was just thinking about a friend of mine who I haven't seen in a very, very long time." Alcyone responded, her finger drawing circles on te bar.

Deva nodded, and couldn't help to wonder if it was her Alcyone was talking about. She cracked her neck a bit, a habit she had when she was unsure of what to say. She really wanted to just blurt it out that 'hello! I am Haley!' but she kept her face in a smooth mask, showing only as much curiosity as a person who had truly just met Alcyone would have.

"What's the name?" she asked, figuring that it was pretty normal to ask such things.

Besides she wanted to know. She was actually crossing her fingers over the glass she was holding, praying that it wouldn't be her. She didn't want Alcyone to think about her, she didn't deserve it. But the treacherous part of her brain came with the small input that, of course, you want to hear your name. And that part would obviously be true, but Deva denied it passage. She didn't let it root that maybe, just maybe, Alcyone still thought of her, just as much as she thought of Alcyone.

She didn't notice it, but she was holding her breath until she got to know the answer.

Alcyone glanced at Deva once more when she asked the name. It was a name that was always in the back of her mind, it was quite annoying actually, because it hurt to just think about it. She hadn't uttered Haley's name in three years, and her chest tightened as she had to say it. She felt her throat constrict slightly, but she managed to force out the words in a croaky voice.

"Haley. A very, very special friend of mine from school." Alcyone looked down at the bottle in her hands.

She took another swig from it, her eyes pressed shut as she tried not to cry. Her heart hurt in her chest, and she dearly hope that wherever Haley was she was alright. She would hate it if Haley wasn't alright, dead, even. It would emotionally ruin her to loose yet another person she loved, even if Haley hadn't been around for ever so long.

Deva frowned in the slightest when it seemed like Alcyone had a hard time deciding to say it or not, or maybe she just hurt thinking about it. Deva hoped it wasn't the latter, but when Alcyone said her name, it was obvious; it hurt to be reminded. And though Deva was glad that Alcyone still cared enough to hurt about it, she also felt extremely guilty for being glad that Alcyone still cared about her, also, she hated when Alcyone was in pain, especially when she herself caused it.

"Haley?" she asked softly, feeling weird saying her own name as if she didn't know who Alcyone was talking about.

Maybe it was a mistake coming back to Hogwarts. She had been very secure of her decision when she made it, but now she was very unsure. She didn't know if it was Parker or herself that had placed the doubt on her, but something had happened that made her want to scram. But that would be the easy way out. If Deva couldn't be Haley anymore, she had to be able to live as Deva. And what if the day came when she could be Haley again? What would happen then? Would she abandon the chance, no matter how small, or would she fight for it? She already knew the answer to that, and she wasn't able to hide a look of determination on her face, having completely forgotten where she was and who she was talking to.

"I'm sorry to hear that you haven't heard from her in so long, then," she said with a sigh.

Deva wondered how many times she had read and re-read the letters Alcyone had sent to her, and how many times hadn't she wished to write back. Once, she had almost sent an object she knew Alcyone would recognize as Haley's as a token on her well-being, but she had always reconsidered and stopped before it was too late.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Deva asked.

Somehow she hoped that, yes, Alcyone wanted to talk about it. But the most prominent part of her didn't want to know how much she had hurt her sister. But maybe that was something she deserved. She knew she deserved it. Somehow.

Alcyone almost winced when Deva spoke her name again, and she knew that she shouldn't do this to herself. She'd lost her sister for good, she couldn't just snap her fingers and have her back no matter how much she wished she could. She hated to admit that she was weak, that she needed Haley as her shoulder to lean on, but it was the truth. Haley'd always been there for her, and she'd always been there for Haley, and now her sister was gone and she didn't know if she'd ever find her again.

"Yeah, Haley Vilde Smith." Alcyone sighed as she took another long gulp of her drink.

She could remember that day by the lake, when she'd been able to tell Haley key details to her misery, and Haley had trusted in her with the news that her parents were dead. They'd comforted each other and fast become best friends. She always thought of Haley, never able to get her sister out of her mind. Only Nor's had ever come close to being as special to her as Haley was, but not even Nora could crack her shell. Of course, her husband was as close to her if not more, but other than him she had no one else.

"There's nothing you could do about it." Alcyone shrugged at her apology.

Alcyone wondered if Haley had ever received her letters, or if they just got lost when her owl delivered them. If Haley had, she would be glad for at least that meant she was still alive. Something, anything at all that would tell her Haley was alright, Alcyone knew she'd take and treasure it.

"If you don't mind. It's just, she was like my sister and now I don't have her anymore, and I need her. I hate to admit it, I feel weak and pathetic but I need my sister back." Alcyone's voice cracked and she felt a single tear slide down her pale cheek.

Deva could see Alcyone cringe a bit when she said her birth name. It was weird. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, and it didn't suit her. She didn't like it at all, she felt strange and maybe even a slight bit mental. And when Alcyone then said her entire name, it felt like a small bomb had gone off in the middle of her heart, leaving a hole, just like the time she learned her parents were dead. But it was so different too, because this time she had the opportunity to change it all. But she didn't. She didn't change it. She let the hole stay a hole, and she was pretty sure it'd take some time before she could tell the truth, even with the help of her ally.

Deva nodded in the slightest. "I see," she whispered, and then cleared her throat. "Sorry, got a bit of a cold," she lied easily, looking out of the window: one thing Deva couldn't do, even after all the training as an auror, was to lie to Alcyone while looking her in her eyes. She had never been able to do so.

She then turned back to Alcyone when she explained the situation she was stuck in. And it hurt so deeply to hear those words. Oh, how Deva wished she could wrap her arms around Alcyone and say that she was fine. She was okay. She was right here, right next to her. But she managed, barely, to keep her face in a mask, and nodded understandingly.

"It doesn't make you weak to love someone, Alcyone. Not at all," Deva said, reaching out and stroking the tear away from the beautiful girl's face.

"It makes you stronger."

Deva should know; Alcyone was one of the only things that kept her going today. If it weren't for her, she might've gone on a suicide mission or something ages ago. But the thought of Alcyone always stopped her. Alcyone had been everything Deva had that was beyond important to her. Sure, Parker and Pyxis had become very important to her as well. But Parker was Parks. Pyxis was Pyx. Alcyone... Alcyone was sister, she was family, she was everything. She meant everything. And that single touch, wiping the tear away, brought every moment they had shared back in high speed, from the day they met, to the last days where Deva had tried to keep away, being suffocated as she did so.

Alcyone barely even noticed Deva's next words, painful memories making her chest constrict tightly and her chest tighten. She could remember all those times they'd laughed, they'd cried, they'd yelled and they'd hugged. There was a hole in her heart that needed her sister, her best friend. She missed her more than anything now, now that she was sitting here, thinking about her. For some strange reason, she felt as if Haley was near her, and she looked around wildly for a moment, but there were no red heads that matched her description. She sighed and drunk from her bottle once more.

"Ah, I hate colds." She said quietly, staring down at her hands and sniffled as tears formed in her eyes.

Alcyone had often considered searching for Haley, but she knew she'd come up empty-handed and she didn't want to deal with that disappointment, the heart-break that she wouldn't be able to find her other sister. It was like Capella all over again, except this time Haley might be alive. That was what killed her most, that their was hope for Haley to come back. It ate away at her.

Alcyone looked up in surprise as Deva reached out and wiped the tear off of her face in a very familiar gesture. She couldn't help herself, she threw her arms around Deva and squeezed her tightly, as if she were a lifeline. "Thanks you." She then pulled back and blushed.

"You know, I wish she could be around to see Capella grow up. I named Capella after her, Capella Haley Malfoy, im not sure if she would remember. I wish she was here." Alcyone's tone was croaky, it was breaking. She needed her sister, and it was breaking her now more than ever that she didn't know where she was after all of this time.

Deva nodded. "Tell me about it," she said with a sigh.

She then looked up at Alcyone, studying her face. Tears were filling her eyes, and Deva felt something pull at her heart. She didn't want to see Alcyone in pain. It was like seeing Mufasa die in Lion King and Frodo leaving Sam in Return of the King times a billion. It hurt so bad.

And then Alcyone had her arms around Deva, hugging her. Deva was so surprised, but quickly snapped out of it and hugged her back, just as tightly. Oh, how she had longed to hug her sister. It felt so good, but she withdrew the moment Alcyone did. She smiled softly to the girl, going back to being the colleague that was just very friendly, though her eyes were a bit shiny, she knew.

But then Deva broke a sob. She couldn't keep it in. Of course she hadn't forgotten that Alcyone had called her daughter up after herself, but she hadn't thought of it in so long. She clenched her teeth as tears started to run down her face. She shook her head and smiled hopelessly at Alcyone, dragging her into another hug.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she managed, her breath hitching a bit, "I become like this crybaby every time I drink a bit and hear sad stories of the life of people I care about. I'm sorry, ignore me."

She bit her lip, hoping that Alcyone would buy it. But she figured it wasn't the worst sort of lie. Seriously, many people got very emotional by drinking, and truth of the matter was that she actually did become more crylike when drinking, even if it was only a very little. She then broke from the hug.

"I doubt anyone could forget such a beautiful gesture," Deva then said with a thick voice, her tears coming to an end.

Alcyone remembered getting colds, flu's and being sick constantly when Capella was a baby. She could remember Haley often getting sick because of her constant contact with herself and the baby. And then, she could remember Capella's first sentence which Haley had been there for, and when they'd both known that all of the sickness was worth it. She's merely looked up at them one day, spat the toy out of her mouth and proclaimed, 'Lub chu mama and Aunty 'aley!". It was the sweetest thing the little girl said. Alcyone's heart ached, all of those memories she'd shared with Haley were just that, memories. No new ones would ever be made. The only person she had left now was Jaycie, but she wasn't her sister. Jaycie was her best friend, the person who'd let her stay with her when she'd run away from home, but she wasn't her sister.

"I used to get sick all of the time when Ella was a baby, and so did Haley." Alcyone smiled softly.

Alcyone felt strange when Deva hugged her back tightly. It was like Haley's hugs, warm and full of sisterly comfort. She frowned but it looked like her sadness as she pulled away and stared at her hands. She didn't notice the watery-ness of Deva's eyes as she kept talking, but she looked up in surprise as Deva choked on a sob.

She felt herself being pulled into another hug, and her suspicion was irked. Alcyone couldn't help but let out a sob herself as she thought about it. With her red hair, her warm hugs, and the way she looked deeply troubled at Alcyone's pain how could Alcy not be suspicious?

The explanation was good enough for Alcyone, and she nodded her head as she felt disappointed. For a minute there, she'd thought this was her sister but the suspicion seemed silly now. Why would her sister return as another person and not tell her? Alcyone didn't miss it when Deva said 'of the people I care about' and she smiled softly.

"I do too. Its okay, my whole life story is quite a sob fest when you think about it." Alcyone mumbled as she looked down at her hands once more. She smiled when Deva said that. "I hope she won't have forgotten."

Deva looked on as Alcyone was thinking about something again. Her own thoughts drifted to Capella, and she grit her teeth slightly. She didn't have freedom anymore. Even her thoughts were best kept at a distance before anyone could use legilimens or something at her. Nothing was safe when it came to Deva. Not anymore. And she who had been a person who just wanted to protect, was now a danger to everyone around her.

She remembered the times when they had been sick. They were always sitting in the Slytherin common room, Alcyone always sneaking her in. When she was spotted, people often didn't care, as they knew that the two of them were pretty much glued together wherever they went. She remembered the day when Capella got the chicken pox, and Alcyone hadn't had it before in her life, so Deva had told her to keep away, as well as the school healer, but not two hours went before Alcyone ran at Capella and held her in her arms, kissing her like crazy, not standing to stay away. Deva had laughed so hard, even though it ended up with Deva taking care of them both as she had had the chicken pox before.

She knew that hugging Alcyone again hadn't been a good idea, but lord, she was only human, for Merlin's sake! She wasn't some god who could do whatever and be totally cold and emotionless. Honestly! And when being so close to Alcyone was so important to her, more important than anything had ever been to Deva, how could she not hug her when she could find a reason to it.

Deva gave a soft smile and wiped away her tears. "It might be so, yes, but I'll listen to sob fests any day, if it makes others feel better. Meaning, if there's anything you'd like to tell me, I'd be willing to listen," she said softly.

Alcyone rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about that one time when her baby had the chicken pox. She herself had never had it, and she'd been taught that it wasn't a good idea to get it anyway. However, she couldn't handle not holding her baby for such an extended period of time and had eventually run to her, much to the amusement of Haley who nursed them both back to health. She sighed heavily, missing Haley heaps. She looked at Deva once more and smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Deva, but I think I should really go home now. Jasper will be wondering where I am, and I don't want him to think im cheating or something like that." Alcyone didn't admit that she also wanted to go home so she could curl up next to said husband and sob hysterically. She didn't feel comfortable crying to a stranger, no matter the bond she felt she had with Deva.

Deva smiled softly when Alcyone said she would need to leave. Her heart dropped in her chest, but she nodded, not showing any trace of disappointment in her leaving. She put her hand on Alcyone's shoulder.

"If there's anything you want to talk about, you know where I am," Deva said solemnly and leaned against the counter of the bar.

Deva really wanted to say something like 'say hi to your daughter from me' but it just wasn't possible. Too suspicious. She took a sip from her glass, realizing that her attempt to get drunk today was not happening. She didn't want to. She actually felt a bit repulsed by the thought. Alcohol. A fiend like no other.