#ElizabethKaneandthePrisonerofAzkaban

[braveclementine]

Chapter 12

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕰𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 which meant that there were zero classes, but lots of homework. Hannah Abbott was close to collapsing from nerves, and she wasn't the only one. Neville Longbottom also seemed close to collapsing and when I was studying with the others in the Gryffindor common room, Seamus yelled out of nowhere, "Call this a holiday! The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"

I wasn't entirely sure what everyone else was so stressed about. It was only third year. Of course, Hermione and I could stress. But everyone else was overreacting- at least that's how I felt.

Harry had pointed out that no one had more work than me or Hermione. Hermione had dropped Divination which meant that she had two less classes than me. She was the last to leave the common room (according to Harry, as I spent most nights in my own common room) and was the first to wake so that she could get the library first.

I was doing the same, but my days were even longer. I'd suggested to Hermione that she could turn the time back so that she could have more hours for homework but she said that would be breaking the rules we'd agreed to when we'd been given the time-turners.

We both had dark shadows under our eyes and one day when looking in the mirror, I thought that I looked a bit like dad. He always had shadows under his eyes as well. Hermione was usually close to tears and while I usually had a confident, happy aurora, inside I was close to tears as well.

McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape had cut private lessons to be resumed next year. This had always irked me because I felt that I could keep up with the classes. This year however, I was grateful for the extra hours at night. It meant shorter days since I didn't have to use my time turner as much (for homework anyways).

Dad had been worried about the shadows under my eyes and had persuaded me to go to Madam Pomfrey.

"It's f-fine dad." I said, yawning after one of the classes he'd held me back after. "Really, it is."

I had other things to worry about than my dark eyes. The enmity between Slytherin and Gryffindor was tight. Even Slytherins and Gryffindors that had nothing to do with Quidditch were getting into small fights.

I had become a Slytherin target as well. Possibly because I'd thrown Draco across a room, possibly because I was more of a Gryffindor than a Hufflepuff in their eyes. I was constantly being pushed whenever I was walking through the hallways. Now, I constantly had my wand in my hand and whenever a Slytherin got near me, I raised it, and they took off.

Harry was having a hard time too. He was constantly being tripped in the hallways and Oliver had told other Gryffindors to surround him at all times so that they were a type of shield around him. Harry was annoyed with this since he found it hard to get to class with everyone around him and he could barely see over the heads of some of the taller people.

I felt sick the night before the Quidditch game. I stayed up with my homework, hoping that it would distract me. Muggle studies- How do Muggles get their news without magic? Potions- Why should the calming draught be use periodically? Transfiguration- What are the main difficulties when doing a statue to model transformation?

I was close to being done, but not completely when I went to bed.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I put my Divination book and parchment in my bag so that I could work on the essay at the game, and then after getting dressed, I went downstairs for breakfast.

I sat down next to Ginny. She looked excited. "How did you sleep?" She chirped.

"Pretty good." I said honestly. "Though I didn't finish all of my homework which is a bit of a tragedy."

Ginny giggled, "Oh yes, what a tragedy."

We both laughed.

"So." I said, pulling over toast and put grape jelly on it. "Who do you think is going to win."

"Gryffindor." Ginny said confidently. "We have Harry Potter."

"Yes." I said grinning but was very careful with my next words, "Yes you do."

Ginny looked at me, "You're practically a Gryffindor, you know."

"Oh, I know." I said. "But I have to show some sort of house pride."

Ginny giggled again. "Ron told us in Egypt that you would've been in Gryffindor if it wasn't for your visions."

I blushed, "Why was he talking about me?"

Ginny grinned, "Fred asks Ron about you all the time. Innocent little questions of course."

I blushed deeper and shoved the piece of toast in my mouth.

The Quidditch team came down eventually, probably getting as much sleep as possible, and all of them looking sick. Oliver sat down right in front of me. "Are we going to win?" He asked, pale as a sheet.

I grinned, "Now Oliver, if I told you that, it would be cheating, wouldn't it?"

The others laughed, but Oliver looked like he might throw up.

I sighed, "Just play the best you guys can and I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the results."

Oliver didn't look put at ease at all, but he nodded stiffly, and the rest of the team sat down to eat. Oliver told them to eat, but he didn't eat anything himself until I finally pushed toast at him. "Eat Oliver." I said, looking at him.

He picked up the toast, took a bite, and put it down with a face that said it tasted like sawdust. Before any of the other team members had finished eating, Oliver wanted to see how the weather was, and shooed the team outside.

Soon, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I headed out as well. We took up seats right next to the commentator/ teacher box. I noticed that Snape was sitting with the Slytherins in the student section. Professor McGonagall was in her customary spot next to Lee in case she had to yank the microphone away from him.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee yelled as I pulled out my Divination textbook. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years-"

There were 'boos' from the Slytherin end and I grinned. I would argue that my team was the best team, of course. I pulled out my quill, setting up the inkwell on the wooden barrier.

"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill-" Lee commented.

There were more negative sounds from the Slytherin end. Looking at the Slytherin team however, I found that Lee had a pretty good point.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the fourteen brooms took off into the air and the crowd cheered. I looked down at my parchment writing, If Crystal balls were actually useful. . .

"And its Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh- no Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field- WHAM! nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by- Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession come on, Angelina- nice swerved around Montague- duck, Angelina, that's a bludger!- SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

There was a ding as the button was pressed to add ten points to the scoreboard.

I looked up momentarily distracted form the essay. Angelina was pumping her fist in the air when suddenly she was slammed by Flint. I hissed through my teeth as he said, "Sorry! Sorry, didn't see her!"

Fred raised his arm and chucked his beater club into the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed. I chuckled a little and then looked back down at the essay. Nice aim, Fred, nice aim.

"That will do!" I heard Madam Hooch yelling, "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" Fred howled and I laughed again. When I was younger, I used to think penalty to Gryffindor meant they were in trouble, even though it was the other teams fault. So I'd always wondered why the other teams didn't sabotage each other so that the other team was always in trouble for what the other team had done. Then dad had explained to me that if the other team sabotaged the other, the sabotaged team got a free throw with the Quaffle. That was what a penalty really was.

An unnatural silence swept over the pitch and I looked up as Alicia took the Quaffle.

"Come on Alicia!" Lee said into the silence. Everyone held their breath as she threw the Quaffle and then. . . "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee said enthusiastically.

Flint took the Quaffle next to go up against Wood for his free throw. Wood's jaw was tightly clenched and I realized I was clutching my quill very tightly. "Course, Wood's a superb Keeper." Lee said smugly to the crowd as we waited. "Superb! Very difficult to pass- very difficult indeed- YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

I sighed with relief and continued on down the essay crystal gazing is an imprecise branch of magic anyways and so. . .

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession-no!- Gryffindor back in possession, and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field- THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"

I looked up as I saw Montague cartwheeling on his broom in the air, Katie's head in his hands. Katie dropped the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle rang again.

"THIRY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING-"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way-" Professor McGonagall said in a warning voice.

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor."

Harry suddenly shot off towards the Slytherin end of the pitch. It was a decoy, I knew, to get Draco away from the real snitch. It worked, Draco was after Harry in an instant and I sighed with relief.

I watched though, as both Slytherin beaters clubbed the bludgers toward Harry. One streaked past his ear and another went past his elbow. Both beaters were zooming towards him, one of either side of him. Harry pulled up on the Firebolt and they crashed into each other.

"Ha, haa!" Lee Jordan laughed along with the crowd. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle- Flint alongside her- poke him in the eye, Angelina- it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke- oh no- Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save- Shit!"

Lee swore and Professor McGonagall tried to tug the microphone away from him while the Slytherin end of the field erupted into cheers.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession-" Lee continued with the commentary.

Therefore, if crystal balls could be made to be used in a more effective manner, I believe that more people would be able to decipher the future. Of course. . .

I heard Lee shouting, "YOU CHEATING SCUM! YOU FILTHY, CHEATING BASTARD!" I looked up and Lee was dancing out of the way of Professor McGonagall but it didn't matter. She was up on her own, her hat had fallen off, and she was shaking her finger at the Quidditch players. Malfoy had grabbed the end of Harry's broom.

I sighed, looking back down.

Lee continued the commentary. "Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal- Montague scores- Seventy- twenty to Gryffindor- and what is Malfoy doing now, talking to the Beater. . ."

And that comes to the conclusion that crystal balls are only used for those-

"DUCK ELIZABETH!" Lee suddenly shouted into the microphone.

Duck Elizabeth? Since when was that something they said in Quidditch? I looked up and wished that I hadn't as the bludger rammed into my stomach and I went flying off the bench. My quill and parchment were thrown into the air and I crashed onto my back.

Lee was cursing into the microphone as the bludger flew back out over the pitch. I stared up at the sky. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny's concerned faces were over mine as I gasped for breath. Dad was suddenly there too, pale faced.

"Elizabeth, are you okay?" Dad asked.

I opened my mouth and coughed. I could hear Professor McGonagall yelling too along with Hagrid's booming voice. Where was Hagrid?

Finally I managed, "Bumphing is a Quidditch foul where a beater hits a bludger towards opposing fans in hopes to throw the opposing team off balance. I think that might be the first time a Bumphing foul was ever used at a Hogwarts Quidditch game."

Ron sighed. "She's back to normal."

I tried to laugh which took my breath away again.

"What happened?" I finally asked weakly when I got my breathing back and the sky stopped spinning. Funny, I thought people were only dizzy when they got hit in the head. Or maybe I'd hit my head when I crashed to the floor. Students were standing up, trying to get a good look at us. Dad was the only Professor over here. I was glad about that.

Ginny and Hermione knelt next to me too.

"Malfoy. . ." Hermione said, fear in her eyes, her mouth covered by her hands. "He told the beater to hit a bludger towards you, I think. . ."

"Stupid git." I said, still gasping for air and I sat up. "Oh." I moaned, grabbing my ribs.

"We should get you to the hospital wing." Dad said.

I waved my hand. "Not until the end of the game."

I got back on my seat, pale faced, my arm wrapped around my stomach. Dad didn't climb back into the teachers' box but stood by the side. Ginny had picked up my divination book and essay. I put the cap back on the ink well, at least it hadn't spilled all over my essay, which was pretty much done.

"Are you really okay?" Ginny asked as I shifted in my seat next to her.

"Hurt like the dickens." I said, controlling my breathing better.

I watched as Flint lined up for a penalty shot again. "Why'd he get the penalty shot?" I asked, gingerly touching my ribs.

"Fred might've swung his club into Malfoy's face." Ginny said.

"Ah, that would do it." I said, wanting to laugh, but not daring too. That sick feeling was back in my stomach. Wood saved the goal. I certainly had not foreseen that coming so would Gryffindor now lose the game because the situation was different? I certainly hoped not.

SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty points to twenty!" Lee shouted as Angelina scored the next goal. Lee shot a look back towards me and I gave him a weak thumbs up and a smile.

Then Malfoy was diving, and Harry was diving and they were neck and neck for the Snitch. Ginny was clutching my arms so hard, my pain in my stomach was forgotten and was moved into my arm. I had my fingers crossed so tightly the blood was leaving.

Then Harry pulled out of his dive, his hand raised above his head, the golden snitch in his hand. Wood left his position immediately, sobbing into Harry's shoulder. Fred and George flew into him too. The girls were screaming, "we've won the cup! we've won the cup!"

The Gryffindor team made their way to the ground while the Gryffindor student body flooded onto the pitch, I was dragged along by Ginny who didn't seem to be able to let go of my arm. Dad was soon left behind, a stressed look on his face.

I stood to the side however, while the Gryffindor student body lifted the team up into the air. Looking around, I heard Hagrid shouting, "Yeh beat 'em Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!"

Even funnier was Percy jumping up and down like a maniac, his dignity gone. Professor McGonagall was sobbing, wiping her eyes with a Gryffindor flag. Wood was still crying. Harry was borne up toward the stands and I followed, walking beside Hermione and Ron where Dumbledore was waiting with the cup. Wood took the cup from Dumbledore and, still sobbing, handed it up to Harry.

I found that I was crying with excitement too. Hermione put her arms around me and I hugged her back, even though it made my stomach hurt.

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"𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖆 𝖋𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊." Madam Pomfrey said as I sat on the edge of the hospital bed. She got out tape and wrapped it around my stomach. I winced in pain. Cedric, Fred, Wood, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all in the room. Fred kept giving cold looks to Cedric but Ced didn't seem to notice.

Lee walked into the room at that moment, "You should listen to me more Liz." He said as Madam Pomfrey gave me something to drink.

I drank the liquid down and coughed. "I'll keep that in mind." I said, grinning.

"Anyways." Lee said, sitting down on a bed opposite me. "I just saw Professor Sprout. Malfoy and Bole both have detentions up to the end of the year. Not to mention they both had fifty points taken from Slytherin each."

"Wow!" I said, gingerly leaning back on the bed. "I didn't know Professor Sprout could be so mean."

They all laughed.

"You know." Lee said thoughtfully. "I thought Snape would defend them ya know, but he seemed just as furious with them as Sprout."

"Really?" Harry and Ron asked.

"I wonder what dad's reaction was?" I asked thoughtfully. I couldn't really remember exactly what happend with the bumphing foul.

"What Professor doesn't like Elizabeth?" Cedric asked, grinning.

"The Astronomy Professor." I said, aiming for a joke.

They all laughed again.

Wood's eyes were still red from the crying. "Congratulations Oliver." I said. "I told you you guys were going to win."

More laughs, though some confusion on Cedric's side. An hour later, my butt still sore, my ribs were healed and I went with the others to the Gryffindor common room. Cedric had left five minutes earlier so I hadn't felt guilty about going.

We partied for a long time. There was so much food and there was even dancing. I danced with Lee, George, Harry, Dean, Fred, Oliver, and even Percy. And of course, I danced with Hermione and Ginny too.

Since it was too late for me to leave, I slept in the common room. Hermione and Ginny stayed down in the common room and it was like a sleepover.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐 was horrible. While there was no more homework, there was studying. And I always figured that studying was worse than homework. Homework, there's a finished objective and one topic to focus on. But when you study, it's all on your own and you have to figure out what you need to learn.

I was also called into multiple offices. Dad's, Sprout's, McGonagall's' and Snape's. Each one wanted to know how my ribs were (even though they'd been healed for days). Dad helped me with my patronus charm again and the day before exams would start, I managed to produce a wildcat for about seven seconds. But I was proud of it. Dad was extremely proud of me too.

The next day, I took my Arithmancy exam deciphering paragraphs of numbers into words. Then, turning back an hour, I went to my Ancient Runes exam where I deciphered shapes into letters and words.

Then lunch and then Transfiguration. I turned my teapot into a tortoise on my first try. Full marks. Then I had divination.

I went up and looked in the crystal ball. Professor Trelawney was sitting there, silent. Pretending like I was looking into the glass ball, I said, "I see Sirius Black."

"Yes?" She said excitedly.

"The Minister of Magic has captured him." I said. "But. . . he seems to escape, again."

She clucked her tongue in disappointment. "Anything else, my dear?"

"I also see a hippogriff." I said, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Oh! And does it still have its head?"

"Yes." I said solidly. "And it's being led through the Forbidden Forest."

"Ah." She said in disappointment again. "very well."

I got up and went down the stairs, still trying not to smile. Sometimes my gift came in use.

I got a letter from Sadie at breakfast and I took it and offered her my bacon. I opened it up. It was a letter from Hagrid.

Elizabeth, Buckbeak's appeal is the sixth Someone from Ministry of Magic coming. And executioner. Thanks for all yer help. Hagrid.

I stuffed the letter angrily into my bag. They were already bringing the executioner? Bloody hell. As though fate had deemed it, I heard Draco's voice down the hallway. I walked towards his voice, angrily. I drew my wand out without thinking. Draco came around the corner with Goyle and Crabbe.

"Oh if isn't Kane." Draco said with a smirk on his face, not seeing my wand. "How'd you like the bludger?"

"Oh?" I said, pulling my teeth back. "You really think you're going to get away with killing Buckbeak?"

"Well. . ." Draco seemed to pretend to think about it, "Yeah, I do."

I gritted my teeth and then blasted Crabbe with my wand. Draco dropped his smile. "You dare attack a Slytherin! I'll see to it that Professor Snape gives you life long detentions."

"Dream come true." I said with a smirk. Goyle threw a punch at me and I ducked and kicked him in the knee. I was too short and modest to raise my leg high enough to kick him in the stomach. Goyle grunted, but it didn't seem to phase him. I used a weak stunning spell against Goyle and he fell where he was.

"Just me and you Draco." I said softly. "You have no bludger, no body guards, nothing. Now say all those things again." I pointed my wand at his throat. I wondered briefly if I had gone to far with this. But I thought about the bludger slamming into my stomach in the Quidditch stadium, and sweet Buckbeak and my anger hardened again.

And yet, another voice spoke in the back of my mind, "Does he really deserve it?" Dad breathed.

I'd hesitated to much, Crabbe slammed into me and I slammed my shoulder into the wall. I was glad I had none of my personal articles on me. I fell to the floor and raised my wand and whispered, "Petrificus Totalus."

Crabbe turned ridged and fell to the floor too. I got to my feet, brushing dust off my robes. Draco had his wand out on me and said "Incendio!"

I jumped out of the way as the flames licked up at my robes. I threw my cloak off and stomped it out, and pointing my wand at Draco I said, "Experlliarmus!"

Draco jumped out of the way and my spell hit the wall. I dodged his next spell. But his second spell hit me in the stomach. I slammed my head on the floor. I touched my head gingerly. Blood came back on my fingers. I gritted my teeth, rolling to dodge another spell.

"Stupefy!" I shouted. Draco collapsed on the floor. I sighed in relief, laying there on the floor.

"Elizabeth!"

"Oh bloody hell, what now?" I muttered and turned, pointing my wand at whoever was approaching.

It was Professor Snape stopped short and I lowered my wand. "You have blood running down your neck." He said shortly.

I touched my hair again. More blood came away from it. "Lovely." I grimaced. I got to my feet, staggering a bit.

Snape examined Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco. "What spells did you use on them?"

"Two stunning, one body-bind curse." I muttered.

He revived Draco and Goyle and undid my curse on Crabbe. "Fifteen points from Slytherin for dueling." He snapped. "And I don't ever want to see something like this come from Slytherin ever again unless it's deserved."

Wow, gee, unless I deserved it. How kind, Professor Snape.

"She started it!" Draco whined.

Snape turned to me, glaring. I shrugged, "Possibly."

Had I? I couldn't remember. Everything was a bit hazy. The blood was running thicker. Thin streams of blood had run down my neck, either soaked into my shirt, or continuing to drip past my collar. As my shirt was white, the blood stains showed up quite well.

"Come with me Kane." Snape said and I followed him into the dungeons. "In." He said shortly, opening his office door. I went inside. "Sit." He said and I sat down on a stool by the bed. Snape opened up cupboard doors and such and pulled out a cloth and water basin. He moved behind me.

He pulled the hair band out of my hair, parting it.

I closed my eyes as Snape ran the wet cloth across my neck, wiping the blood away. I said nothing and he was silent as well. He cares, a random thought traveled across my mind. He really does care. I blushed.

I heard water pinging on the metal basin and then water on the back of my neck. His fingers found the cut. I gasped in pain and clutched my fingers around the edge of the stool.

"It's not deep." He said, feeling around methodically. "Heads usually bleed a lot more than the wounds suggest."

"I didn't know you were a doctor." I said, amused, but still not opening my eyes.

"A doctor?" He asked curiously.

"I mean a healer, sorry." I said, blushing. Sometimes I confused my Muggle and Wizarding terms.

"Well no, not really." He admitted, moving his fingers deftly to part my hair and stop the wound from bleeding. "But it's not serious and Madam Pomfrey would've made a bigger deal out of it than it is. I thought you'd prefer this."

I flushed redder and whispered, "Yes, thank you."

After some more moments of silence he said, "here."

I opened my eyes and took the washcloth questionably.

"You have blood below here." He said, touching the collar of my shirt. "I figured you'd want to take care of that yourself. I'll step out of the room."

He did as he said, and closed the door behind himself.

I unbuttoned the shirt four buttons down, and worked methodically to get the dried blood off my skin. It was actually harder than one thought, getting dried blood of of oneself. I was kneeling by the wash basin and dipped the washcloth in repeatedly to release the blood. Once the blood was off, I grabbed the other towel and dried off. I buttoned the shirt up two buttons.

I waited for a moment in the room, trying to gain control of myself because I was grinning like an idiot.

No big deal, I thought randomly, He'd totally do this for any other student uh huh. Yeah, totally.

I stepped out of the room, still fighting for composure. "Thank you." I said, not looking at him. If I looked at him, I might smile.

"Any time." He said. His voice was farther away and I saw that he was at his desk.

I slipped out of the room and went to the common room and got into bed. It wasn't really near time to sleep yet but I couldn't have done anything else. I buried my face into the pillow and smiled.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 6

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕬𝖘 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖉, 𝕯𝖊𝖋𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖊 Against the Dark Arts became the favorite class of that year. Snape was walking around in a foul mood and being absolutely horrid to Neville. That was because Neville's boggart of Snape in his grandmothers' vulture hat and green dress had spread like wildfire through the castle. Even ghosts were chortling about it.

Of course, this brought all the attention off of me. I had resorted back to my happy cheerful self. I alternated studying in the library with either Hermione, Ron, and Harry or with Ginny and her younger friends, between studying in the forest, sometimes with Firenze and Sirius, sometimes with just Sirius, sometimes with just Firenze, or in Dad's office.

I left the castle every morning with a bowl of food so that Sirius didn't have to eat whatever food he could find in the forest. He rarely came into his human position and most of the time, he had to listen to me talk and sometimes I apologized for it and sometimes I was so excited, that I talked and talked and talked.

Of course, on the rare times he did come into human form, I would listen attentively to whatever he had to say.

I like to say that I was studying with Firenze, but the only subject he really liked talking about were Astronomy and Divination. I hated astronomy with a passion, but I was really starting to like divination. It had helped, even from the start of the first class, widen my view and I realized with these classes, I was able to see farther into the future and more distinctively.

Hagrid had unfortunately decided not to up the classes in Care of Magical Creatures class and we were still working on flobberworms. I supposed Snape would be happy because he needed flobberworms for potions.

Nothing important happened between my third day of school and October when Quidditch season started up. I had asked my Runes Professor for private lessons, which were granted to me, and I had also asked dad who had said no.

"You're working way to hard already, Elizabeth." Dad said as I was studying in his office one day. I was a bit put out with his answer, sulking behind my textbook. "You've already got four private lessons and also three more classes than any other person except Hermione Granger. Quidditch season is also about to start and you're already losing sleep. You should really drop one of your private lessons, not add another."

I had sighed in disappointment but hadn't asked again. I knew Harry was going to ask for lessons but wouldn't have them until after Christmas. "Will you teach me the Patronus charm at least?" I asked.

Dad looked up from his stack of papers that he was grading. "Don't you think you should wait until you're older?"

I shook my head. "No. I think I could do it now."

"Well, alright." Dad said hesitantly, his quill paused over the parchment. "Finish your homework and we can work on the charm a little bit today."

I flew through my homework so fast, dad was surprised when I put my ink and quill away. Nevertheless, he got up and we went out of the office and into the classroom so that there was more space.

"Now, you're not going to be practicing on a dementor or even a boggart dementor because you can't choose what your boggart becomes." Dad said. "So we'll just work on the charm for now. It may be easier now than when faced with a real dementor, but at least you'll have the basics down."

I nodded, a bit excited and a bit nervous.

"Now." Dad said. "Each Patronus is different, though since there are only so many animals in the world, there can be repeats."

"Like mum and Snape." I suddenly said.

"What?" Dad asked, looking a bit confused.

"Both mum and Snape had doe Patronus'" I said, frowning a little, "I don't really know how I knew that though."

Dad didn't answer for a bit, looking slightly disconcerted, and then said, "Right, well, anyways. So the Patronus can take the form of an animal, and in rare cases there is the patronus of magical creatures as well. Dumbledore's, for example, is a phoenix. Animal patronus are also called corporeal patronus. Or, you can produce a patronus that takes no shape, which is called an incorporeal patronus."

"That's what you do, I remember." I said quickly. "Because your corporeal patronus takes the form of a wolf."

Dad nodded, "That's correct. I feel that my patronus has often been a dead giveaway for what I am. Now." He said, raising his wand. "The incantation for this charm is Expecto Patronum which is pronounced ex-PEK-tro pa-TRO-num."

"Expecto Patronum." I muttered under my breath.

"The wand movement is a simple swirl." And he demonstrated. "If successful, a silver light should shoot out of your wand producing either a corporeal or incorporeal patronus. However, at your age, you really shouldn't be surprised if nothing happens. Now the words and wand movement alone, will not do the job. You have to-" He hesitated and looked at me a bit sadly, "You have to focus on a happy memory."

I nodded once, not discouraged by that sad look. I had plenty of happy memories so I wasn't sure what he was so worried about. I ran through my memories. Being picked for the Quidditch team, dad and I laughing while reading a book together, Trang and I going through her American actors magazine, Fred kissing me on Valentines day, Snape's hand on my head just three weeks ago, and so many more.

I raised my wand, focusing on a memory. I decided to go with the memory of going to Diagon Alley after getting my Hogwarts letter with Dad.

"Expecto Patronum!"

To mine and dad's surprise, there was a small puff of silvery white stuff that dissipated almost immediately.

"I will be honest, Elizabeth." Dad said after a moment -and the surprise on his face was evident- "I wasn't expecting anything."

"Me neither." I answered honestly. I mean, sure, I knew I was a good witch (being completely humble here), but still, this was nearly a fifth/ sixth-year spell.

The bell suddenly rang for dinner.

"We'll try again some other time." Dad said, still looking slightly disconcerted. "But I was wrong. You will get this spell this year."

I smiled and blushed, extremely happy with this compliment. Dad kissed my cheek and said, "Go on now, I've got stuff to grade."

I grabbed my stuff and ran out of the room and met Hermione and the others at the Gryffindor table.

"Oliver's really gone crazy." Harry said, sitting down at the table. He'd just came in from Quidditch practice. He looked exhausted.

I grinned. "Really? What has he done now?" I helped myself to fruit salad.

"He's going to have us practice nearly every day." Harry said, sighing and pulling over steak and kidney pie. "In every weather. I mean, I'll be glad if we win, ya know. Oliver wants to win horribly bad. It's his last year at school."

"Hmm." I answered, not wanting to comment. I couldn't bloody well say I hoped he would win.

We switched the conversation to other things and time passed by.

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𝕮𝖊𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖈 𝖌𝖔𝖙 𝖚𝖘 to start practices Wednesday and Friday around twilight. This was before Oliver's practices and since we had them scheduled ahead of time, Oliver couldn't do anything about it.

Ced had us practice in all types of weather but we didn't go super hard because we weren't going to be playing the first game anyways. The first game was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. We would play whoever won and then. . . well we'd see where to go from there.

I shivered with excitement. I couldn't wait for dad to see me play.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖔𝖚𝖙 studying in the forest when it started raining and I gathered up all my stuff and after saying good-bye to Sirius, I fled back to the castle. I felt horrible leaving him in the forest, especially in the rain, but he seemed to be okay with it.

When I entered the Hufflepuff common room, the other third years were quite excited about some sort of notice on the bulletin board. Hogsmeade meeting. I felt a sort of excitement go through me. I couldn't wait! It was on Halloween too which made it particularly cool. I felt a sort of sadness though that Harry wouldn't be able to go.

I went upstairs into the dorm to work on homework and then went to bed, forgetting dinner. Dad was right, I really was working myself to death.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I ate a quick breakfast at the Hufflepuff table and then went down to Herbology. I joined Ron, Hermione, and Harry at the table we usually worked at. Harry was quiet and Hermione was upset. Ron was angry with Hermione because of Crookshanks trying to eat Scabbers.

I sighed, "You're being stupid Ron. Scabbers is a rat. Crookshanks is a cat. Cats eat rats."

"You don't understand." Ron snapped. "Crookshanks has it in for Scabbers! That cat doesn't go after any other rats."

I sighed and decided not to comment. If Ron wanted to be in a bad mood, fine- he could be in a bad mood. Wasn't my problem.

Usually, people worked in groups to work on Puffapods, but Professor Sprout had let me work with a Puffapod on my own. I stripped the pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans that came from these pods into a wood pail. You had to be careful with the beans because the beans would burst into flowers if they hit a surface to hard.

I slid the beans into the pail gently. Ron however, was mad at something Hermione had just said and his beans spilled all over the Greenhouse floor. Hermione looked near tears and Professor Sprout was barking at Ron as the beans bloomed around us.

I was glad to escape such a depressing and tense situation and used my time-turner in the bathroom so I could go to Muggle Studies, which I had missed during Herbology. Hermione met with me in the classroom, but she didn't say much as the same hour sped past.

"Don't worry Hermione." I said cheerfully as the time neared 10:00. . . again. "Ron's being a bit of a prat but he'll get over it."

Hermione just nodded and we went our separate ways. She was going to Transfiguration and I was going to Defense Against the Dark Arts. We were studying Kappas at the moment which were fascinating creatures. It was native to Japan and it was a water demon that fed on human blood. It was classified at an XXXX rating and I was surprised that Dad had dared bring one into the classroom.

Of course, dad could control any creature it seemed, just like Hagrid.

"Does anyone know how to defend themselves against a kappa?" Dad asked, looking around. My hand shot up immediately.

Dad was getting used to this and looked around for another half second and then said, "Elizabeth?"

"Kappas have water in their heads. If you can trick the Kappa into bowing, the water will leave it's head and it will become weak."

"Correct." Dad said. "Five points to Hufflepuff."

Dad then continued on by saying that you can protect yourself by throwing a cucumber with your name on it at the kappa and it will eat that instead. He also told us a story about how a Kappa washed up on the Western Seaboard in 1926. It soon became an attraction in the Circus tour in Paris, France and how Newt Scamander, the most renowned Magizoologist of his time (perhaps all time) found it with a tracking spell.

Now, I may be biased, but I found dad's class to be one of the most interesting. But I don't think it was biased because nearly everyone else but the Slytherins' thought so as well.

It was hard to withstand Malfoy's taunts about Dad's patched robes and how he was so poor he'd taken the 'stupid job' without hitting him in the face. But since Draco didn't know Professor Lupin was my dad, I had no good reason for hitting him and I kept my cool.

Another week passed and when I woke up, I found that it was Halloween. Huh, time had passed incredibly fast somehow. I got dressed for the day, not as a student, but as a person going out for the weekend. I put on black jeans and a white buttoned down shirt.

As I was putting the shirt on and buttoning it up, I had a sudden vision of two hands reaching out and unbuttoning the shirt, lips against my neck, and I gasped aloud and stepped backwards, blushing.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked, who was just getting out of bed.

"Y-yeah." I stuttered, thanking Merlin that no one else could read my mind. "J-just stepped on something and it surprised me."

I quickly buttoned up the shirt and then grabbed my cloak instead of my robes and put it on. I put on my combat boots instead of my school flats and emptied my school bag on my bed so that I could fill it with things that I got from Hogsmeade.

Then, I headed down to breakfast where Ron and Hermione seemed to have made up their friendship to make Harry feel better.

"We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes." Hermione said, looking horribly upset.

"Yeah, loads." Ron echoed.

"Don't worry about me." Harry said in an offhand voice. "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

He accompanied us to the entrance hall where Mr. Filch was checking each student and their name on a list of parchment. Ron and Hermione joined the line while Draco, who was with a bunch of other Slytherins called out, "Staying here, Potter? Scared of passing the dementors?"

The dementors. . . I paled. I was going to have to walk past them, weren't I? I turned to Harry. "Cheer up." I said in a strained voice. "Go to Da- I mean Professor Lupin's office. I foresaw you going to the dorm first and then to his office but you should just go straight to his office if you want."

"Thanks Liz." Harry said. "I would like to talk to him."

I watched him go and then, putting my hand in my wand pocket, I hurried after Ron and Hermione. We walked down the path in the cold and then we came up to the iron gates that marked the entrance to Hogwarts.

Hermione and Ron drew closer to me as we passed through. I shivered violently but I didn't feel the need to pass out and, leaving the dementors behind us, we hurried into the village. It was slightly embarrassing the way they crowded around me. I felt weak. But I pushed my feelings aside as I took in the village.

I was excited as I entered and looked around at the medieval buildings. Hogsmeade was founded sometime between 1010 and 1030 by Hengist of Woodcroft. He'd been escaping Scotland from witch-hunters. It was also the only wizarding village (in Britain at least) where the occupants were 100% Magical residents.

I thought the history of the place was fascinating but historical facts were pushed from my mind as the three of us entered Honeydukes.

I have a natural sweet tooth and I turned 'round and 'round, looking for what to buy and try first. I had brought a lot of money from my private vault simply because I knew I was going to be here and I was probably going to waste all of it today. I sure hoped not or I wouldn't have money for Christmas presents this year.

There was candy I had never even seen before. They didn't sell some of this stuff on the Hogwarts Express. They were giving out free samples of fudge and after trying a piece, I bought half a pound. Not for me of course, I would totally share it.

Gummy worms, bears, and other small creatures that were powdered with soured sugar and moved, crawled, and walked. Then there were the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had talked about, blood pops that tasted like blood (and sometimes cherry), and so much more.

There were huge slabs of chocolate, some bigger than a door, some as small as a pebble. There were shapes and items made of chocolate like chocolate photo frames or toys or animals. I was amazed by everything- and the smells too! Mouthwatering.

I bought quite a bit of stuff and extra for Harry. I had lost Hermione and Ron in the store and headed outside to wait for them. They had either left or were taking way to long and I set off by myself down the road. I thought about dipping into Three Broomsticks to see if they were in there, but there were dementors floating around and I wasn't sure if my system could take it. The last thing I needed Malfoy to hear was that I'd fainted outside the Three Broomsticks.

Instead, I wandered down the street, looking in different shop windows and sometimes going in, sometimes passing by. There was a post office with hundreds of owls. The smallest owl could've fit in my hand easily. There were other owls the size of Sadie and others the size of Sushi and ones that were bigger than my head! (That would be the Great Horned Owl, the largest owl species).

I left and headed past a dirty pub and also past a cute tea shop. I continued walking until I got to the outskirts where the shops were smaller and few between, turning into houses, and then nothing. But I continued to walk anyways and I reached an abandoned stretch of land. There was a wooden fence and behind it was the Shrieking Shack, apparently a haunted building.

As if by some phantom force, I continued walking, hopping the fence (though it said no trespassing), and strode down the gravel driveway that was filled with weeds. I wondered if anyone had ever lived here, before it was proclaimed haunted. I knew this was where dad had to go when he was a boy. The villagers were convinced that the shack was haunted. So haunted, even Hogwarts ghosts wouldn't visit the place.

I found myself up close to the house. There wasn't anything remotely creepy about it. It was a large wooden mansion with boarded up windows. I could only assume however, that the reason I didn't find it scary was because I knew the real reason behind the screams and howls that were associated with the place.

I tried to peer in through the boarded up windows, but the cracks were to small to see much of anything. Dumbledore had done a great job making sure no one could see a young boy transform into a werewolf.

I headed around the back, not wanting anyone to see me if I did decide to go in the house. The back door, however, was boarded up as well. I debated if I wanted to blast down the door but decided against it. The house looked old enough that one good blast might knock the whole thing.

I knew where the real entrance was, of course. The Whomping Willow. However, I didn't dare get close to it.

I tramped back the way I came and since I'd never caught up with Ron and Hermione, I headed back to the castle an hour or so before we were required to come back.

I found myself wandering the hallways with my bag of candy and treats and then found myself in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom. I hesitated and then climbed the stairs. The door was partially open and I listened to dad and Harry who were speaking.

". . .I was wrong." Dad was saying, "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."

"I didn't think of Voldemort." Harry was saying, "I- I remembered those dementors."

"I see. Well, well. . . I'm impressed. That suggests that what you fear most of all is- fear. Very wise, Harry." Dad said and he had that proud tone in his voice that he had used with me whenever I brought home good report cards. I felt a twinge of jealousy and quickly pushed it away. How could I possibly be jealous of Harry? "So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" Dad asked.

"Well. . . yeah." Harry said.

I glanced around me and realized that Professor Snape was heading up the stairs. He stared at me for a second and I whispered, "Don't tell him I'm out here, please?" I begged, looking up into his eyes. He was carrying a goblet of potion.

He gave me a nod and then knocked on the half open door.

"Come in." Dad said. "Ah Severus, thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape didn't say anything but I heard a chink of the goblet being set down on dad's desk.

"I was just showing Harry my grindylow." Dad said in a pleasant voice.

"Fascinating." Snape said in a sarcastic tone. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes I will." Dad said.

"I made an entire cauldronful." Snape continued, ignoring him. "If you need more."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus." Dad said again.

I shivered, knowing that full moon was coming soon again. Snape was silent for a second and then said, "Not at all."

He came out of the room, leaving the door half-way open, the way it had been when he came up. We stared at each other again and I felt heat rush into my cheeks. "Thank you." I whispered. I sudden urge came over me to touch him and my hand jerked on its own and I clenched it tightly to my side and quickly looked down.

There were two fingers on my cheek and I looked up. His hands were soft and I looked into his eyes and thought that if I could've loved anyone more unlovable, I had done it. Then, he was sweeping down the stairs, his fingers leaving burn marks on my cheek. It took me a second to regain my sanity and I listened at the door again.

". . .people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job." Harry was saying. I nearly giggled because I knew Harry was thinking that Snape had poisoned the goblet.

"Disgusting." Dad said after a moment and I realized that he had drunk the goblet. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you at the feast later."

"Right." Harry said, putting something down on the table and I heard a chair screech back and then Harry said, "Professor?"

"Hmm?" Dad asked.

"Liz- Elizabeth I mean." Harry stated. "She told Ron, Hermione, and I about her boggart. She also said, like me, you didn't have her go in front of the class. Did you have some sort of. . . guess that her boggart was going to be what it was going to be?"

I held my breath.

"No." Dad said. "Not me in that way at least. . ." he hesitated and then said, "Her parents were killed by Lord Voldemort and so in that, I thought that her fear, perhaps, would also be him. Of course, just like you, I was wrong."

Harry hesitated and then said, "She spoke about you all the time, usually in passing. She always seemed to hold you in the highest reverence like. . . like an idol almost. Ron and I talked about it once and Ron had said he couldn't understand how a child could always love their parents and never complain about them. . . not that Ron doesn't love his parents of course. . . but now that I know you somewhat, at least as a Professor. . . I suppose I can understand it a bit better."

Dad's breath seemed to catch in his throat. "She's the child I always wanted. I never found someone to love and I always felt that a child should have both parents so I never adopted. But when she ended up on my doorstep. . . I fell in love immediately. She was the sweetest thing. She almost never cried unless it was serious and found delight in everything." He laughed and said, "She was a bit mischievous however, and I usually had to keep a close eye on her." He sighed then. "It was. . . painful I think. . . watching her face that boggart. Knowing that was her deepest fear. . . that it was me, in a way. . . and she was trembling and I knew she was crying and I could've stepped in front and stopped it but I had to keep hearing. . . I had to know what her fear was, to crush it." He stopped short like he might start crying and then he said, "That's what a parent is for, Harry, to crush your child's fears."

"Do you think her boggart changed?" Harry asked suddenly.

Dad was silent for a moment, "I don't know. But I do hope so."

"I'll take my leave now." Harry said quickly. I heard footsteps and I darted down to the bottom of the stairs and acted like I was just staring to walk up them.

"Oh, Hiya Harry!" I said brightly as I saw him come out the door.

He started when he saw me and blushed but quickly said. "Hullo Liz. Are Hermione and Ron back as well?"

I shook my head. "I lost 'em in Honeydukes. I'll see you soon, I just want to talk to dad real quick."

"See you at the feast!" Harry said quickly with a wave. He was much to cheerful.

I hurried up the last few steps and then peeked through the door. Dad was standing by the window, looking out. I watched for another second, observing. His red-brown hair was neatly combed down one side and shimmered in the sunlight coming through the window. He was wearing his brown robes and his hands were in his pants pockets. Then he reached up with one hand and wiped under his eyes and with horror, I realized he was crying.

I knocked on the door and he turned around slowly, not fast like someone caught doing something they weren't supposed to.

"Oh, Hello Elizabeth." Dad said, an easy smile growing on his face. His blue eyes seemed to be smiling as well. I studied his face. The thin mustache, the scars above and below his left eye. He was young, I realized, younger than I had always thought. How old had he possibly been when I had been left on his doorstep? Twenty-one? "Elizabeth?" Dad asked, looking a bit concerned now.

I shook my head, "Sorry, I was thinking about something."

"How was Hogsmeade?" Dad asked, going and sitting behind his desk. "Did you have fun?"

I hesitated and said, "Well I got some new candies to try which I'm excited about and I went down to the Shrieking Shack. . ."

Dad looked up at me and said, "You didn't go in, did you?"

I shook my head, "All the ways were boarded up, no one can get in."

Dad looked a bit amused and a bit troubled.

"Anyways." I said, setting my bag down on the table with a clunk. There really was a lot of food in it. "I had split up from Ron and Hermione and while I think they went to the Three Broomsticks, the dementors were too. . . close, I think, to go through. Just walking between the ones to get back and forth is horrible." I shuddered, just thinking about it. "So I came home. . . I mean back here. . . early."

I dug in my bag and found the moon shaped cookies and I smiled slyly at dad, "And I wanted to give these to you."

I handed them over to him and he took them, looked at them, and burst into laughter. "I remember these!" Dad said with a grin, pulling the bag open, and popping a piece in his mouth, "Your dad used to tease me with them."

I blushed. "Anyways, I know you're busy, but I did want to give you those."

"Now hold on." Dad said, a serious look on his face. "Come here."

He got up and went over to the tank in the corner and I approached, standing next to him.

"A grindylow." I said, bending down to look into the tank. "How did you obtain it?"

Dad chuckled. "Ethically."

I giggled. "Good to know."

He put his hand on my back and when I straightened up, he pulled me into a hug. He hugged me for a really long time and I wondered if he was crying again, silently. I didn't try to look up and see though.

Nearly two minutes later (which is much longer than some would think) dad finally pulled away, kissing the top of my head. "I'll see you at the feast, Elizabeth." He said, heading back to where his desk was.

I went back to the door and then, hesitating in the doorway, I asked, "Are you okay, Dad? I mean, besides the upcoming full moon. . . are you okay?"

Dad looked at me seriously for a moment and then said, "Yes, I think I am okay Elizabeth."

His answer unnerved me and I turned back around and quickly hurried from the room

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𝕴 𝖒𝖊𝖙 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊 and Ron in the hallway and Hermione cried, "There you are! We got so worried when we couldn't find you!"

I embraced her and then handed her a side bag, "This is for Harry, I have to go to the common room real quick. I'll see you guys at the feast, okay?"

"Sure!" Hermione said, taking the bag. Ron and her arms were already full of Honeydukes candy and they both put some of their candy in the bag as well, making their loads a bit easier to carry.

Needless to say, I didn't go to the common room.

Instead, I hurried through the castle, out the double doors, past the greenhouses and Hagrid's' cabin, and into the forest. I hurried to where I knew Sirius was staying and I hissed, "Are you mad?"

He looked up calmly from where he was pacing and pawed the ground.

I continued, "You can't seriously think you can break into the castle, do you?" I felt nauseous and pale. "I mean, I can foresee that no one catches you, but still, are you really going to take the risk."

"Then there shouldn't be any problems." Sirius said in his husky voice as he shot upwards into a man. "If you don't see any problems."

I hesitated, looking over my shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." Sirius said solidly.

"And I didn't say that there weren't going to be problems. I said that you weren't going to get caught! And that's not really the same thing." I hissed, looking over my shoulder again. Sirius was back in dog form and I sighed in relief.

I knelt, pulling open my bag. Sirius trotted forward and stuck his nose in the bag. I pulled out the pound of fudge and performed a severing charm and put the other half in a plastic bag. "This is for you. I know it probably isn't the healthiest and I'll get more food soon, I promise. I would give you candy but I don't know if it's safe to eat some of this magical stuff as a dog."

Sirius barked a laugh and licked my face.

"Love you." I whispered, but my anxiety about what he was about to do was overwhelming. "I need to get back up to the castle before anyone misses me." Like Snape or Dad or Fred or Harry or Cedric. I rubbed his head and kissed his shaggy head and sprinted through the forest.

As I neared the edge, I was nearly trampled by some hoofs and Firenze slid to a stop. A second later in stopping and he would've knocked me off my feet.

"Hullo Elizabeth Kane." He said, breathing with excitement. I wasn't sure what he was excited about.

"Happy Halloween Firenze." I replied, reaching into my bag and pulling out a small box of candy. "I brought a present."

He picked up the box and chuckled. "Thank you very much." His eyes glimmered with amusement. They were sugared apples.

I blushed. "I knew you like apples, at least, I think you like apples and I wasn't sure what you can eat so I thought these might be safe."

Firenze laughed again. "You really are the most interesting human I have ever known Elizabeth Kane."

"I think that's a compliment." I said spryly.

"Indeed." Firenze said, his face still amused.

"I should go back up to the castle, the feast is tonight." I said, blushing again. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Stay safe Elizabeth Kane." Firenze said and then trotted back into the forest, still chuckling.

I dashed back across the grounds and up the stairs, feeling the briefest feelings of despair as I closed the door behind me. Stupid dementors.

I made my way back through the entrance hall and met up with the other students near the Great Hall. My stomach rolled. I just had to hope that the feast lasted a long time and no one left early.

Since it was a holiday, I sat with the Hufflepuffs. It was weird sitting at this table for some reason, the feeling that I didn't belong. Perhaps that was because the Sorting hat had nearly put me in Gryffindor, but had put me in Hufflepuff instead. But the thing was, I was a Hufflepuff. I was a Hufflepuff to my bones.

I watched the entrance door constantly, waiting for a student to decide to get up and leave. Much to my relief, no one ever did. My anxiety was so great that I barely touched any food even though I was starving. It was a shame- I loved the Halloween desserts.

I forced myself to eat a donut and then, I stared down at the wood and tried to concentrate on what Sirius might be doing right now. . .

"Let me in." Sirius said to the fat lady, a knife in his hand.

"I can't let you in unless you have the password." The fat lady insisted, fright in her eyes.

"You don't understand." Sirius growled. "I have to get someone. You have to let me in."

"I can't let you in unless you have a password, you would know that Sirius." She said, narrowing her eyes at him- rebuking him though she was frightened.

He froze. Of course she recognized him, he had been a Gryffindor after all. He lunged forward with the knife, attacking the canvas. She fled out of her frame, screaming. . .

Sirius fled.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" Someone was shaking me.

I gasped aloud and jumped. That is, I would've jumped if I had been standing but I was sitting and so I fell backwards out of me seat.

The entire great hall was empty except for Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin. Dad was the one who had shook me, kneeling over me. His face was pale white.

"What did you see Miss Kane?" Professor Dumbledore asked, rather calmly, I thought.

I opened my mouth and said, "The fat lady-"

Then, Dean Thomas from Gryffindor came running and I jumped to my feet. "Professor Dumbledore!" Dean shouted, "The fat lady- she's gone."

The four Professors looked at me and I nodded. "Sirius Black." I whispered. "He attacked the Gryffindor common room tonight."

The Professors hurried after Dean and I hurried after them. Dad turned, "Elizabeth stay here."

"No." Professor McGonagall said, "She needs to come, if Black comes in here while we're gone. . ."

"He won't hurt me." I said quickly.

The other Professors looked at me and I blushed. Stupid stupid.

"You don't know that Miss Kane." Professor McGonagall said sharply.

I trailed after them, keeping my mouth shut even as dad shot me a warning look. Professor Snape was also giving me a weird look.

All of the Gryffindors were clogging up the hallway but they let Dumbledore through. I backed off while the Professors were occupied. I hurried back to the Great Hall and then, risking it, I darted off to the forest.

I looked around, but couldn't find him. I shrugged. There were other places that he could've been hiding.

"What are you doing?" Came a voice from behind me.

I jumped nearly two feet in the air and I turned and saw dad. He was angrier than I had ever seen. He grabbed my arm tightly and said, "Let's go! Now!"

We hurried back up to the castle and into the Great Hall. "What do you think you were doing!" Dad hissed. "Don't you know what it looks like for you? Don't you know how bad it looks for me as well? I was Sirius' friend, you think that Snape doesn't suspect me? The last thing you need is for the Professors to think you're helping him into the castle."

I stared at him, a bit shocked but I couldn't blame him for being mad. "S-sorry." I said.

"Tell me the truth, Elizabeth." Dad said sharply, staring right into my eyes. "Have you talked to Sirius Black?"

I hesitated, unable to tell the truth, unable to lie. I closed my mouth and dad sighed, putting his head in his hands. "Damnit Elizabeth." He looked around. The Gryffindors were starting to file in, Professor McGonagall leading them and telling them to wait until the other Professors came around.

"Dad, he's innocent." I whispered under my breath, "He didn't do it."

"Elizabeth, you're biased." Dad said, pleading with me. "You're biased because he dropped you off at my house. The same way you're biased when it comes to me not getting jobs because I'm a werewolf. But you can't change the guilty into the innocent."

I narrowed my eyes, partly in anger and partly in frustration. "What do you want me to do because I'm not turning him in!"

Dad sighed, "I was afraid of that." He looked around again. Professor Flitwick, Sprout, and Snape had led their own students into the room. Dad muttered out of the corner of my mouth, "I forbid you from going into the forest anymore. I won't tell anyone about you and him. . .for now, but you have to stay away from him."

I sighed. I was going to have to be extremely crafty about getting food to him now. "Fine."

"Elizabeth." Dad whispered, "It's not that I don't want to believe he's innocent. He was my best friend. I'm trying to protect you."

He was trying to explain why he was being harsh. He was afraid, I realized, that I was going to hate him for being protective.

I wanted to lean in and kiss him on the cheek but the other students were around and so instead, I reached out and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You don't have to make excuses dad. I know you're just trying to protect me. That's the reason there are parents, right?"

I smiled at him, and he sighed in relief and squeezed my hand back. I was aware that Snape's eyes were on the two of us.

"Professor Snape suspects that you let in Sirius." I said quietly.

Dad sighed, "Yes, I figured as much. He's staring at me in such hate right now."

I bit my lip. "I'll see if I can remedy that."

Dad chuckled and ruffled my hair, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

"At least he hasn't poisoned your wolfsbane potion like Harry thinks he did. Ron thinks you're crazy for drinking anything Snape gives you."

"Professor Snape, Elizabeth." Dad said, but he laughed.

"Right." I said.

"Severus might hate me, but I highly doubt he'd kill me. What do you think?" He asked, looking at me.

"I don't think he would kill you." I said honestly, "Because if he killed you, I would hate him, and for some reason, he likes me the most of all his students."

Dad looked at me sharply and then up at Professor Snape. "Does he really, now?"

"Well. . ." I said slowly, "He certainly treats me much different from the other students."

Dad was frowning but said, "I'll have to search the castle with the other Professors- if Severus lets me I suppose. You go and get some sleep."

"Love you dad." I whispered.

"Love you too sweetheart." Dad said, and he went off and joined Professor Dumbledore while I went off and grabbed a sleeping bag. It was a purple sleeping bag and it felt very warm to the touch. I found a spot between Harry and Hermione.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know." Hermione said, propped up on her elbows to talk to Harry, Ron, and I. "The one night we weren't in the the tower. . ."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run." Ron said. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise, he'd come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered but I frowned.

"What is it, Liz?" Harry asked, looking at my face.

"Well. . ." I said slowly, "He's smart. He was smart enough to escape Azkaban, right? So wouldn't he be able to check a calendar somewhere at sometime? That makes me think he's not after you, but perhaps after something else. . .something in the common room."

"But what could that possibly be?" Hermione asked, sounding puzzled. "There isn't anything of value in there, believe me I would know."

I frowned, "that's just it. I don't know. But I don't think it's Harry. . . and Ron, I don't think he would've come in here if he is after Harry." (I only said that because I didn't want to give the impression that I knew he was innocent). "He has no wand, right? He wouldn't even have been able to make it through the doors before the teachers had drawn their wands and stopped him."

"Yes, that's true." Ron said reluctantly and I think he was imagining the scene himself.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted across the room, "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking."

The candles floating above us all went out. I looked up at the ceiling and watched the ghosts flow in and talk to the prefects or head boys and girls. The sleeping bag was rather warm, like sleeping in a cloud. Yet, every time I kept drifting off, a teacher would enter the room, making noise at the door, and I would be jolted awake. It was incredibly annoying.

Around three, I was lightly dozing when the door opened again and I jolted awake. I rolled over, completely annoyed. Percy was telling people off for talking a couple feet away from us. He trailed closer to us and then Professor Dumbledore approached him.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" Percy asked in a whisper, looking both anxious and a bit excited.

"No. All well here?" Professor Dumbledore said. His half moon glasses were perched on his nose and he looked tired.

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, Sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

The door opened again but it didn't matter because I was wide awake now, listening carefully. There were more footsteps to where Dumbledore and Percy were standing.

"Headmaster?" I was lying on my back, my eyes open, watching. I didn't even bother to pretend to be asleep. It was Snape. "The whole third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?" Professor Dumbledore asked, stroking his beard.

"All searched. . ." Snape said, acting as though he wanted to add something else.

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger." Professor Dumbledore sighed, a bit disappointed.

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" Snape asked.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." Professor Dumbledore said. His back was to me, so I could not see his face. Percy however, was listening with incredible attention and Snape's face was angry.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before- ah- the start of term?" Snape barely asked above a whisper, doing his best to block Percy out of the conversation. I wondered if Percy would take the hint and walk away.

"I do, Severus." Dumbledore said calmly, but there was warning in his voice too. Snape was treading dangerous ground, I supposed.

"It seems- almost impossible- that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed-" Here, his eyes briefly flashed over to mine and met mine because I didn't close them. His cheeks flushed and then flicked back over to Dumbledore. I felt anger in my stomach. Dad wouldn't help Sirius!

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it." Dumbledore said so firmly that while Snape was angry, he did not broach the subject again. "I must go down to the dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" Percy asked a bit curiously.

"Oh yes." Dumbledore said in a cold voice. "But I'm afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster. Severus, send Miss Kane to my office early this morning, will you? I hate asking her. . ." He trailed off and then said, "It must be done. . ."

Percy looked shocked and Snape was still angry when Dumbledore left. Percy resumed roaming around the Great Hall. Snape stood where he had been for a moment longer, turned, looked at me, and then stalked out of the hallway.

I rolled over on my side so that I was facing Hermione and closed my eyes. I fell asleep soon after that.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖘𝖆𝖙 𝖎𝖓 the compartment with dad on the Hogwarts Express. Dad had drifted off to sleep as I had envisioned. He was still recovering from his sleepless night as a Werewolf. He looked so pale and sick too. I would've covered him with a blanket if we had one. As it was now, his cloak was tucked around him loosely and his head rested on the wall in the corner.

This morning had been a rushed affair. I'd forgotten to pack the night before and had panicked in the morning, knowing that I would surely, surely forget something. Luckily, dad helped me out, arriving around nine, and I had everything that I needed on the train. We were about twenty-five or so minutes early.

I got up, tucked his cloak tighter around him, and left the compartment, sliding it closed gently. I wandered about the train, mostly saying hello to fellow Hufflepuffs. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott were talking about the newest celebrity on Witch Weekly. I didn't follow the gossip magazine and listened, very interested about Celestina Warbecks' newest hit. I wondered if her music was any good. I listened to the Beatles.

I left them to their gossip and suddenly found myself being led into an older Hufflepuffs' compartment by Cedric Diggory. He introduced me to many of his older friends before I realized what was happening. He was also complimenting me about how superb of a Quidditch Chaser I made.

I blushed the entire time and got tongue-tied, which was rare for me. Cedric was in his sixth-year and all his friends were much older than me. Next year would be his last year. This thought always made me sad. He was a wonderful Quidditch captain.

The train started moving while I was still in the compartment, though I didn't worry too much. Then, one of Ced's friends politely asked me about my visions.

While uncomfortable, I answered his questions as accurately and truthfully as I dared. Then the boy asked if I could make a prediction and I said, "Well, I need to get back to my compartment before the dementors come aboard, bye Ced!" and walked out of their compartment.

I approached the compartment Dad and I were staying in, and saw that Harry was sitting in it. I opened the door, stepped in, and closed the door behind me.

"Hiya Liz." Harry said.

"Hey guys." I said, sitting across from Dad.

"We were just talking about Hogsmeade, are you going to be able to go?" Hermione asked anxiously.

I shrugged. "I forgot to ask dad to sign the slip."

"Oh." Hermione said a bit disappointed. "That's too bad."

"It's fine." I said. "I'll just ask him to sign it later."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask a question but I quickly asked, "I suppose you're not going, Harry?"

"You would know." Harry said with a reluctant grin.

Hermione bent down and pulled out a wicker basket. She fumbled with the straps while Ron shouted, "Don't let that thing out!"

To late, Crookshanks leapt from the basket and sprang onto Ron's knees. Ron pushed Crookshanks off saying, "Get out of here!"

"Ron, don't!" Hermione said angrily.

I sighed, pulling out a book, and opening it while they continued to bicker. I occasionally looked up to see how dad was doing. He looked very peaceful while sleeping. It was only now that I realized how young he was. I smiled quietly. My dad really was quite good-looking. I openly grinned, thinking about the conversation Trang and I could've had over that question.

I was deep into It when the Trolley Witch came with her cart of food.

"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, pointing at dad.

I shook my head, marking my place in my book, and getting up to stretch. "No, he'll be alright."

"Don't worry, dear." the witch said, handing Harry a stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

I bought my candy next and kept some in case he did wake up.

"I suppose he is asleep." Ron asked stupidly as we sat down to eat. "I mean- he hasn't died, has he?"

I rolled my eyes and giggled, "No, he's not dead!"

"Elizabeth, this was the man that you said would be Professor this year, correct?" Harry asked, biting into a cauldron cake.

I nodded, undoing a licorice wand. Red was the best flavor. It was very much like those things in America that Trang called 'Twizzlers'. They tasted pretty good too.

"What do you know about him?" Harry asked curiously. "Is he going to be a good Professor?"

"Yeah, the last thing we need is another Lockhart." Ron grumbled. Hermione held her tongue. I think she was still getting over the betrayal of Lockhart not being who he said he was. Half the student population had been in love with him.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Everyone except the Slytherins' are going to love him. His class will be everyone's favorite."

Ron grinned. "Good. It's about time we had a decent Professor."

Nothing exciting happened for some time. I pretty much tuned out of the conversation as I read about the fire at the Black Hole in the point of view of Mike Handlon. Around midafternoon, Draco Malfoy and his idiotic friends Crabbe and Goyle showed up, but they didn't dare pick a fight under Lupin's nose.

Dad slept near the entire train ride, and when we started to slow down I looked up, putting my book away. I had apparently forgotten about the dementors until Hermione, looking at her watch said, "We can't be there yet."

"So why're we stopping?" Ron asked, both of them looking at me.

I stayed where I was. I would've drawn my wand but since I didn't know the Patronus Charm yet, there wouldn't be anything I could do to drive the dementor away. I supposed that dad would wake up in time.

Suddenly, there were loud bangs as we came to a sudden stop. It meant luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, the lights went out completely. Since there was no sun outside anymore, I could only barely make out the outlines of the other people in the compartment.

"What's going on?" Ron said in front of me.

"Ouch!" Hermione gasped suddenly, even closer to where I was sitting, "Ron, that was my foot!"

"D'you think we've broken down?" Harry asked.

"Dunno. . ." Ron said drifting off.

"No." I said solidly. "This train can't break down. It's magic."

There was a squeaking sound which made me jump but it was just Ron wiping the window to try and see out of it.

"There's something moving out there." Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard. . ."

"That's not allowed." I said sharply. "Unless I suppose for a very good reason."

Of course the magical community was in an uproar about Sirius Blacks' escape. The dementors must be searching the train for Sirius Black. Stupid really, I doubted he'd be stupid enough to go to Hogwarts and even if he did, he wouldn't have taken the train packed with students.

Then the compartment door opened, right on cue, and I heard someone fall painfully. "Sorry- d'you know what's going on? -Ouch- sorry-"

"Hullo, Neville." Harry said, sounding just slightly exasperated.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea- sit down."

"Not there Neville, Crookshanks is over there!" I exclaimed. I heard Neville gasp and he fell again. "Sorry Neville." I whispered. At least he hadn't sat on Crookshanks. He made his way over and sat next to dad.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on." Hermione said and I saw her shadow make its way to the door. I heard the door open and then two sounds of pain.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

I nearly felt like laughing if my heart wasn't in my throat, choking it.

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron-"

"Come in and sit down-"

"Not here!" Harry yelped. "I'm here!"

"Ouch!" Neville shouted.

I felt someone step on my foot and I winced in pain and yelled out, "Get off my foot!"

"Quiet!" A hoarse voice, much older than the rest said. Dad had woken up. I felt my heart fall a little more back into place.

It was quiet for some time and then there was a crackling sound and Dad stood there, holding a handful of flames. His eyes met mine- I wondered what expression they showed- and then swept around to the others. "Stay where you are." He said and started to make his way to the front of the compartment.

The door however, slid open before he reached it.

I thought it would take a moment for the coldness and despair to reach me. But the coldness, at least, was instantaneous and I realized that I was shaking violently. Then, I don't really know what happened, except that in my ears there was a screaming sound. A woman was screaming. She was screaming a name. . . In fact, I think she was screaming for James. . . my dad. Suddenly, I wanted to go deeper into the darkness and the coldness overtook me, I was sure it would freeze my heart.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" Someone very distant and far away was shouting my name. Their voice wasn't at all clear. But there were sharp stinging feelings somewhere on my body- like someone was slapping me perhaps. Was that in this nightmare, or out of it?

"JAMES, JAMES."

I jerked upwards. Dad's frightened face was above mine and we nearly collided. He sighed with relief. I found that I was still shaking though and I couldn't stop. Dad took his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around me. The lights were on and the train was running underneath me.

My back was to everyone else and for a moment, I forgot there was anyone else because I said to dad, "I heard mum." And then I broke down into tears. They weren't loud sobs, just simple tracks running down my cheeks.

Dad pulled me in, rubbing my back, and said, "It's alright, Elizabeth." Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of chocolate and gave it to me. I sat there, on the floor, eating it. Dad stood up said, "Eat. It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me. . ."

I turned my body around slowly to see the others. Harry too, was sitting on the floor.

"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, watching him anxiously.

"Elizabeth?" Ron asked, hesitantly, looking between Dad, Harry, and I.

"I don't get it. . . What happened?" Harry asked. His face was sweating and he looked pale. I wondered how bad I looked.

I opened my mouth and then closed it.

"Well- that thing- the dementor- stood there and looked around. I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face. -and you-you-"

"I thought you were having a fit or something." Ron said, also looking pale. "But then I saw Elizabeth had fallen too and I realized you'd both fainted."

"Professor Lupin stepped over you, Harry, and said 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go'. He hadn't noticed Elizabeth yet. But the dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned and sort of glided away. . . Then he turned and rushed over to Elizabeth. . ." She drifted off and looked at me funny.

"It was horrible." Neville said, his voice extremely high and I was glad I didn't have to answer yet. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt weird, like I'd never be cheerful again." Ron said.

"How- how long was I out?" I croaked out.

Hermione hesitated and said. "Well, Harry was only out for a few seconds, maybe fifteen at most. But you were out nearly thirty or forty seconds. . . Er- who is Professor Lupin to you?"

I cleared my throat and said, "he's my dad."

Dad came back, looked at Harry and said, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know. . ." I realized I was the only one who had eaten my chocolate. Everyone else quickly stuffed their chocolate piece in their mouth.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes." Dad continued. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Fine." Harry muttered. There was a red tinge in his cheeks and I realized he was embarrassed.

Dad passed him and sat down next to me and muttered in my ear, "Are you alright?"

I nodded and laid my head down on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I felt so warm and safe here. The train stopped after some time and I grabbed my suitcase from the rack and followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione out.

As we passed Hagrid, he called out, "All righ', you four?" We waved at him, but we did not speak to him as we approached the stagecoaches that fit four or five at a time, depending on the amount of luggage and how big the people getting into the carriage were.

I felt better, but still weak, and I didn't move much during the ride in the carriage. When we passed the iron gates, there were two dementors out there and another wave of cold washed over me, making me shiver violently. Alarmed, Ron put a hand on my shoulder, shooting a panicked look at Hermione.

"I-I'm f-fine." I muttered. "J-just c-cold."

It passed as we neared the castle. We got out of the carriage and then there was the last voice that I wanted to hear arriving to the castle.

"You fainted, Potter? And you too Kane? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You both actually fainted?"

I turned, extremely angry, to see Draco Malfoy pushing his way past Hermione to step in front of Harry and me. His eyes were gleeful and I could already see the story spreading through the castle without me actually foreseeing it in a vision. I clenched my fists, extremely close to pulling my wand and hexing him. Did I know any good hexes?

"Shove off Malfoy." I hissed at the same time as Ron.

Malfoy took a step closer to me. "You don't scare me, Kane." He was about four inches taller. This irked me a lot. But I didn't back off or lean my head backwards. I stood my ground, my eyes narrowed. Draco opened his mouth to say something else but then a different voice asked, "Is there a problem?"

Dad had gotten out of the next carriage. His voice was mild, but his eyes had a steely glint in them. Malfoy took a step back from me and looked at him. "Oh, no- er- Professor." He sneered, probably because of dad's patched robes and old and battered suitcase. My hand plunged into my robes and I drew my wand. I wasn't even sure what I was going to do, but Harry grabbed my arm. "Not worth it." he whispered in my ear.

"I'm going to kill him." I snarled. "I really am."

"Easy." Harry said. "He's not worth it."

We walked up the stairs and I was conscious of dad's eyes on my back the entire time. We passed through the entrance hall and then we were right in front of the Great Hall when I heard a voice called, "Potter! Granger! Kane! I want to see you three!"

We all turned in surprise. Professor McGonagall stood on the other side of the crowd. Her gray hair was in a tight bun. Her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles. She always wore robes of emerald green.

"There's no need to look so worried-" she said as we were standing with her. "I just want a word in my office. Move along there, Weasley."

Ron didn't move, but he didn't go with us either. We went up a marble staircase and along a corridor until we reached her office. There was a nice warm fireplace near the back and I went to stand by it. I realized I still had dad's cloak around my shoulders and wondered why I'd never given it back.

Professor McGonagall settled herself down behind her desk and said, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you two, were taken ill on the train, Potter- Kane."

Before anyone else could say anything, there was an opening and closing of the door. I turned around and went to stand by Harry. It was Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm fine" Harry said in a hurried voice, his cheeks pink. "I don't need anything-"

"Oh it's you two, is it?" Madam Pomfrey asked, ignoring his statement to examine him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

I giggled, even though it was a serious situation, and quickly covered my mouth.

"It was a dementor, Poppy." Professor McGonagall said. They exchanged a quick look and then Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue in a disapproving way.

"Setting dementors around a school. . . They won't be the first to collapse. Yes, he's all clammy." She said, feeling Harry's pulse and forehead. "Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate."

"I'm not delicate!" Harry and I exclaimed at the same time.

"Of course you're not." Madam Pomfrey said, not really listening.

"What do they need?" Professor McGonagall asked. She sounded a bit worried, "Bed rest? A night in the hospital wing?"

I stared at her in horror.

"I'm fine!" Harry exclaimed jumping away from Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, they should have some chocolate, at the very least" Madam Pomfrey said.

"I've already had some." Harry said. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us."

"Did he now?" Madam Pomfrey asked in what I thought was an approving voice. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

I swelled with pride.

"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply.

"Yes." Harry said, in an exasperated voice.

"Totally fine." I said quickly as possible as she turned to look at me.

"Very well. Potter, kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger and Miss Kane about their course schedules, then we can go down to the feast together." Professor McGonagall said.

Harry left with Madam Pomfrey, and Hermione and I waited for a second.

"I hope you both realize that you've signed up for every main class available, correct?"

"Yes." I said. "Hermione is over her schedule with four classes and I'm over with three."

"Correct." Professor McGonagall said. "Although I have to correct you just a tad. Miss Granger is actually over only two as well because not enough students signed up for Alchemy. This means she has all the same classes as you do, minus Magical Theory because she never signed up for it."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, looking disappointed. I wasn't sure if she was disappointed about not taking Magical Theory, disappointed because we weren't taking the same amount of classes, or disappointed that she couldn't take Alchemy. Probably all three.

"Now, the schedules with the teachers all intermix and it would normally be impossible to have such a schedule, however." Professor McGonagall opened her desk drawer and pulled out two small boxes. They were thin and white and perhaps might've held jewelry in a Muggle shop. "This-" She took of the box lids and I leaned forward to see a necklace with an hour glass attached to the bottom. "Is a time-turner."

"Oh." Hermione and I said together. "I've read about those!"

We both giggled and even Professor McGonagall grinned for a split second and returned back to her normal serious self. "I wrote to the Ministry- Professor Sprout wrote for you Miss Kane- to tell them that you were exemplary students. This was to ensure that you would be able to get these objects. I need to tell you the seriousness of these though."

I nodded. "Time traveling. We shouldn't ever put ourselves in the position that our past self could potentially see our future self. We also shouldn't tell anyone about them- not even Harry or Ron or any other teacher. They also shouldn't be used for anything except redoing classes. They shouldn't be used for personal gain, or to fix a past mistake."

Professor McGonagall sighed, "Why do I tell you anything Miss Kane?"

I blushed. "Sorry Professor."

"Well, Miss Granger, I hope you were listening to Miss Kane here. She is completely correct about everything she said though I perhaps would've gone into more detail." Professor McGonagall said, her lips turning upwards. "Now then," She slid each of us a box. I took the necklace out of the box and slipped it over my neck and tucked it under my clothes.

Professor McGonagall told us how to use it and then we left, meeting Harry outside the hallway. Professor McGonagall led us to the Great Hall. There was a sea of black pointed hats. Professor Flitwick was carrying a stool under his arm and the sorting hat under another one.

"Oh, we've missed the sorting." Hermione said in a disappointed voice.

I said good-bye to Hermione and Harry and made my way to the Hufflepuff table while they made their way to the Gryffindor one. I passed Ced and his friends who had been in the compartment with him. Ced gave me a concerned look, and I just gave him a smile, and went to sit down next to Susan. I had a good view of the teachers' table and saw Dad looking a bit shabby compared to the others. I bit my lip. Why hadn't he worn his new robes?

I still had his cloak around his shoulders, and I knew that I had to give it back to him. I couldn't do so now of course. I was no longer cold however, and slipped the cloak from my shoulders, folding it, and laying it across my legs under the table.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. . ." He cleared his throat and my eyes jumped to where Snape was sitting. Our eyes met immediately and I quickly looked away, blushing.

We hadn't ended last year on a good note. I'd left him at the door to the hospital wing, unspoken words between us. I'd shut him down immediately after saying something stupid, mostly because I knew his words would be ones of rejection and I couldn't stand that.

"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." He paused, a bit disgusted. "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises- or even Invisibility Cloaks."

That was a direct warning to us- Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Would I be able to go out to the forest this year? There had never been a year where I couldn't go out to the forest.

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors." He finished off. "On a happier note, I am please to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

I sat up a little straighter, excited. "First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was scattered applause- though a great majority of the hardest applause came from the Gryffindor table. I risked another glance at Snape, who was staring at Dad with a strange expression on his face. Perhaps loathing. I was irked by that too.

"As to our second new appointment. . . Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties.'

The Gryffindor table was the loudest in applause to this appointment too and I grinned in Hagrid's direction. He was red in the face and staring down at his hands, embarrassed.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were the last to stop clapping and Dumbledore finally spoke again, "Well, I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

I didn't eat much, picking at my food, mostly glancing up at dad. He wasn't eating much either, though he was in deep conversation with Professor McGonagall. I realized with an unsettling feeling that Professor McGonagall had taught him when he was a child. I wondered then just how old Professor McGonagall was.

Susan continuously asked me if I was okay. Naturally, the story of Harry and I fainting was all over the school. Plus, I wasn't eating much, and she thought maybe I was still nauseous. I had to keep telling her over and over that I was fine.

I did eat dessert however. Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate and a side of vanilla ice-cream was always good. I liked Halloween best though with donuts that I believed came from America. America- if I could be honest with my fellow Brits- had some of the best desserts in the world. (Trang frequently brought fun foods back with her every year).

After the feast ended, I got out of my seat quickly. I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione approach Hagrid up at the table. Getting my courage from that, I walked up to the table to where dad was starting to get up.

He came over to me, smiling gently, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better." I said, taking the cloak from my shoulders and handing it back up to him. "I forgot to give this back to you."

Snape was looking over at us, but I ignored him.

"Thanks sweetheart." Dad said with another smile, taking the cloak from my hands. I was happy, he rarely called me by any nicknames.

"You'll be a great teacher." I said earnestly. "I promise."

He laughed. "Oh don't worry, I'm not worried."

I grinned and then said, "Goodnight dad."

"Night Elizabeth." Dad said and as Professor Flitwick approached Dad, I ran down the steps and joined just the last trickle of Hufflepuffs as they exited the Great Hall.

Cedric had been made a prefect last year (as expected of course) and he was waiting at the door to the entrance of the common room. He took me by the arm and pulled me down the corridor and then turned to face me.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a serious voice. Some older Hufflepuff girls threw me jealous looks as they walked past.

"I'm fine, Ced, really." I said, trying my best to put on a natural smile.

"Your prediction really came true." Cedric seemed amazed.

"Well, yeah?" I asked, a bit questioning the reason he had said that.

Cedric hesitated and then said, "I'm going to sound horrible saying this, but I always thought predictions were a bit of a joke. So I never really thought that you really saw things, and I'm sorry about that."

Well good lord, no wonder everyone liked Cedric! It wasn't just that he was silent, good-looking, and kind. He apologized for things that people never thought badly about him before or things that weren't even his fault to begin with.

I ended up laughing and I said, "Ced, what are you apologizing for? I could care less about what people think about me, much less whether or not my visions come true or not." I grinned at him.

Ced grinned back and I saw a girl in the corner of my eye actually stamp her foot, and turn to her friends in anger.

"Perhaps we should stop talking." I said amused. "Your fan club seems to be a bit upset."

Ced sighed and then titled his head. "I thought you didn't care about what people thought about you?"

I laughed and then said, "Well, caring about what people say about me and worrying about being jinxed behind my back is another thing."

"Fair enough." Cedric said, sounding slightly disappointed. "But I've never really understood what's so big of a deal about me."

I stared at him with raised eyebrows and an amused expression on my face. "Uh huh. . .Well, perhaps it could be your looks. Girls like good-looking boys. Or, perhaps, it could be because you're usually very silent. Girls find silence hot- or so I'm told. Or perhaps it's because you're kind or you're the Quidditch Captain or because you're a Prefect almost certain to become Head Boy. But ya know, nothing so big about you, right?"

Cedirc actually blushed. "Er- I suppose I've never thought of it that way. . .you think I'm good-looking? And hot?"

I blushed, not answering.

"CEDRIC!" The other girls called, and then giggled.

I rolled my eyes. "Enjoy your fan club."

Cedric grimaced. "I'll let you know when Quidditch practice starts up, okay?"

"Sure thing Ced." I waved my hand and then ducked into the Hufflepuff common room and through another circle shaped door that led to the girl dorms. I climbed the stairs quickly. Susan and Hannah were talking to Leanne about the gossip magazine. Megan was already laying in bed, snoring. I didn't blame her. I was exhausted too.

I unpacked my waiting luggage into the proper drawers, setting books into the very bottom drawer and then packed my bag with my textbooks for tomorrow. I wished I had Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow- I would've liked to have punched Draco in the face- but I didn't have the class until Wednesday. Tuesday would be Defense Against the Dark Arts- my first class of dads.

Tomorrow I would have Potions (lovely on a Monday), Ancient Runes, arithmancy and Transfiguration. I couldn't wait to start ancient runes and arithmancy because those would be new subjects. And since Arithmancy was at the same time as Transfiguration, I'd have to use the time turner which was also exciting (if I didn't screw up using it, that is).

I climbed into bed, anxious for the day to come. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 1

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 the dialing tone of the phone, waiting patiently. Then, I heard it click and a gruff, hospitable voice said, "Vernon Dursley speaking."

"Hello Mr. Dursley." I said in my most pleasant voice. "This is Elizabeth Kane from the British library calling to request a small phone conversation with one Mr. Harry Potter on the question of a book policy, may I speak with him?"

"Er-" Uncle Vernon said gruffly, less hospitably. "I suppose so."

"Thank you Sir. It is of the utmost importance that I speak with him."

"Have I spoken with you before?" Uncle Vernon asked suspiciously.

"No sir, I don't believe so unless you've called the British library, but I certainly don't remember talking to you and I have quite the memory." I said politely.

"Hmpf. Very well." There was some other sounds on the other side of the phone and then a nice familiar voice said, "Hey Elizabeth."

I grinned, dropping the proper voice I'd been using with our uncle. "What's up Harry?"

"Oh, you know, the usual."

The usual was code for absolutely nothing.

"What about you?" Harry asked.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming event in your life." I said, not necessarily joking.

"Really?" Harry asked, sounding a bit interested, "And what exactly is on the 'vision of the futures' broadcast?"

Let's back up a second. My name is Elizabeth Kane Potter and I am the twin sister of Harry Potter. Unfortunately, due to the unfortunate circumstance of our parents being murdered when we were one years old, we were separated. Harry did not know who I was, though I knew very well who he was.

I had the peculiar ability to see the future, though very limited, and usually only surrounding the events of Hogwarts, and sometimes summer events, usually revolving around Harry though sometimes around Ron and Hermione as well. I had not told Harry we were related, because I had gotten a strange feeling that I shouldn't. My feelings, I might mention, are usually very good.

"Well, it's not exactly pleasant." I said, building it up. "But sometime after ou- your birthday, Aunt Marge will be coming to visit."

Harry groaned on the other side of the phone. "I hate her."

"Sorry." I said sympathetically.

"Are you done yet boy!" I could hear Uncle Vernon's voice distantly on the other side of the phone.

"Nearly." Harry said. "It's a bit complicated."

Uncle Vernon said something else. He must've wandered out of the room because Harry said, "Anyways, how has your summer been?"

I sighed. "Difficult, of course. Dad's not exactly pleased about what happened last year at school. Not pleased is a bit of a stretch. He's furious, naturally. I've never been in more trouble in my life!"

Harry chuckled. I sighed. "I suppose you have to go, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." Harry said. "At least you call me, though."

"Honestly." I said lightly. "I'm surprised Uncle Vernon doesn't recognize my voice. I actually told him my real name this time."

Harry laughed. "Yes I was quite surprised but I got the joke anyways."

I grinned. "About the library?"

"Indeed."

I sighed. "I'll send you a very nice birthday present Harry, don't worry!"

"Cheers Elizabeth." He said, sounding a bit happier than before.

"Bye Harry."

"Bye Liz."

I heard a click as he'd already hung up and I quickly set my receiver down. I sighed and glanced over at the clock. Three minutes. Well, that was a bit longer than most conversations.

I wandered through the kitchen to the living room where dad was reading a book and taking notes. He looked up as I wandered through.

"Can I-"

"No." He said, looking back down.

I glared at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I just wanted to take a quick walk."

"No."

"C'mon Dad! I've been good all summer! Please!" I begged. I had to get out of the house, it was driving me crazy.

"You realize you are in trouble for a very good reason, right?" Dad asked, still not looking up from the book. "You broke somewhere close to twenty school rules, nearly got killed by Basilisk, nearly drowned, and then nearly died dueling Voldemort. Not to mention that you broke your ankle and it only just healed."

"Yes, but I couldn't just leave my friends to do it on their own! I blame myself for the whole thing anyways." I added the last party bitterly.

Dad sucked in a deep breath, looking up for half a second from the book, and then said, "Alright, fine. 10 minutes, no more."

"Thank you!" I squealed and I darted out the door. I raced down the path so that I could walk back.

It was twilight, so just a little bit before the sun was going to set. The wind felt amazing on my face. It wasn't too hot, though it was summer. I'd gotten bored in the house so I'd found a workout book and had started exercising, getting into shape. I wasn't fat or anything before, but now, I found that I was out of breath less and less when I ran. It was called stamina.

After 4 minutes of straight running, I stopped, turned around, and walked back. I wasn't breathing as deeply as I might've been last year. I did wish I had water though. Oh well, I'd just get a glass back home. I passed by Trang's house and hesitated.

Trang was my only friend in the Muggle world, though she didn't know that I was a witch. She was only home for the summers because she spent her school years in America. She also knew I was in seriously deep trouble so we hadn't hung out this summer. I wondered if dad would let me hang out with her on my birthday. He probably would. I'd never gone a birthday without her since I was three.

I walked past the lovely house. It wouldn't bode well if I happened to talk to her and dad found out. I was supposed to be just walking.

Suddenly, a large black dog crossed my path and I froze, staring at it. I thought for the most peculiar second, that I recognize it. A distant memory, perhaps? Yes, I could hear in my ears the word 'puppy'.

The dog had frozen as well as I stared at it, gauging me with its large yellow eyes. It wasn't the cutest dog I'd ever seen. It's fur was matted and shaggy and it had a long tail. But I knew that dog, I just knew it.

I took a step towards it and then on instinct, I got on my knees and held out my hand. The dog trotted over slowly and sniffed my hand and then licked my cheek.

"P-puppy?" I asked in a shaky whisper, my heart thudding in my chest. It couldn't. . .

The dog whined, shaking it's tail.

"I- I remember you." I whispered, my voice trembling with either fright or happiness, I wasn't entirely sure. "Sirius?"

The dog nodded its head and I laughed. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

The dog cocked its head to its side.

"I know your innocent." I whispered. "I just know it."

"ELIZABETH!" I jumped and so did the dog, taking off back the way it had come.

"Dad!" I said, pretending to be delighted. "Did you see that dog? It just-"

"In the house!" Dad said angrily and tensely. I noticed his hand was clenched in his pocket over his wand.

I gave him a shocked look, I didn't even have to fake it. "Dad? What's wrong? It was just a dog!"

Dad looked angry, but the anger was webbing. "Did you foresee that dog before you came out here?"

"What! No?" I asked, still confused. I knew I had to act like I didn't know that was Sirius. "It's just a stray dad! It's not like it bit me or anything!" I said angrily, glaring at him. "Why are you-"

"In the house. Now." Dad stressed the last word and I ran back to the house, a bit hurt and a bit worried. What was going to happen to Sirius now? I just had to hope he'd run far enough away. Of all the nights I had to demand to go out!

I decided to act normally, though I was fuming mad, and went upstairs and looked through my books to find something to read. I grabbed my newest book- The Giver by Louis Lowery- and went back downstairs and settled on the couch.

Dad wasn't home for another twenty minutes, by which point I was already on chapter five and completely immersed in the book. I didn't even realize dad was home until he picked the book out of my hands.

"Elizabeth!"

I jerked. "Yeah! What?" I snapped, not angry, but scared. He'd given me a heart attack.

"Didn't mean to scare you." Dad apologized, handing the book back.

"Oh, it's fine." I said, flipping the book upside down so that it would hold my place. "What was that all about with the dog?"

Dad hesitated and I thought for a split second he was about to tell the truth and then he said, "Nothing, it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter? What do you mean it doesn't matter! You flipped out over a stray dog!" I asked, getting up from the couch as he moved into the kitchen. I bit the inside of my cheek. What did it matter? I was a twelve year old girl. If dad didn't want to tell me, it was to protect me. . . or some bullshit like that. I sat back down and picked the book back up, glaring angrily at the pages as though they'd offended me.

Dad sighed, coming back into the living room. "You're ungrounded."

I looked up from the book, skeptically. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Dad said. He seemed preoccupied. He had picked up a newspaper, re-reading words on the front cover over and over again. What had happened? Well besides the fact that Sirius was somehow here even as he was supposed to be in Azkaban.

I put the book down and said, mostly as a test, "I'm going to Trang's house then."

"Okay." He said, looking out the window. "Just there and back."

I wondered, as I hurried out of the house, if I might see the dog again. Obviously, I couldn't search the area in case dad came around, but I could certainly look for him.

However, though I kept my eyes peeled the entire time to Trang's house, I did not see any dogs- period.

I was disappointed, but this feeling vanished as Trang opened the door and gave me a proper hug. "Welcome back." Trang said, opening the door to let me in.

"Thanks." I said and flashed her a grin. Everything was going to be fine.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 Diagon alley by myself because I needed to find a proper present for Harry's birthday. Our Aunt and Uncle never gave him anything and I felt that a decent present was in order. The only problem was- I didn't know what to get him.

I knew Hermione would be getting him a broomkit, Hagrid would be getting him a biting book, and Ron would be getting him a sneak o' scope so I knew what not to get him at least. I also knew not to get him a book unless it was about Quidditch but I wandered into Flourish and Blotts anyways.

There were multiple books about Quidditch that Harry had never read yet, and I bought two of them. Then, I found a book on magical creatures and bought that for myself. I left the shop quickly before I bought anymore. I also decided to get him a box of sugar quills. These lasted longest of the Magical candy and thought they would be decent as a birthday present. I decided to go with the Cherry flavored ones that looked a bit like phoenix quills.

After my shopping was done, I took the floo network back to my house. Dad didn't look up as I entered the living room. He was pored over a dark arts book again, writing small notes on a piece of parchment. Ever since Dumbledore had approached him with the job offer, he'd been constantly planning lessons all summer. It'd be weird, having dad as my Professor, and I'd love him there of course. . .I just hoped nothing happened this year like my first two years. It might be harder to plan and sneak around and save the day with Dad watching over my shoulder.

I went upstairs and did the presents up in brown paper and string. Then, I waited for Sadie to wake up.

Sadie was my Spotted Wood Owl. I'd bought her before my first year at Hogwarts in Diagon Alley. She was gorgeous.

I also had a rabbit named Sushi. Dad had given him to me for Christmas in my first year. Suddenly, as though he knew I was thinking about him, I heard little paws scrabbling on wood outside my door. I opened the door and there was Sushi. He'd climbed the carpeted steps and had scratched at the door, trying to get in.

Now that the door had been opened, he hopped inside and started sniffing things. I sighed but smiled. He wasn't supposed to be up here, but he always did what he wanted and always got away with it too. Even dad couldn't be firm with him, Sushi was just to cute.

I got on my hands and knees and started to pet his head and along his back as he sniffed the corner of my bookcase.

"Hi baby." I cooed. I always spoke in a sing-songy voice when talking to him. "What are you doing?"

Sadie hooted in her cage and landed next to Sushi, making him jump and run in a circle around me and then peek his little head out from behind a box. I tsked at Sadie. "You're not supposed to eat him, you know."

She hooted, looking up at me with her great big yellow eyes. She seemed pleased with herself. Sushi started to creep out from behind the box, approaching Sadie slowly. Then, once he was near her, he sniffed her feathers and then got on his hind legs so he was the same height as her. He sniffed her head feathers.

I waited, tense. Would Sadie try to snap at him? I certainly hoped not- I really wanted them to get along.

Then, Sushi reached out and put a paw on her beak and then lowered himself back down onto four paws and scampered off. I heard his paws make soft thumps on the carpeted stairs as he made his way back downstairs.

Sadie hooted. I sighed with relief. "I hope you two get along. I love you both so much."

Sadie hooted again and flapped her wings, flying up to my shoulder. I petted her head feathers automatically and smiled down at her. I kissed the top of her head.

"I do have something to ask of you." I said and pointed to the package on my bed. "You don't have to take it now, though I do want to know if it's to heavy for you."

Sadie flew over and grabbed the string in her talons and pulled it upwards and then set it back down.

"It's for Harry's birthday." I explained. I held out both arms and said, lifting my left arm. "Fly to this arm if it's too heavy and fly to the other arm if you can manage it."

She flew to my right arm and nibbled my ear.

I laughed, lowering my arms. "Alright then. His birthday is tomorrow. You can take it whenever you want though, okay?"

Sadie hooted in agreement.

"Elizabeth!" Dad called from downstairs. "Dinners ready."

"Coming!" I shouted back. Sadie flew from my arm to the cage and I raced out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the dining room.

After dinner, I found that Sadie and the package were gone. Sushi was flopped underneath my bed, sleeping.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 the next morning and laid in bed for a moment before realizing that it was my birthday- I was officially thirteen!

I rolled out of bed and made my bed up and got dressed as quickly as possible. Then I made my way down the stairs.

Dad was already up. He'd made perfect crumpets and had set out syrup, jam, and butter on the table. There was milk, tea, honey, sugar, bacon, and fruit on the table as well.

I was quite delighted with the entire set up, hugging dad tightly and kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." Dad said, sitting down at the head of the table and immersing himself in another book.

There were presents on the table, but I didn't open them right away until after we'd eaten breakfast.

"The one on top is from your grandfather." Dad called from the kitchen.

I decided to open that one first and found that it was a small oak box with detailed engravings on the outside. I figured that it was for jewelry. On the inside was a blue velvet strip that ran around the base and covered the bottom of the box.

I set that aside and pulled over the next gift which was from dad. It seemed soft and squishy and I opened it curiously. It was a pink backpack. It was old too, and there was something curiously familiar about the backpack. I opened it up in case there was something inside but there wasn't anything and I zipped it closed again.

"Hey dad!" I called for he was still in the kitchen, boiling more water for tea.

"Yeah!" he called back, coming back into the room.

I held up the backpack and looked at him, gauging his reaction. "Is this the backpack. . ." I drifted off.

He nodded, taking a sip of his newly brewed tea. "Yes, I thought you might like to have it."

"Thank you." I said softly, laying the bag down on the table. It was like a present from my parents and Lupin all at the same time.

There was a second present from dad which turned out to be books. Yay! Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Dead Man Walking, and Dealing with Dragons.

There was a present from Ron which also came with a letter which read:

Elizabeth, I'm sure you've foreseen this gift. If not though, It's a book on Ancient Egyptian Magical History or whatever. I'm sure it'll go right up your alley. Anyways, Bill's taken us around the tombs here in Egypt, which are fascinating. There's loads of curses on some of these tombs. Mum didn't let Ginny go into some of the tombs though. Mostly because of the skeletons and stuff. Apparently there's these Muggles called 'grave-robbers' and they loot tombs for money but the curses make them grow an extra head and stuff like that. I'm sure it's all in the book. Dad's gonna buy me a new wand with the left-over money- that's a lucky break. We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get our school supplies. Any chance of meeting you there? Oh, and Percy's Head Boy. Fred and George are disappointed. Ron

I set the letter aside, smiling a bit. So Percy was head boy, huh? Suppose I should've seen that one coming. I opened up the book which was huge and I was surprised that his owl could've delivered this. Surely Errol collapsed on the way here? I shrugged and picked up the next letter which was from Hermione.

Elizabeth, Sadie showed up some weeks ago with a letter from you and I do apologize for not having written back immediately. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I've been quite busy! Nevertheless, I did tell Sadie I would have a letter and present for your birthday on July 23 and so she flew back on that date! I was a bit surprised, but your owl is quite smart. Anyways, France has been wonderful! I've learned so much about witchcraft that I redid my entire History of Magic essay! I think it's a bit long- two feet longer than asked- but I know you put in nearly as much work as I do so yours is probably somewhere close to mine. Ron wrote to me- I'm so happy his family won the money. He told me he'd be in Diagon Alley a week before term. Will you be there? Enjoy your birthday! Love from, Hermione

I opened her present which was big and a bit clunky. Upon opening it, I saw it was a broomkit, identical to the one she'd gotten Harry. A wide grin spread across my face. This was perfect!

As expected, there was nothing from Harry. However, there was a letter and present from Hagrid. I opened the letter first, smiling.

Dear Elizabeth, Happy Birthday! You were right, of course. Dumbledore made me Care of Magical Creatures Professor. You'll find this book useful for next year. See you soon All the best, Hagrid

I grinned, setting aside the letter. Last year when everyone found out about my power (it's more of an ability but I like the idea of 'power' since it makes me feel like a superhero like Superman or Batman) I told Hagrid that Dumbledore would make him Care of Magical Creatures Professor. He hadn't believe me, perhaps not wanting to get his hopes up. Now, I was proven right.

There was also, not entirely expected, another carved statuette. It was a Centaur, though it didn't seemed to be modeled after any specific one that I'd met in the forest. This was the third statuette that he'd given me and I was very happy with it, though surprised as he usually only gave me them for Christmas.

I picked up the clumsily wrapped package and untied it. As I pulled the wrapping paper off, I saw the title of the book- The Monster Book of Monsters- and then dropped it as it started to move. It crawled along the floor, perhaps a bit like a crab, moving it's book covers up and down. Sushi took off down the corridor of the kitchen and I quickly jumped from my seat and grabbed the book, rubbing my finger down my spine.

The book quickly relaxed in my hands and now, I was able to read it. I set it down carefully on the table. Would it stay like that for the rest of the year? Or would it start up its activity again and I'd have to belt it in between reading it?

I shrugged and decided not to belt it, just so I could see what was going to happen. There was another present, which I also hadn't expected. Who else was there? Grandfather, dad, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.

I picked up the small box with the small note attached. I flipped up the note first.

Thought of you when I saw this, Happy Birthday Liz Love Fred

Curious, I opened the small box. Inside was something so minuscule, I didn't think it was in the correct size.

"Hey dad!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come here for a moment?"

I heard footsteps and he was in the room and I held the box out to him. "Can you enlarge this for me, please?"

Dad took his wand out and tapped the box and it grew to about the size of a shoebox. "There you go."

"Thanks." I set the now heavy box down on the table and pulled out the painting in the box.

"That's an unusual gift." Dad remarked, looking over my shoulder.

I didn't comment, looking at how beautiful it was. The frame was cherry wood and I turned it over to see if there was a price tag. I worried about how much Fred had spent on it. There was a sidewalk, the type commonly seen in Britain. There was an empty park bench on the side with dirt and grass on either side of the walk. There were many trees and between the trees were light poles. Each lightpole had two spherical lamps attached to them. The trees leaves glowed orange and red and green and blue hanging above. Near the very end of the walk was the silhouette of two people, one man and a woman, both standing under a black, also silhouetted, umbrella. The walk glistened with rainwater.

I set it aside. I wasn't sure how I felt about this gift. Nervous- definitely. I didn't want Fred to have spent so much money on it. Sad- because I wasn't sure about my feelings for Fred. Sometimes I loved him and sometimes I thought of him as a brother. Happy- because it was such a lovely gift. And embarrassed because Dad didn't know that Fred and I were a. . .well what were we?

Then, I picked up my Hogwarts letter, feeling very excited. It was much thicker than I had remembered. I skipped the intro letter which had the info of where to be on what day to get to Hogwarts. I picked up the letter with my shopping list on it.

Year Three Spell books: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 by Miranda Goshawk Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky Intermediate Transfiguration by Emeric Switch The Monster book of Monsters by Donald Lemke Numerology and Grammatica by Lukas Karuzos Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy Spellman's Syllabary by Rosana Spellman The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

I let out a deep breath. That was a lot of books. Of course, I was taking a lot of classes as well. There were the seven classes that were required until fifth year which consisted of: Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration. If I had my way, I would've dropped Astronomy a long time ago. Like after my first class long ago.

But once students became third years, they could choose some extra classes which consisted of: Alchemy, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Magical Theory, and the Study of Ancient Runes. I had signed up for every class, except Alchemy because I knew fully well that it correlated with Astronomy.

"Oh yeah." Dad said, going into the living room and coming back with The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger. "That's your copy. I had to get them at Flourish and Blotts and figured I'd get yours when I got my teaching one."

"Great! Thanks!" I said, putting the textbook with the other books I'd gotten for my birthday.

There was a knock at the door- signaling that Trang was here. I grabbed The Monster Book of Monsters, Ron's book, and Hermione's broomkit, and raced up the stairs to throw them on the bed before Trang saw them.

Dad went to answer the door. I heard him greet Trang happily. I stared at the Monster Book of Monsters uneasily. Did I bind it? Or was it loyal to me now?

I decided to leave it on my bed, untouched.

Glancing around, I saw that both Sadie and Hedwig were sitting on my window ledge. Hedwig eyed the book on my bed.

"Hello." I said happily, grabbing my owl treats from inside my drawer. I offered a handful out to each of them and they ate them up. "What are you doing here Hedwig?"

Hedwig held out her leg and I saw a note that told me that Hedwig had to go stay with Ron. "Ah." I said. "So his aunt came."

Hedwig then held out her leg again and I read a bit closer. "Oh! You can also stay with me! That's wonderful!" I said happily. "I'm afraid Sadie's cage is a bit small but when I get back, I can rig something up if you'd like."

Hedwig hooted.

"Elizabeth!" Dad called down the stairs, "We're waiting for you!"

"Coming!" I shouted. I rushed about the room, grabbing my purse and making sure I had money and at least one book though I didn't think I'd need it. "Bye guys! I'll be back soon." I said to the owls and dashed down the stairs, closing the bedroom door behind me.

I quickly made sure Sushi was in his cage, and then rushed out the door where Dad was waiting to take Trang and I to the British Aquarium. We were leaving so early because it was going to take us a bit to get there.

If it had been just dad and me, we would've used the floo network to a magical place nearby and walked the rest of the distance to the Aquarium. Or maybe even side-along apparition. However, because Trang was with us, we had to take Muggle transportation like the subway. We didn't have a car.

I hoped Sadie taught Hedwig not to eat Sushi.

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𝕴 𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖕𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖔 my bed without eating dinner. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right away. I had lovely dreams about turtles and fish and whales and seahorses and dolphins and a lone shark way off in the distance. This dream slowly turned to a woman behind blown up to the size of a balloon and floating out of a house and into the sky.

I woke up, realizing that it had been a vision, not a dream.

Harry was going to blow up his Aunt.

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Elizabeth Kane and the Prisoner of Azkaban Masterlist

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17

[braveclementine]

Chapter 16

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 time again and I followed completely last because I wanted to be behind Sirius and Harry as they talked. Sirius had the wand that was holding Professor Snape afloat. His head kept bumping against the ceiling. Sirius was obviously making no effort to prevent this.

"Sirius." I said calmly. "His head keeps touching the ceiling."

"So?" Sirius asked, but he lowered the wand just a little bit. Then he turned to Harry and said, "You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free." Harry stated.

"Yes. . ." Sirius said slowly. "But I'm also- I don't know if anyone ever told you- I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that." Harry said. In the dim light, his face looked a bit confused as though he wasn't sure where the conversation was going.

"Well. . . your parents appointed me your guardian. If anything happened to them. . .I'll understand of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle. But well, think about it. Once my name's cleared. . . if you wanted a. . . a different home. . ."

"What-live with you!" Harry said in near excitement. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to, I understand, I just thought I'd-" Sirius said quickly, covering up the hurt he was feeling.

"Are you insane? Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a home! When can I move in?" Harry asked, breathless.

Sirius looked at him and Snape's head started to scrape across the ceiling. "You want to? You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it." Harry said.

Sirius smiled. I hadn't seen him smile like that before.

"Sirius" I said quickly. "Severus' head!"

"Ah, right." He said, lowering the wand again.

Then we were outside again. I breathed in the fresh air. I loved being outside.

"You and Lupin could come and live with Harry and me as well." Sirius said to me.

I grinned even though I knew what would happen soon, my nerves were starting to tingle again. "We'd love that Sirius."

"What's about to happen next?" Harry asked.

I paused for a second and then, as the clouds parted, I said, "Dad's going to turn into a werewolf."

Sirius threw his hand out, catching Harry, Hermione, and I behind it. I lost my breath. Sirius turned to me, wide-eyed, "You couldn't have mentioned it sooner?"

"Sorry." I wheezed. "I don't see everything right away, you know!"

I looked behind Sirius's arms to see that Dad was shaking. I edged to the other side of Sirius.

"Run," Sirius whispered to Harry, looking the other way, "Run. Now."

I did run, but not away from dad. I ran towards, him, skidding to a stop in front of him, fear in my eyes. Dad looked into my eyes and fear was in his eyes as well. "Elizabeth-" He choked out, a hand reaching out to touch my cheek. "Go- now- don't- want you- here."

Sirius was there, yanking me away from dad. "I love you!" I shouted, letting Sirius yank me back to where Snape was lying in a heap. Harry and Hermione were still there. Hermione was trembling in fright and she took my arm. Hermione screamed and I twirled, raising my wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Dad's wand shot out of Peter's hand and I reached up to grab it, and I pocketed it. The three of us watched Peter warily and then he waved his hand and turned into a rat, shooting off into the grass.

"Sirius, he's gone!" Harry shouted, "Pettigrew transformed." Harry shouted. I took off on the grass, my wand lit, running as fast as possible, looking for any sign of motion. Sirius overtook me, disappearing out of sight and I sighed.

I turned back to where Ron and Snape were laying. Hermione and Harry were already crouched by him.

"We'd better get them up at the castle and tell someone." Harry said, pushing his hair out of his face.

There was a yelping sound however, a dog in pain, and we all spun around. Harry set off at a run, Hermione right behind him. Quickly, I turned back around to face Snape on the ground and got on my knees, putting one hand on his cheek and pointed my wand at his heart. "Enervate." I muttered. He didn't stir.

"Bloody hell." I muttered, shaking Professor Snape. "Please, please wake up Professor. We need you." I paused and then said, "I need you. Just wake up." He finally started to sir. "Thank Merlin."

Then, I sprinted away after Harry and Hermione. It was down by the lake shore. Harry had his wand raised, shouting "Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum!"

Sirius gave a shudder, rolled, over, and lay motionless on the shore. I felt fear shoot through my heart and I glanced frantically across the lake shore.

"Hermione help me!" Harry shouted, not knowing that I was already there.

Hermione was whimpering however and could barely get the first word out. I wiped out my wand and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" A large wildcat burst forth from my wand and leapt at the dementors that were surrounding me. I sent it down towards Sirius, about twenty meters away from me. I ripped out the marker again, quickly writing a time for two minutes in the future.

I raised my wand, concentrating on the spell. But there were more than a hundred or so dementors. My wildcat wasn't enough.

Hermione collapsed onto the ground. Harry continued to struggle with his own patronus. I sent my wildcat around Hermione. But my concentration lapsed and my wildcat disappeared. I took a deep breath, trying to recollect my energy.

I raced forward, crossing the distance between us. Harry was still trying to produce a patronus but the dementors hands were around his throat. The dementors were swooping down on me as well. But I had to make it to Sirius's side.

"HURRY UP!" I shouted across the lake.

I fell to Sirius's side and turned upwards as the dementors swooped down on me. Dad- James- was screaming and mum was screaming for James was whispering that he loved me in my ear. I was crying and I buried my face into Sirius' shirt. I raised my wand, a weak silvery spurt sent the dementors away. I could see someone sprinting towards me, but I wasn't sure if it was a dementor or just someone who liked to wear black. The screaming was louder now. I collapsed, my vision going black.

"Mum. . ." I whispered and I faded away.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 when someone was saying, "Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the two girls-"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them." I recognized Snape's voice immediately. "Miss Kane was just collapsing when I reached the beach. Its possible she held off the dementors for a bit of time. . . I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretches, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

I didn't open my eyes. I wanted to listen to what else was happening. But it didn't seem as though anything else was going to be said. I sat up slowly. Harry and Hermione were in beds opposite me and Ron was next to me.

Madam Pomfrey was working over Ron at the moment and then turned, walking over to Harry, carrying a block of chocolate the size of a boulder. She started breaking it apart with a hammer and said, "Ah, you're awake!" to Harry.

"How's Ron?" Harry and Hermione asked together. I looked over at him, he seemed fine.

"He'll live. As for you three. . . you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're- Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

Harry had sat up, putting on his glasses.

"I need to see the headmaster." He said, grabbing his wand as well.

"Potter, it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now-"

"WHAT?" Harry exclaimed. My heart gave a jolt.

Harry, Hermione, and I all jumped out of bed. My legs shook but I grabbed my wand regardless.

Fudge and Snape came into the room. I didn't dare meet Snape's gaze. I was still quite furious with him for threatening Dads life, regardless of what I'd said to him when trying to wake him up.

"Harry, Harry what's this? You should be in bed- has he had any chocolate?" He asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously. Both him and Snape were preoccupied with Harry and I tried to edge past both of them and Snape caught my arm. I tried to wrench it out of his grasp furiously, but his fingers held tight.

"Minister listen!" Harry said urgently. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's-"

Fudge was shaking his head and smiling. "Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control. . ."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry bellowed and I stared at him in shock. Snape had let go of my arm. I stepped to the side, not quite moving for the door yet. I needed his attention completely off of me. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister listen, please." Hermione said urgently as she hurried over to Harry's side. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and-"

"You see, Minister." Snape, said, looking at Fudge. I dashed past him and he caught my arm again, pulling me back into the room. "Confunded- both of all. . . Black's done a very good job on them. . . Miss Kane get back into bed."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUDNDED!" Harry roared in anger.

"Minister! Professor! I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!" Madam Pomfrey said angrily, holding a piece of chocolate that was melting in her hand.

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened! If they'd just listen-"

Madam Pomfrey stuffed the block of chocolate into Harry's mouth, and he nearly choked, and she pushed him back into the bed.

Snape's grip tightened on my arm as he walked toward my hospital bed, dragging me behind him. I let him lead me, mostly because I knew Dumbledore was coming soon.

The hospital door opened again and Dumbledore walked in. "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black-" Harry said, his mouth thick with chocolate.

"For heaven's sake!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist-"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter, Miss Kane, and Miss Granger-" Dumbledore said. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black-"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind? Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive-"

"That, indeed, is Black's story." Dumbledore said.

"And does my evidence count for nothing? Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"Because you were knocked out!" I complained.

"Miss Kane, hold your tongue." Snape said angrily. I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I felt a fresh wave of rage wash over me, just thinking about him threatening dad.

"I would like to speak to Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth alone." Dumbledore said. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy- please leave us."

"Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey said "They need treatment, they need rest-"

"This cannot wait." Dumbledore said evenly. "I must insist." Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and then went away to her office, slamming her door loudly in protest behind her.

Fudge also left, muttering something about going and seeing the dementors before they sucked the soul out of my Godfather.

Snape however, was harder to get rid of. "You surely don't believe a word of Black's Story?" Snape snarled.

"I wish to speak to Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth alone." Dumbledore repeated.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen. You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

I gritted my teeth. Dad was somewhere out there. Sirius was going to die. Snape need to leave. Now.

Snape strode out of the room, slamming the hospital door shut. Harry and Hermione burst into speech but I overrode them quickly. "Be quiet!" They both looked at me.

"This is going to be a really long conversation." I said exasperated. "And quite frankly, we don't have the time so let me tell you what Dumbledore is going to say. You guys say that my dad could back up Sirius but it doesn't matter because no one trusts him because he's a werewolf and his friendship with Sirius is bad. And then, you guys say Snape's just biased and Dumbledore will point out that Sirius hasn't acted innocent since he attacked the Gryffindor common room with a knife. Also, Dumbledore believes Sirius' story which is good because he's going to let Hermione use the time-turner, turn it 3 times and save both Buckbeak and Sirius at the same time. Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. We also can't be seen, which both Hermione and I understand."

Harry and Hermione gaped at me.

"Did you get that?" I asked.

Dumbledore chuckled, "Thank you for speeding that up. How many minutes did we save?"

"Seven." I said.

"Lovely." Dumbledore said. "Elizabeth, you will go with them, won't you?"

I hesitated. I was tired and I had only envisioned Hermione and Harry going together, and I said this aloud. Then I added, "But I will go if you guys want me to come."

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and Hermione asked tentavely. "In the Shrieking Shack, you said you had no friends. . . what did you mean by that?"

I flushed and answered truthfully. "Because I sometimes feel that I forced my friendship upon you, Ron, Harry. Hermione's friendship with me always felt genuine but because of my visions, I sort of gravitated towards you guys, throwing myself into the friendship when my visions showed just you, Ron, and Hermione. Sometimes I feel as though our friendship is fake. I've worried that sometimes you guys feel that way as well." And of course I didn't add that he was my brother and I wanted to get to know him without telling him that we were related because, of course, I couldn't.

"Of course you're our friend!" Harry said fiercely. "Though I have a question of my own."

"Sure." I said. "But we're reaching six minutes now."

Harry hesitated and then asked, "Sirius-"

"He's my Godfather too." I said, smiling down at my hands. "Which makes us, in a way, siblings."

I grinned at Harry and he grinned back. Then I turned serious again and said, "We should go now."

Dumbledore nodded, standing up. "Yes, do hurry. I'm going to lock you in. It is- nine minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it, but we've already established that. Good luck!" He closed the door and there was the sound of a lock.

"Good luck? Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?" Harry asked blankly.

Hermione and I were already moving towards each other and Harry joined us. Hermione undid her time turner and I removed mine, putting it in my pocket so we didn't loop time. Hermione threw her time turner over Harry and mine heads.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked.

"I'll explain when we finish." I said.

Hermione turned the turner three times.

Then, there was a blur of colours and people moving past us either way and finally, things stopped moving.

There was golden sunlight coming through the hospital windows.

"Hermione, Elizabeth, what-" Harry was looking around, confused, looking at the empty bed that Ron would occupy three hours later.

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm and I followed close behind as we headed into the broom closet. Hermione shut the door behind us.

"What- how- Liz, what happened?"

"We traveled back in time. " I answered. "This is how Hermione and I have been getting to all our classes. It's called a time-turner. If we have it over our necks, we can turn it and go back and hour or two or more."

"Shh!" Hermione said suddenly, "Someone's coming! I think- I think it might be us! Yes. . . I think it's us going down to Hagrid's." Hermione answered, nodding.

"You're telling me, that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?" Harry asked, flabbergasted.

I nodded, "That's what Dumbledore means by don't be seen. Our past selves can't see the others. Hermione and I would be okay if we caught a glimpse of ourselves, we know about the time-turners and would know that we must be using them. But your past self wouldn't understand and it could even ruin your mind."

Harry gaped at me.

"Where did you get the... time-turner?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall." Hermione answered this time. "She gave it to us on our first day back and made us promise not to tell anyone. Elizabeth's dad doesn't even know about it."

I nodded. "He just thinks I've been working a lot of hours."

"She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so that I could have one. Professor Sprout did Elizabeth's letters. They had to tell them that we were model students and that we'd never, ever use it for anything except our studies"

I nodded. "I've been using it for classes and also for studying. I'll study in the library until it closes, turn the timer and then got to the common room and study. It gives me extra hours in the day but also lengthens the day by a lot.

"So we need to do what?" Harry asked.

"We need to get Buckbeak, fly him up to Sirius's tower, and then fly down to the courtyard where Buckbeak will drop us off and Sirius will fly away." I said and then frowned, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure how it'll work because I only envisioned you, Hermione, and Sirius on Buckbeak. I don't know if he'll fit the four of us."

"We'll manage it." Harry said confidently, which was surprising considering how confused he'd been a few seconds ago.

"We need to wait a few minutes." I said, checking my watch. "I marked all the times of where we were in my head so that we could match them in this way." I held up my arm.

"You knew we'd have to do a redo?" Harry asked.

I nodded, "I was hoping to maybe change the future but. . . it just didn't work out that way. Maybe if Snape had brought the potion into the Shrieking Shack things would've worked differently. I'd forgotten that dad dropped his wand because I thought it was in his belt."

"Don't beat yourself about it Elizabeth." Hermione said, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It must be difficult carrying those visions."

"It is." I said bluntly. "But I'm used to it. Besides, it comes in handy for things like that."

I checked my watch and arm again. "One more minute and we can go. We'll go around the greenhouses to stay out of the way of Hagrid's cabin. We'll hide in the forest behind the cabin."

"Why does Sirius call you Eilís?" Harry asked.

"It's a nickname," I said, looking down at the watch. "It's Irish for my birth name. I used to call him puppy when I was small."

"You knew him when you were young?" Harry asked, distracted.

"Time to go." I said, glad for an excuse not to answer. I pushed open the door cautiously and then strode out the door, leading the other two. We sprinted until we reached the greenhouses and then I led them into the forest and we picked our way carefully towards Hagrid's cabin.

I had marked the time perfectly. I could hear Hermione shrieking and saying, "Ron! I- I don't believe it- it's Scabbers!"

I clenched my fists, wishing that I could just run in there and grab him. I knew Harry was thinking similar thoughts but he didn't voice them. Our don't be seen message was ringing through his head.

I talked to distract us. "Sirius and I used to run through the forest at night." I whispered. "I brought him food in a basket because I was afraid that he was going to starve."

I watched as my own face popped in the window of Hagrid's cabin, grinning at us. I shivered. I suddenly wished I hadn't done that, it was weird.

"You've been meeting with him this whole year?" Harry asked.

I nodded. "I never helped him in the castle or anything like that. But I always brought food, even if I didn't see him. I'd leave it at the edge of the forest and places like that."

I fell silent as Hagrid opened the back door. I turned to Hermione and Harry and said, "Let me go and get Buckbeak. I originally saw you doing it Harry, but Buckbeak knows me and I won't have to waste time bowing and waiting for him to bow either, okay?"

They both nodded and I got up closer to the bush.

"It's okay Beaky, it's okay." Hagrid was saying, "Go on. Get Goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't-"

"We'll tell them what really happened-"

"They can't kill him-"

"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all." Hermione threw the invisibility cloak over us. "Go quick. Don' listen. . ."

There were new voices, ones that we hadn't heard the first time.

"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.

"Out- outside!" Hagrid croaked.

Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Good, they had seen him.

"We- er- have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure-" Fudge was saying now.

Macnair pulled his face away from the window and I darted out of the bush and came up against Hagrid's cabin wall. I reached Buckbeak and quickly untied the rope from behind his neck. But I kept the rope upon his neck so that I could lead him. I clucked my tongue and he followed. Fudge was still talking, ". . .sentenced to execution by beheading to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair. . ."

"Let's go." I whispered as I brought Buckbeak into the forest. "This way." I led Buckbeak along with Harry and Hermione along the forest line. We were nearing the edge of the forest where we would see if Ron fly out from under the cloak. I brought them a bit deeper in so that we wouldn't be seen. I tied Buckbeak's rope to a tree.

I heard the cabin door slam open and then silence. I watched, keeping a hand on Buckbeak's neck in case he managed to pull himself loose. My knots weren't as tight as Hagrid's were. There was a thud of an axe hitting wood. Macnair had chopped Hagrid's fence in half in anger.

Then Hagrid was howling, this time with happiness. He was shouting words, but it was hard to hear from this distance. Something about blessing Buckbeak.

"We need to move around to the other side where the Whomping Willow is or we won't be able to see anything." I said anxiously. We started moving in the direction that we'd gone before, moving slowly.

"There's Ron!" Harry pointed out.

A dark figure was springing across the lawn, shouting. "Get away from him- get away- Scabbers, come here-"

Another dark figure was close on his heels- that we me. Two more dark figures let the cloak trail out behind them.

"I can't believe you guys let the cloak go." I murmured.

"I know." Hermione said sadly.

"There's Sirius!" Harry said excitedly, pointing. "Looks even worse from here." He murmured, "Ouch- look Elizabeth just got hit across the face, I just got walloped by the tree- and so did you- this is weird-"

I agreed. "We don't usually search ourselves out to see what we look like so this is just as weird for me."

"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot." Hermione whispered.

"And there we go... We're in." Harry murmured.

After we disappeared, the tree froze again. And then, only seconds later, Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the Committee member were making their way right up to the castle.

"Right after we'd gone down into the passage! If only Dumbledore had come with us. . ." Hermione moaned.

"Macnair and Fudge would've come too." Harry said in a bitter voice. "I bet you anything Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot."

"Or he would've ordered the dementors into there and we would've had those creatures in there with us." I said shuddering.

The four men climbed the stone steps, the Committee member moving slower than the others and then they disappeared from view into the castle.

"There's Dad!" I said, feeling excitement in my chest. Dad was sprinting down the stone steps, hurtling toward the Whomping Willow. But before he did anything, he yanked something out of his pocket, opening it. I crept closer. Then, Dad snapped it closed (I could almost have sworn I heard the click from here) and with a wave of his wand, a stick lifted from the ground and prodded the knot. The tree stopped and Dad sprinted to the entrance and slipped inside.

If he'd only grabbed the cloak!" Harry said, "It's just lying there. . .If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and-"

I shook my head. "it doesn't matter Harry. Snape only used the cloak because it was there. He'd go in anyways if he didn't have the cloak. He hadn't planned on having the cloak in the first place. Besides, the reason Peter escaped was because dad turned into a werewolf, not because Snape was there."

Harry fell silent.

"I'm so sorry Harry." I whispered. "I love Sirius too."

At that moment, there was a burst of song. It was Hagrid who was singing at the top of his lungs, making his way up to the castle. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.

"See?" Hermione whispered. "If you'd gone to get the cloak, Hagrid would've seen you!"

"No, Buckbeak!" I whispered, grabbing his rope and digging my heels in. Buckbeak, hearing Hagrid's voice, was trying to get back. Harry grabbed the rope too and we managed to keep Buckbeak in the trees.

I tied Buckbeak lightly to the tree. A moment later, the castle doors flew open, Snape came charging, running towards the Willow. His long hair flew back from his face and I couldn't help but smile and hide it from the other two. He skidded to a stop by the Willow and bent down, picking up the cloak.

Harry's fist clenched. "Get your filthy hands off it." He snarled under his breath. I giggled. Hermione shushed us. And then Snape had stopped the Whomping Willow from moving and slid into the tunnel as well.

"So that's it." Hermione said quietly. "We're all down there. . . and now we've just go to wait until we come back up again. What time, Elizabeth?"

I was busy marking times off on my arm and showed her the next time silently.

She sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees and asked, "Harry, there's something I don't understand. . . Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out. . . there were so many of them. . ."

Harry and I sat down too. I sat down next to Buckbeak, resting my head against his leg. I was so tired, I could've fallen asleep right there. I didn't though, I knew we couldn't afford that.

Harry said, "There was something that came galloping across the lake, it was large and silver, and it had made the dementors retreat. There was also someone on the other side of the lake, a man."

"But what was it?" Hermione asked.

"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the dementors go. A real Patronus. A powerful one." Harry said, but he sounded cautious.

"But who conjured it?" Hermione asked next.

Harry didn't say anything. He looked like he was thinking hard, trying to conjure up the memories.

"Didn't you see what they looked like?" Hermione asked in a eager voice, "Was it one of the teachers?"

Which teacher? I thought. Flitwick was small, Lupin and Snape were in the tree, Hagrid couldn't have done it. I supposed she might've been thinking about Dumbledore? There weren't any other male teachers. Perhaps the Alchemy Professor? I had no idea who that was.

"No. He wasn't a teacher." Harry said but didn't elaborate anymore.

"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those dementors away... If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see-" Hermione asked eagerly.

Harry interrupted her, "Yeah, I saw him. But. . . maybe I imagined it. . . I wasn't thinking straight. . . I passed out right afterward. . ."

"Who did you think it was?" Hermione asked eagerly and a bit annoyed.

"Hermione." I moaned.

"I think-" He swallowed hard. "I think it was my dad."

Hermione's head was turned from me so I didn't know how her expression looked but Harry looked guilty, almost fearful about her reaction.

"Harry, your dad's- well- dead." She said quietly.

I turned my head fully away. His dad. . . my dad. . .tears watered in my eyes. Stupid effing hormones!

"I know that." Harry said quickly.

"You think you saw his ghost?"

'I don't know. . . no. . . he looked solid. . ." Harry said uncertainly.

"But then-"

"Maybe I was seeing things. But from what I could see. . . it looked like him. . . I've got photos of him. . ." Harry said, drifting off.

"The four Marauder's on the same night." I murmured aloud.

Nothing happened for another hour in which I drifted away into a daydream.

I jolted when Hermione whispered, "Here we come!"

I jumped to my feet, brushing my pants off. "Okay, we need to move." I quickly untied Buckbeak's rope and started off through the forest, hurrying at a fast pace.

"Elizabeth!" Hermione gasped, "Where are you going?"

"We have to get to Hagrid's cabin." I said, not looking back, still hurrying. "If we'd stayed where we were, Dad would've run straight at us. Hagrid's cabin is going to be empty right now and for enough time we can use it as a hideout."

Dad was only just transforming, according to my watch and arm. I marked off another time. We were very close to Hagrid's cabin. Hermione and Harry were running behind me to catch up. Harry opened Hagrid's cabin door and I led Buckbeak in the cabin.

Buckbeak seemed very content in the cabin and he folded his wings contentedly and seemed ready to go to sleep.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know." Harry said slowly. "I can't see what's going on- we won't know when it's time-"

Hermione stared at Harry suspiciously and I said, "I'll go with him, okay?"

Hermione nodded and Harry and I left the cabin. Once again, I acted as tour guide of the forest and led Harry over to where the opposite side of the lake was. Harry crouched behind a bush at the very edge of the lake shore but I climbed a tree farther back- though still with a good view.

I watched my wildcat across the lake as my past self clumsily wrote the last time on my arm. It was a weak one, I realized. It was to dim. I was really going to have to work on it. Then I was running towards Sirius and falling down by his side. I was reaching up, trying to make the patronus again but I only produced a faint glimmer. I heard myself shouting "HURRY UP!" from across the lake.

I watched as Harry (present Harry not past Harry) leapt to his feet and raised his wand and yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

And out of his wand burst a dazzling silver animal that looked like a stag. I smiled softly. Harry had dad's stag. I realized though, that while I didn't have moms doe, I was still their daughter. It didn't matter how many similarities and differences there were between me and my parents. I wasn't a carbon-copy and I could live with that. I felt peace after that and I realized that that was really who my battle was with- myself.

The Patronus turned back, cantering towards Harry. It stopped on the bank, staring at Harry. Harry was staring back at it. I hoped down from the tree and stood next to Harry. And then, very slowly, the Stag bowed its antlered head.

"Prongs." Harry whispered, trembling fingertips reaching for the Stag but it vanished. I put my arm around Harry. He put his arm around me and we stood there, side by side.

Then there were hooves behind us and we both spun around. Hermione was leading Buckbeak down to the lakeshore. "What did you do? You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"

"I just saved our lives. . ." Harry said, his eyes shining. "Get behind here- behind this bush- I'll explain."

Harry explained how it was himself that he had seen. Because him and his father looked so much alike.

"Did anyone see you?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad! It's okay!"

"Harry, I can't believe it. . . you conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors! That's very, very advanced magic. . ." Hermione said, caught between approval and disapproval.

"Elizabeth produced a patronus too. The other Elizabeth, I mean." Harry said.

"It wasn't as strong though." I said. "I was too worried about dad and Sirius to produce a good one. . . I think that's what my problem was anyways."

"Look-" Hermione said, "Snape!"

We peered around the bush. Snape was conjuring stretchers with his wand and then picking up Harry, Hermione, Sirius, and I in turn to put us on them. When he came to me, he pushed my hair back from my face. I blushed and turned away from Harry and Hermione who were looking at me weirdly.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"He must've been examining the cut on my cheek." I said. As if my words had reminded me, I reached my hand up to touch my face. There was a thin cut there, but Madam Pomfrey's magic was working because it was all sealed up.

"Oh." Hermione said. "Right, it's nearly time." She looked at her own watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realizes we're missing. . ."

We waited, watching. Buckbeak, bored, was digging up worms to eat. I wished I had a pole cat for him to eat.

"D' you reckon he's up there yet?" Harry asked, checking his watch. He was counting the windows to the right of the West Tower.

"We need to figure out how we're all either fitting on Buckbeak or one of us isn't riding at all." I said urgently.

"Look! Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle." Hermione said.

"Macnair!" Harry said and we were all exchanging anxious looks. "He's gone to get the dementors. This is it-"

We stared at each other.

"Elizabeth knows how to fly Buckbeak." Hermione said.

"Harry on." I said urgently, helping Hermione onto the back. Then, as Harry got on, I said, "I can sit on your lap, or I can just run to the courtyard."

"Get on." Harry said. I climbed up, settling ourselves in and I quickly looked behind me. Yes, Sirius would fit now. Harry's arms were tight around my waist and I could feel Hermione's hands around Harry's because we were pressed tightly together and I felt her knuckles digging into my back.

"Let's go Buckbeak!" I exclaimed and Buckbeak took off and I clutched the rope. Harry's arms tightened. Buckbeak soared up into the sky and we were moving forward. Buckbeak was gliding upward towards the seventh floor. "Thirteenth window." I muttered.

Despite the fact that we were literally running to beat time, I felt a flush of pleasure, feeling my brothers arms around me. I loved Harry and even though he didn't love me-at least not the way that I did- I was glad that we could still be friends. I longed for the day when I could admit to being his sister. That would probably be the best day of my life.

I pulled left and we pulled up in front of the thirteenth window. Sirius was sitting in a chair, his eyes closed. The window was small, so I was going to have to be glad that Sirius was so thin. I pulled Buckbeak as closed as I dared to the window. Harry raped on the window and Sirius gave a start.

He jumped up and came to the window. Wiping out my wand, I said "Alohomora!" The window sprang open. Wow, I hadn't used that spell in forever.

"How- how-?" Sirius asked weakly, staring at the Hippogriff.

"Get on- there's not much time." Harry said. "You've got to get out of here- the dementors are coming- Macnair's gone to get them."

Sirius placed a hand on either side of the window frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. He flipped his leg over Buckbeak's' back and pulled himself on behind Hermione, clutching around her waist. I was suddenly very aware that if I let go, all four of us would plummet to our death.

"Down Beaky, come on." I said. "The courtyard."

We flew downwards towards the courtyard. Then, Buckbeak landed and I quickly jumped off so that Harry could get down and then Hermione.

Sirius slid up on the back and I handed him the reins. "His name is Buckbeak and he's a good Hippogriff." I said, feeling tears water up behind my eyes. "Love you Puppy."

"Love you too Eilís." Sirius reached down to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Sirius, you'd better go quick." Harry said and I backed away, "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment."

"How can I ever thank-"

"GO!" The three of us yelled at him and then I added, "Just write once in a while."

"We'll see each other again." Sirius said, wheeling Buckbeak around, "You are- truly your father's son, Harry. . . and you're, your mum's daughter Elizabeth. . ."

Tears spilled out of my eyes and Sirius took off into the sky. Then I grabbed their arms and said, "Let's go."

We had eleven minutes and so we sprinted down the hallway and turned and I pulled them under the staircase, putting a finger to my lips while footsteps stomped down it at a fast past.

". . .only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties. The kiss will be performed immediately?" Snape asked.

"As soon as Macnair returns with the dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last. . . I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape. . . and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him. . ." Fudge said and they disappeared around the corner.

Harry gritted his teeth and I put a hand over my mouth so that I didn't laugh. Then, we left and sprinted up the stairs and down the left of the hallway. Luckily, the way I'd brought them meant that we didn't run into Peeves and we skidded to a stop in front of the hospital wing just as Dumbledore was coming out.

"I'm going to lock you in. It is five minutes to midnight, Miss Granger, three turns should do it as we've already discussed. Good luck."

Then Dumbledore closed the door and took out his wand to magically lock it. We ran forward and Dumbledore looked up, a wide smile under his beard. "Well?" He asked quietly.

"We did it!" Harry said breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak. . ."

Dumbledore beamed, his eyes glowing briefly with that twinkling light. "Well done. I think- Yes, I think you've gone too- get inside- I'll lock you in-"

The three of us slipped through the door. "Act like your sleeping." I hissed at them as we climbed into bed. The three of us laid down in the beds.

Madam Pomfrey came out a moment later in a horrible mood. "Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

I accepted the chocolate that she gave me and I was glad to find that it was milk chocolate because dark chocolate was too bitter for what I wanted now. I could hardly swallow the chocolate though- I was listening quite intently.

And then. . . very far above us. . . a roar of fury echoing somewhere above them. I threw myself back down on my pillow and turned my head so that it was facing the door.

"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey asked in alarm. "Really- they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left someone in the room with him. When this gets out-"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape was much easier to hear than Fudge because he was much, much louder, "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS- HAS- SOMETHING- TO - DO- WITH - POTTER!"

"Severus-be reasonable- Harry has been locked up-" Fudge was saying, his voice much closer than it had been last time.

BAM. The door to the hospital was open and my eyes were closed, mouth slack as though I was sleeping. I gave a fake jolt as the door opened.

Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore looked like he could use a box of popcorn. He looked like he was at the cinema watching a best rated comedy imaginable. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Fudge appeared angry, but Snape had reached his breaking point.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER! WHAT DID YOU DO!" Snape roared.

"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked, not as loud as Snape. . . yet. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable. This door's been locked, we just saw-" Fudge said, trying out logic.

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape said, pointing at Harry and Hermione and then turning to point at me. I yawned and stretched.

"Calm down, man! You're talking nonsense." Fudge barked severely.

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER! HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT-" Snape shrieked.

"That will do, Severus." Dumbledore said quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey said, bristling as though Dumbledore had insulted her. "I would have heard them!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus. Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." Dumbledore said calmly.

"Professor?" I asked innocently.

"Yes Elizabeth?" Dumbledore asked.

"If Sirius Black could escape Azkaban with lots of dementors around, it seem quite probable that he could escape Hogwarts with zero dementors or any guard at all, isn't it?" I kept my face blank, perhaps slightly curious.

"Yes, thank you for point that out Elizabeth." Dumbledore said.

Snape looked furiously at me. I looked hesitantly at them.

"Ah yes," Fudge said suddenly, looking uncomfortable. "Miss Kane, we will have to have a conversation, when you are better, about your father."

Harry, Hermione, and I froze. "W-what?" I asked.

"Well I can't see it being probable for you to stay in a house with a werewolf so we'll have to-" Fudge was saying.

All the blood drained from my face and Snape stopped looking angry. "Y-you can't!" I choked out. "Y- you can't take him from me!"

"Miss Kane! I have a job-"

"No!" I shrieked. I looked wildly at Dumbledore. Dumbledore was frowning at Fudge.

"I don't believe that Professor Lupin is any danger to Elizabeth, Cornelius. She's lived with him for nearly all her life. Professor Lupin has never put her in any danger." Dumbledore said.

"That as it may be!" Fudge exclaimed. "There could be a slip! She is far to important to be left alone with a creature like him."

"He's all I have." I sobbed.

"There are other families, Miss Kane." Fudge said wearily.

Tears were streaming down my face and I leaped out of my bed. Madam Pomfrey hurried over and tried to push me back into bed. "Headmaster, please." Madam Pomfrey pleaded, "My patients need to not be disturbed."

"Of course Poppy." Dumbledore said seriously this time. "Cornelius, Severus, come. Cornelius, let's continue this conversation in my office please."

I let Madam Pomfrey push me back into bed and I turned my face into my pillow and sobbed. Dad was going to be taken away from me! Where the hell was I going to stay! I couldn't lose dad. . . I couldn't. . .

Madam Pomfrey tried to give me something to drink but I refused it. I didn't want to be calm. I didn't want to be put to sleep. I didn't want something that would take the fear and distress away. I just wanted to cry my heart out. So I did. Finally, she just left it on my nightstand if I wanted it eventually and went into her office.

Ron woke up sometime and asked Harry and Hermione about what was happening. Hermione explained over my sobs. She sounded close to crying too.

I exhausted myself out eventually and fell asleep. I never took the potion.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 15

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖉, 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 looked stunned, and Sirius jumped to his feet. How dramatic, I thought.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow." Snape said, holding up Harry's invisibility cloak. My heart thudded in my chest and my fingers twitched towards my wand. "Very useful, Potter, I thank you. . . You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here? I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did. . . lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

I looked at dad exasperated. "You left the map out?"

"Severus-" Dad began, shooting me a warning glance.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout-" Snape said, eyes glinting.

"Severus, you're making a mistake." Dad said urgently, not quite angry yet. "You haven't heard everything- I can explain- Sirius is not here to kill Harry-"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight." Snape said, his eyes now gleaming. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this.. He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin. . . a tame werewolf-"

"No!" I said, stupid panic lighting in my chest. Surely Snape wouldn't give Dad to the dementors, surely not.

"You fool." Lupin whispered. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

There was a bang and thin cords burst from the end of Snape's wand, twisting around Dad's mouth, wrist, and ankles. I screamed and leapt from the couch towards Dad. Sirius threw his arms around me, holding me to his chest. Sirius glared at Snape and Snape glared at Sirius. "You let go of her now, Black." Snape said.

Sirius let go of me slowly and I dashed over to dad. "Don't you do it Kane." Snape said as I made to cut the cords. I hesitated.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Professor Snape- it- it wouldn't hurt to heart what they've got to say, w- would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school. You, Potter, Weasley, and Kane are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue."

"But if- if there was a mistake-" Hermione tried again nervously.

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Snape roared, a few sparks coming from his wand. My hands touched dad's and he took them. I squeezed tightly as Hermione went silent.

"Vengeance is very sweet." Snape breathed, looking at Black again. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you. . ."

"The jokes on you again, Severus." Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle, I'll come quietly. . ." He jerked his head towards Ron.

"Up to the castle? I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black. . . pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay. . ."

"No!" I shouted again, jumping to my feet. What was I going to do? Stand in front of Sirius?

Sirius shot me a warning glance, the colour draining out of his face, "Eilís, stay out of the way." Then to Snape, he said, "You- you've got to hear me out. The rat- look at the rat-"

But Snape was beyond reason. I shivered. "Come on, all of you." He clicked his fingers and the ropes that encased dad's hands flew to Snape's hands. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too-"

"NO!" I screamed, tears falling down my face. Threatening Sirius was one thing, threatening my dad was another. I raised my wand, tempted to curse him to oblivion. Snape's eyes widened as I pointed my wand at him. I had never hated Snape so much as I did now. There was a horrid panic in my chest. Professor Snape couldn't give dad to the dementors, he couldn't! Much to my relief, Harry crossed the room, standing in front of the doorway.

"Get out of the way, Potter, you've in enough trouble already," Snape snarled. "If I hadn't been here to save your skin-"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year. I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works, Get out of the way Potter." Snape hissed.

"Shut up!" I yelled at the same time Harry roared, "YOU'RE PATHETIC! JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT! Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee!" Snape yelled. I gnashed my teeth, hating him with a passion. "You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black- now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"

I raised my wand, realizing that Ron, Hermione, and Harry had all raised their wands too and we all shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

There was a blast and Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, sliding to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his long hair. He was out cold.

"You shouldn't have done that." Sirius said, looking at Harry and then at me, "You should have left him to me. . . "

"We attacked a teacher. . . we attacked a teacher. . ." Hermione whimpered, staring at Snape with frightened eyes. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble-"

"We'll be fine." I said confidently. Then, I bent down next to dad and quickly untied the ropes.

"Thanks sweetheart." Dad said, rubbing his wrists where they had been cut.

I took cloth from my pockets and wrapped his bleeding wrists methodically, tying knots. Dad stood up and I went to stand by Sirius who put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Harry." Dad said.

"I'm still not saying I believe you." Harry said, not looking at Sirius, Lupin, or me.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof. Ron- give me Peter, please. Now." Dad said.

Ron hesitated. "Come off it. Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean. . .Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat- there are millions of rats- how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

I was surprised. I didn't know Ron could have such deep thoughts like that.

"You know, Sirius that's a fair question." Dad said, turning to Sirius, frowning. "How did you know where he was?"

Sirius reached into his robes and pulled out the newspaper clipping and handed it to Dad.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked in amazement.

"Fudge. When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page. . . on this boy's shoulder. . . I knew him at once. . . how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts. . . to where Harry was. . . where Eilís was."

"My God." Dad said, staring from the real rat to the one in the picture. "His front paw. . ."

"What about it?" Ron asked defiantly, as though insulting Scabbers was insulting him as well.

"He's got a toe missing." Sirius said, squeezing my shoulder.

"Of course, so simple, so brilliant. . . he cut it off himself?" Dad asked.

"Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with his wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats. . ."

"Please Ron?" I begged. "Just give Dad the damn rat."

"Look, Scabbers has probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right-"

"Twelve years, in fact." Dad said. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We- we've been taking good care of him?" Ron asked uncertainly.

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" Dad asked. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again. . ."

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" Ron said, nodding to Crookshanks since he had to use both hands to hold onto Scabbers.

"No." I said. "He was ill in Egypt, remember? That's why you wanted to get him checked out at the Pet shop where he met, Crookshanks. That's why you got the Rat tonic."

Ron looked flabbergasted and Dad gave me a proud smile. "This cat isn't mad." Sirius said. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me. . . Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, looking fearfully at Crookshanks.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't. . . so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me. . . As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table."

"Neville's." I said.

"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. . . This cat- Crookshanks, did you call him?- told me Peter left blood on the sheets.. I supposed he bit himself. . . Well, faking his death had worked once. . ."

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry asked furiously. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents?"

"Harry! I'm going to slap you." I said angrily. "Open your ears."

"Harry, don't you see?" Dad said in a hurried voice. "All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down- but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father- Sirius tracked Peter down-"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP! HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!" Harry said, shouting at the top of his lungs. I looked nervously over at Snape who twitched, but didn't wake up.

"Harry. . ." Sirius croaked out and also looked at me with a silent look, saying he was including me in this but not saying it. My throat tightened. "I as good as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to change to peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. . . I'm to blame, I know it. . . The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house destroyed, and their bodies.. I realized what Peter must've done. . . what I'd done. . ."

His voice cracked and he turned away, moving past me.

"Enough of this." Dad said in a hard voice that I hadn't heard him use in years. Not since I was seven, crossing the road to get to Trangs' house and nearly got hit by a car. That was the one and only time he'd ever used a hard voice with me, scared out of his mind that I had almost been killed. "there's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron-"

But I'd already moved past all of them and yanked Scabbers out of Ron's grasp and handed him to dad. Then, to a shocked Ron, I said. "It's not going to hurt him- if he's really a rat- which he's not because I foresaw all of this."

I stayed by the others.

"Ready Sirius?" Dad asked.

Sirius had Snape's wand in his hand.

"Together?"

"I think so." Dad said, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand. "On the count of three. One- two- THREE!"

There was a flash of blue-white and Scabbers froze in mid-air and then he hit the floor. There was another blinding light and then Scabbers turned into a man.

He was a very ugly man too. He was short, about the same height as I was, perhaps slightly taller. He was fat, colourless, and there was a bald spot on his head with thin, light brown hairs sticking out like a rat nest. They matched the bald fur patches of his rat shape. His nails were sharp, yellow, and crooked like he'd chewed on them. His eyes were small, watery, and darted around constantly. They were a grey-blue color. His skin was grubby and his nose was pointed. His breathing was very fast and shallow.

"Well, hello, Peter." Dad said quite pleasantly and if it wasn't for the sudden surge of hate that was rushing through me, I might've laughed. "Long time, no see."

"S- Sirius. . . R-Remus. . ." Peter's voice was even squeaky and it grated my nerves. "My friends. . . my old friends. . ."

Sirius raised his wand arm but Lupin grabbed his wrist. I twirled my wand in my fingers. He'd killed mum and dad. He was the reason there was a gap between Harry and me. He was the reason Dad and Sirius felt guilty. He was the villain. Even though I knew what was supposed to play out, I wanted him to die. I wanted to change the future.

"We've been having a little chat, Peter." Dad said, his voice dropping to just above dangerous, "about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed-"

"Remus." Peter gasped. "you don't believe him, do you. . . ? He tried to kill me, Remus. . ."

"So we've heard." Dad said coldly.

I interrupted, "So. If he was trying to kill you, then why would you be the one to search out Sirius after Lily and James died?"

There was a buzzing silence. Dad and Sirius shifted to look at me, awe in both of their eyes.

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter said quickly, obviously hoping that no one would think the question through to much. His eyes flickering between me and the others. He pointed at Sirius with his middle finger, his pointer finger gone. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too. . . You've got to help me Remus. . ."

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out." Dad said coldly.

"Sorted things out? I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!" Peter squeaked, avoiding my gaze. Harry and I exchanged glances.

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?" Dad questioned.

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

"I thought all Death Eaters called Voldemort the Dark Lord?" I asked pleasantly while Sirius laughed and said, "Voldemort, teach me tricks?"

Peter flinched horribly at the sound of his name.

Sirius grinned, "What, scared to hear your old master's name? I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius-" Peter breathed faster, his eyes flicking from the door to Sirius. I stepped in front of the door, glaring at him, my wand raised slightly.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years. You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters." Sirius said. Peter flinched again. "I heard things in Azkaban, Peter. . . They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. . . I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information. . . and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. . . If they ever got wind that you were alive Peter. . ."

"Don't know. . . what you're talking about. . ." Peter said, his voice climbing higher and higher between panting breaths. He wiped his shining face on his dirty sleeve. "You don't believe this- this madness, Remus-"

"I must admit, Peter," Dad said evenly, "I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat."

"Innocent, but scared! If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban- the spy, Sirius Black!"

"How dare you!" Sirius growled, looking furious for a moment, "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But, you, Peter- I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us. . . me and Remus. . . and James. . ."

"Me, a spy. . . must be out of your mind. . . never. . . don't know how you can say such a-" Peter was panting, trying to talk. I supposed not talking for twelve years could lead to a gap in memory of how to talk.

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it." Sirius said so hatefully that Peter took a step back. I took a step towards him. "I thought it was a perfect plan. . . a bluff. . . Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you. . . It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."

Peter muttered random words under his breath and his eyes darted for any possible escape routes.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "Can- can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione." Dad said in a courteous manner.

"Well- Scabbers- I mean, this- this man- he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" Peter said as though Hermione's words were his salvation. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why." Sirius said. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him. . ."

"Er- Mr. Black- Sirius?" Hermione asked.

Sirius jumped and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anyone that was quite like her before. I giggled.

"If you don't mind me asking, how- how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" Peter gasped, nodding frantically as though someone might miss his gesture if he only nodded once. "Exactly! Precisely what I-" But Dad looked at him, and he shut up. Sirius frowned, not at Hermione, but at the words.

"I don't know how I did it. I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me. . . but it kept me sane and knowing who I am. . . helped me keep my powers. . . so when it all became. . . too much. . . I could transform in my cell. . . become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know. . . They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions. . . They could tell that my feelings were less- less human, less complex when I was a dog. . . but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand. . ."

Sirius broke off, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at me and then at Harry. "But then I saw Peter in the picture. . . I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry and Eilís. . . perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again. . . ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies. . . and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? If he gave Voldemort someone who could see the future? Well, he'd be welcomed back with honors."

Dad flinched and I felt an odd shiver go through me, though my body didn't show it on the outside. I'd never thought of it like that.

"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. . .It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it. . . It wasn't a happy feeling. . . it was an obsession. . . but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. . . It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. . . I was thin, very thin. . . thin enough to slip through the bars. . . I swam as a dog back to the mainland. . . I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course." He looked at me, including me with his eyes, not his words, and then at Harry, "You fly as well as your father did."

Harry didn't look away like he had before.

"Believe me. Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them." Sirius croaked out, pleading with Harry.

Harry nodded, his throat constricting.

"No!" Peter wailed, dropping to his knees. He shuffled forward on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. "Sirius- it's me. . . it's Peter. . . your friend. . . you wouldn't."

Sirius kicked out, making Peter recoil. "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them."

"Remus!" Peter turned to Dad. "You don't believe this. . . wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter." Dad said calmly as though this wasn't exciting business at all. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" Dad called over to where Sirius was standing.

"Forgive me, Remus." Sirius said. Those were the words, I knew, that he had written on the bottom of the letter that had been in my backpack.

"Not at all Padfoot, old friend." Dad said, rolling up his sleeves. I pulled my wand from my belt. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

"Of course." Sirius said, seeming more relaxed now that we were getting to the killing part. We should kill him. I thought. So many lives will be saved if we kill him. . .I think. And his body will be proof, our memories will be testimony. We should kill him. "Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so." Dad said solemnly.

"You wouldn't. . . you won't. . ." Peter scrambled around to where Ron was. "Ron. . . haven't I been a good friend. . . a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you. . . you're on my side, aren't you?"

Ron was staring at Peter as though it was an alien that had come down from space. "I let you sleep in my bed!" He cried revolted.

"Kind boy. . . kind master. . . you won't let them do it. . . I was your rat. . . I was a good pet." Peter said, crawling towards Ron. Ron wrenched his leg out of the way. I snorted.

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter." Sirius said, a bit amused.

Peter grabbed the front of Hermione's robes next. "Sweet girl. . . clever girl. . . you- you won't let them. . . Help me-"

Hermione pulled her robes away, backing up into the wall, looking horrified, and unable to find her voice.

Pettigrew turned towards me next, "Elizabeth-"

I didn't let him get another word out. So quietly, that Peter immediately went quiet, I said, "Do you know what I hear when the dementors get near me, Peter?"

Peter backed away and everyone was looking at me. Dad's eyes were penetrating. "I hear my mum screaming for my dad because he's down in the basement, hiding me away so Voldemort can't find me. I hear him whispering in my ear over my mum's screams that I'll be fine and that he loves me." Tears streamed down my cheeks. "My parents are dead, Peter, and it's your fault. I have no sympathy for you and I truly hope that you die tonight."

Peter backed even farther away from me and turned to Harry. "Harry. . . Harry. . . you look just like your father. . . just like him."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY!" Sirius roared. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM!"

"Harry, Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry. . . he would have shown me mercy. . ."

Dad and Sirius both strode forward, seizing Peter's shoulders and threw him backwards on the floor so that he was lying on his back. He lay there, twitching in terror. I moved even closer, a type of horrible anticipation coming over me.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort, do you deny it?" Sirius asked, shaking too.

"Sirius, Sirius what could I have done? The Dark Lord. . . you have no idea. . . he has weapons you can't imagine. . . I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. . . He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me-"

"DON'T LIE!" I screamed, losing complete control at the same time as Sirius.

Sirius continued farther, "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He- he was taking over everywhere!" Peter gasped. "Wh- what was there to be gained from refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!" Sirius said angrily.

"You don't understand!" Peter whined. "He would have killed me Sirius!"

I was finally standing shoulder to shoulder with Dad and Sirius (though much, much, shorter).

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"You should have realized," Dad said softly. "If Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye Peter."

I raised my wand along with the other two, but couldn't make myself really say the words. Tears fell down my cheeks. If I'd said the words, Peter would've died.

[What I didn't know then was that if I'd killed Peter, I would've saved Cedric's life. I would've saved Uncle Moody, and Fred's and Lavender's and Colin's and so many other innocent lives. But I didn't know- I hadn't seen that far. I wouldn't see that far for a long, long time.]

"No!" Harry shouted, putting himself between Peter and our wands. I dropped my arm and walked over and sat on the bed, putting my head on my knees, crying. Hermione's arm went around my shoulder. I let her comfort me, needing the sympathy she was giving me.

"You can't kill him, you can't." Harry was saying now.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents." Sirius snarled. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know. We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors. . . He can go to Azkaban. . . but don't kill him."

"Harry!" I heard Peter gasp. "You- thank you- it's more than I deserve- thank you-"

"Get off me." Harry said angrily. I guessed that Peter had tried to grab him. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because- I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers- just for you."

There was silence. Then, Sirius said, "You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry. But think. . . think what he did. . ."

"He can go to Azkaban." Harry said in a final way. "If anyone deserves that place, he does. . ."

"Very well." Dad said. "Stand aside Harry." A pause and then dad said, "I'm going to tie him up, That's all- I swear."

"But if you transform, Peter. We will kill you. You agree, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry didn't answer and dad said, "Right. Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing." I looked up as Dad hurried over. I watched the spell intently as he muttered, "Ferula," and bandages spun up Ron's legs.

Dad then helped him to his feet and Ron tested the weight on his foot. "That's better." Ron said, "Thanks and er-" He looked from Dad to me, "I- er- I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

Dad waved away the apology. "It doesn't matter."

I just nodded.

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked. I rolled over the bed onto the other side and took Snape's hand and checked his pulse.

"He's fine." I said, moving my fingers deftly over his forehead, sweeping back his hair and touching the cut. "He's still out. But umm, perhaps we don't revive him yet."

"Alright." Dad said and he muttered, "Mobilicorpus." Invisible strings pulled Snape up into a standing position. I giggled. He hung a few centimeters above the ground. I picked up the invisibility cloak and handed it over to Harry.

"And two of us should be chained to this." Sirius said, kicking Peter. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it." Dad said.

"And me." Ron said, limping forward as I was about to offer.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we finally made our way out of the tiny room, following Crookshanks. His bottlebrush tail was held up jauntily and we made our way out into the dark night.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 14

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

"𝕳𝖆𝖌𝖗𝖎𝖉." 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝖒𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 and he turned to go back. Hermione and I grabbed his arms.

"We can't." Ron said, who's face was now paper white. "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him."

"It shouldn't be like that!" I hissed.

"How-could-they?" Hermione choked out. "How could they?"

"Come on." Ron said, finally having a good grip on Scabbers and we began to walk again. I scanned around for Sirius. Darkness was starting to settle over us as we made our way slowly back to the castle.

"Scabbers keep still." Ron hissed. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still- OUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron be quiet" Hermione hissed urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute-"

"He won't-stay-put" Ron said. "What's the matter with him?"

"Crookshanks" I breathed. He was slinking towards us though he couldn't see the cloak. But perhaps he could hear our voices, most definitely Scabbers terrified squeaks. "You know." I hissed at Scabbers. "If you'd just stopped squeaking, he never would've come here, right?"

Scabbers paid me no attention.

"Crookshanks." Hermione moaned. "No, go away. Crookshanks! Go away!"

The cat paid her no attention.

"Scabbers- NO!" Ron suddenly shouted, making me jump. The rat slipped between his fingers and scampered away. Crookshanks raced after him and then- Ron threw off the cloak and raced after Crookshanks. I marked the time sloppily.

"Ron!" Hermione moaned and I darted out from under the cloak, gaining on Ron. "Get away from him- get away-Scabbers come here- Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat-"

I skidded to a stop behind Ron, having passed him as he threw himself downwards into the grass. Harry and Hermione nearly ran into me.

"Ron- come on- back under the cloak- Dumbledore- The Minister- they'll be coming back out in a minute-" Hermione panted between breaths.

Then there was a pounding of large paws. I moved out of the way so that Sirius had a clear line of shot for Ron. I moved forward a little bit. Sirius had used Harry's chest as a springboard and was now grabbing Ron's arm between his teeth. He started dragging Ron- and Scabbers- away from us.

Suddenly, something snapped across my face. I yelped and ducked. I had forgotten about the Whomping Willow. Harry was knocked of his feet and Hermione shrieked with pain.

"Lumos." I said, pulling out my wand. It was a bright white which was good. Ron was fighting furiously. I held my other hand to where the tree had whipped me and found that my cheek was bleeding.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, his wand lit too.

Ron's leg tried to hook itself around the tree, but there was a sound like thunder and Ron's legs went under the tree as well.

"Harry- we've got to go for help-" Hermione gasped. I saw her shoulder was bleeding.

"No." I said.

And that was that.

"Crookshanks." I called out. "Stop the tree."

Crookshanks darted forward and place his paws upon a knot on the trunk. The tree stopped moving immediately.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. "How did he know-"

"He's friends with the dog." Harry said. "I've seen them together. Come on- and keep your wand out-"

I led the way eagerly. I couldn't wait for Harry and the others to realize that Sirius was innocent.

"Where's Ron?" I heard Hermione asked behind me as I followed Crookshanks down the path.

"Follow Liz." Harry said.

"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. . ." Harry said.

"Shrieking Shack." I answered. I was moving faster than the others since I didn't have to stoop over to move. I raised my wand higher as we reached the end of the tunnel which ended with a turn. I turned around the corner and found myself in a large dusty room. Grey paper that might have once been blue was peeling on the walls. All of the furniture that had been in the room was broken. The windows were completely boarded up.

Harry was looking around as he and Hermione rounded the corner. His eyes rested on a chair with three legs. "Ghosts don't do that." He said slowly.

I nodded. "It was never a ghost that was in here." I didn't elaborate. There was a creak from upstairs. Hermione's fingers were gripping Harry's arm very tightly. I started up the crumbling staircase, my wand still raised.

Suddenly, I came to a stop, turning to Harry, and I said, "Harry, when we go in here, I want you to remember that I would never, ever, do anything to hurt you, do you understand?"

I looked back. Harry looked confused. "Yeah?" He said hesitantly. I nodded and then finished going up the stairs. When we reached the dark landing, I said, "Nox" and my wand light went out.

I headed through the open door. Crookshanks was sitting on the bed and Ron was sitting on the floor, clutching his leg and moaning in pain. I glanced behind me briefly and saw Sirius. Harry and Hermione rushed in and came over to Ron.

"Ron- are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Where's the dog?" Harry asked.

"Not a dog." Ron moaned through his teeth. "Harry, it's a trap-"

Harry shot me a look. I rolled my eyes.

"What-" Hermione asked.

"He's the dog. . . he's an Animagus. . ." Ron stared over Harry's shoulder. Sirius closed the door.

He looked better than I had seen in my vision. He didn't look too much like a dead person- probably because I'd been giving him food.

"Expelliarmus!" He croaked and Harry and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands. Sirius caught them. They both noticed that I still had my wand. I checked my watch, and marked the time.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend." He said. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful. . . it will make everything much easier. . ."

Hate spread over Harry's face. He started forward towards Harry. Ron and Hermione both grabbed Harry's arms. "No, Harry!" Hermione said.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron shouted, trying to stand upright, clutching onto Harry's shoulder.

"Lie down." Sirius said in a soft voice. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly.

"Yes." I snapped. "We heard you. Sirius isn't here to kill me or Harry or Hermione or you. He's here for something much different and if you would just listen, this will be done."

"There'll be only one murder here tonight." Sirius said and smiled.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, turning his head from me to Sirius. "Didn't' care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew. . . What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed at him fearfully. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and then, he jumped at Sirius, knocking him to the ground. Hermione screamed, Ron started yelling. I went and sat on the couch. It'd be nice to have popcorn and watch the whole drama play out. Funny really, all the Professors listened to everything I said, but the students never did. Even the students that were supposedly my best friends. I supposed one day they'd learn to listen to me.

Sirius put his hand around Harry's throat, trying to push him off. Hermione got up and kicked out at Sirius and Ron threw himself at him as well. I sighed, leaning onto my hand.

Harry threw himself towards his wand and Crookshanks leaped from the bed onto Harry's arms, sinking his claws in.

"Argh!" Harry yelled out. "NO YOU DON'T!" Harry shouted as Crookshanks leaped onto Harry's wand. He aimed a kick at the cat.

"STOP IT! ALL OF YOU!" I shouted angrily. Hermione and Ron backed off. Sirius lay on the ground. Harry, standing over Sirius, his wand pointed at his chest.

"Going to kill me Harry?" Sirius asked, chuckling.

"You killed my parents." Harry said with a shaking voice.

"I don't deny it." Sirius said quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story? You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know." Harry said furiously.

"You've got to listen to me, You'll regret it if you don't. . . You don't understand." Black said, urgently now.

"I understand a lot better than you think." Harry said, his voice shaking more, "You never heard her, did you? My mum. . . try to stop Voldemort killing me. . . and you did that. . . you did that. . ."

Crookshanks lept onto Sirius's chest, and settled himself down on his heart. Sirius blinked and looked down at the cat.

"Get off," He murmured, pushing Crookshanks.

Hermione sobbed. Harry looked down, tightening his grip on his wand. He would kill both of them. I got up and stepped in front of Harry.

"Harry," I said softly. "Please? Just listen."

Harry looked into my eyes, gauging my reaction. I didn't have my wand out, I had it in my pocket. Then, I stepped to the side.

There was a new sound, footsteps downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE! WE'RE UP HERE- SIRIUS BLACK- QUICK!" Hermione screamed.

Sirius made a startled movement and looked at me. "It's just dad." I whispered in undertone. Harry gripped his wand, stilling pointing it at Sirius. I waited, heart pounding and went back to sit on the couch.

The door burst open in a shower of red sparks. Dad came hurtling into the room, face pale, his wand raised, his eyes flickered around the room, resting on me. Then, he cried, "Expelliarmus!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione's wands flew into the air again and he caught them.

Then dad spoke in a very tense voice, "Where is he, Sirius?"

Harry's face turned into one of confusion. At the same time, Sirius and I pointed to Ron.

"But then. . ." Dad was looking hard at Sirius. ". . .why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless-" Dad's eyes widened "-unless he was the one. . . unless you switched. . . without telling me."

Sirius and I simply nodded.

"Professor, what's going on-" Harry asked but didn't finished the question as dad lowered his wand and strode towards black, seized his hand, pulled him up and hugged him. I smiled, relieved.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed furiously.

Dad let go of Sirius and turned to her. She was standing up, having raised herself up from where she had been crouching behind the door, pointing. "You- you-"

"Hermione-" Dad started.

"-you and him!"

"Hermione, calm down-" I snapped.

"I didn't tell anyone! I've been covering up for you-" She was shrieking.

Dad yelled over her, "Hermione, listen to me, please I can explain-"

Harry shouted too, "I trusted you! And all this time you've been his friend!"

"No he hasn't!" I snapped.

"You're wrong." Dad said. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now- Let me explain. . ."

"NO! Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too- he's a werewolf!"

There was silence and I was in shock. Dad wanted Harry dead because he was a werewolf? No, that was over the line. I got up fast to throw myself at Hermione and Dad grabbed me around the waist. "No." He growled in my ear.

I stared at her angrily, furiously.

Then dad said, "Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione. Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not bee helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead. . ." He shivered. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Dad let go of me. Ron made an effort to get up again but he fell back with a whimper of pain. Dad went to go help him but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

"You!" I said furiously. Dad had stopped walking and I lunged at Ron too. Dad grabbed me again. "You aren't going to attack your friends." Dad said. "Not over something like this."

"I have no friends!" I yelled suddenly. Dad let go of me in shock and the other three looked at me, also shocked, and Hermione's face was a bit hurt. Sober and pent out of energy, I went and sulked on the couch.

Then to Hermione he said, "How long have you known?"

"Ages. . ." Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay. . ."

"And you never thought to tell me?" I snapped. Blood was still running down my face from where the Whomping Willow had hit me.

"You didn't tell us!" Hermione said angrily.

"Oh gee, I wonder why?" I asked sarcastically. "Look how people react! My dad is a perfectly good person and if you three would shut up and listen, you would understand what is going on but you keep shouting out fake accusations from stuff you've overheard and you DON'T BLOODY UNDERSTAND!"

My chest heaved with emotion. I was angry with them, the way they reacted. Hermione looked a bit ashamed. Good.

"I have not been helping Sirius." Dad said quickly, looking from me to them. Perhaps he thought that if he didn't talk immediately I'd attack them. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look-" He threw their wands back to them and I quickly drew mine out. "There," Lupin said, sticking his own wand into his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen? Elizabeth put your wand away."

I clenched my teeth and went and sat back down on the couch angrily, putting my wand between my knees.

"If you haven't been helping him. . ." Harry said slowly, "how did you know he was here?"

"The map." Dad said. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it-"

"You know how to work it?" Harry asked, sounding more surprised and less angry.

"Of course I know how to work it, I helped write it. I'm Moony- that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

"You wrote-" Harry started.

Dad interrupted. "The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, Hermione, and Elizabeth were going to try and sneak out of the castle and visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?" He started to pace up and down. "You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry-"

"How d'you know about the cloak?"

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it. . ." Lupin said, drifting off and exchanged a look with me. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were no accompanied by somebody else."

"What? No, we weren't." Harry protested.

"I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" Harry said.

"And then," Dad continued, ignoring Harry. "I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black. . . I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow-"

"One of us!" Ron interjected.

"No, Ron. Two of you." Dad stopped pacing, looking at Ron. "Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he asked.

"What? What's Scabbers got to do with it?" Ron asked, confused now instead of angry though he gave me a wary look.

"Everything. Could I see him, please?"

Ron put his hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing to get away. However, Crookshanks didn't move, though he made a soft hissing noise. Ron was holding Scabbers by his tail.

"What?" Ron asked, as Lupin, Sirius, and I all looked at the rat. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat." Sirius said.

"What d'you mean- of course he's a rat-" Ron said, looking at Sirius as though he were stupid.

"No, he's not." I said. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew." Sirius said.

There were a few seconds of silence and then Ron said, "You're both mental." Ron said, then he looked at me. "You- you think they're telling the truth?"

I shook my head no and both dad and Sirius gaped at me. "I don't believe it. I know it." I said, looking at him with steady eyes. I couldn't blame him and Hermione anymore. The Wizarding prejudices were what caused this reaction.

Sirius lunged suddenly, at Scabbers. I leapt up and Dad and I grabbed his arms and we drew him away. "No, Sirius." I said. "Not yet. They have to know the whole story. I could explain everything, but it has to come from your mouth."

"Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts I don't understand. And Harry- you owe Harry the truth." Dad said.

"All right then" Sirius said. "Tell them what you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for."

"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die." Harry said, his anger back. "A whole street full of them."

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Sirius said angrily, watching the rat in Ron's hands.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter." Dad said thoughtfully. I cleared my throat meaningfully. "Well," dad said, "Elizabeth never did, from the age of seven she declared he was innocent- that she had a feeling. I thought maybe it was because. . . well anyways. I believed Sirius was guilty- until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies. . . Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."

Harry looked at Ron and their eyes met.

Then, Hermione spoke in a trembling voice, "But Professor Lupin, Scabbers can't be Pettigrew. . . it just can't be true, you know it can't."

"Why can't it be true?" Dad asked calmly as though we were in a classroom. I nearly laughed aloud except I was furious with the lot of them.

"Because. . . because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework- the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list-"

"There are also seven unregistered Animagi." I said calmly. "Peter the rat, Sirius the dog, James the deer and the others I don't know yet."

"James?" Harry asked. "Like-"

"Your dad?" I said with difficulty. "yes."

"He was a deer?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"A stag, to be more exact." I said.

"You're both right, Hermione and Elizabeth." Dad said. "Sirius, Peter, and James were all unregistered so they wouldn't be on the list."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on Remus. I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer." Sirius said.

"All right. . . but you'll need to help me, Sirius." Dad said, rubbing his chin. "I only know how it began. . ."

Dad broke off, there was a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord and dad looked out. "No one there. . ."

I grinned and then quickly sucked in my cheeks. I winced. Both emotions had hurt my cheek. I wiped under the cut, removing blood. I looked at where Snape was standing under the cloak and then away quickly.

"This place is haunted." Ron exclaimed.

"It's not." Dad said, still looking at the door. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted. . . The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me." He pushed his red hair out of his eyes and said, "That's where all of this starts- with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten. . . and if I hadn't been so foolhardy. . ."

He looked so tired and upset my heart ached. Ron opened his mouth but Hermione said, "Shh."

"I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform. . . I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again. Before the Wolfsbane potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month."

I tutted in annoyance. Dad smiled back at me. "Elizabeth's always been a bit biased towards the negative views towards me. Anyways, it seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school. . ." Dad looked at Harry now, "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house, the tunnel that leads to it, they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."

Everyone was listening with rapt attention. The only other sounds were Scabbers, who was still squirming on the bed. I looked at the rat distastefully.

"My transformations in those days were- were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violet spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor. . . Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't approach it. . . But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends that Elizabeth has already named, Peter, Sirius, and James."

Dad paused for a split second and then said, "Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her. . . I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you Hermione, worked out the truth. . ."

Ron was starting to look a bit ashamed and gave me a guilty look. I shrugged my shoulders.

"And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi. It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong- one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

"But how did that help you?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals. A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James' invisibility Cloak. They transformed. . . Peter, as the smallest could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."

"Hurry up, Remus." Sirius said.

"I'm getting there, Sirius. Well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did. . . and that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot, Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."

"That was still really dangerous!" Hermione exclaimed. "Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip and bitten somebody?"

"A thought that still haunts me. And there were near misses too, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless- carried away with our own cleverness. I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course. . . he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed. . ."

I looked at him sharply. His face had hardened with self-disgust and hate. "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me. . . and Dumbledore's trust meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am, having to resort to Muggle jobs to keep my daughter fed. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it. . . so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

"No he hasn't." I said sharply. I felt terrible about everything he was saying.

"Snape?" Sirius asked harshly, finally taking his eyes off of Peter. "What's Snape got to do with it?"

"He's here, Sirius." Dad said. "He's teaching here as well."

Sirius made a sound of disgust. I giggled. "He's a good teacher." I said earnestly. "But he hasn't been right about dad at all."

"Sure." Sirius said with contempt.

"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons. . . you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me-"

Sirius snorted. "It served him right. Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to. . . hoping he could get us expelled. . ."

"Severus was very interested in where I went every month." Dad said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, ignoring Sirius. "We were in the same year, you know and we- er- didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field. . . anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be- er- amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf- but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life. . . Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was. . ."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you." Harry said. "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right." Professor Snape said, pulling the cloak off of himself, his wand pointed at dad.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 13

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕯𝖆𝖉'𝖘 𝖊𝖝𝖆𝖒 𝖜𝖆𝖘 early the next morning. He'd set up an obstacle course which was extremely fun, though dangerous. It was also, I thought privately, more useful than any other exam considering this would pertain to what would happen in real life.

There was a deep paddling pool with a grindylow, a road of potholes with red caps, a marsh with hinkypunks, and a trunk where we had to battle a boggart.

Most of the students did well, perhaps messing up in only one place or maybe even two. I did well until I got to the trunk. I stood in front of it, not necessarily wanting to climb down and see what my fear was now. Had it changed? Was it different? What if I couldn't find a way to defeat my fear?

Dad put an encouraging hand on my shoulder and whispered, "remember that whatever you see, I love you."

I nodded and opened the trunk and climbed inside. There was about five feet of space on all sides and I shivered slightly, claustrophobia settling in.

The boggart appeared and took the form of a clown. But it wasn't just any clown- it was Pennywise the clown. Pure white face with a huge receding hairline with red hair like Fred's. It wore a ruffled costume, also white, but dirty and matted with the standard red puffballs as the buttons. His eyes were yellowy orange with red scars going across both eyes. His mouth and nose were also painted red and when he smiled, he had teeth like a shark, jagged and more than one row. In his hand- with clawed fingers- was a singular red balloon.

"We all float down here." The clown said softly. Against my will, I shrieked, jumping backwards, and slamming my back into the ladder rungs. I cried out in pain next.

Just a Boggart, it's just a boggart. Just a stupid mother effing boggart Elizabeth.

"Float. . . we float down here Lizzy." Pennywise said. "Want a balloon? We all float."

I raised my wand, shuddering and cried, "Riddikulus!"

The clown shuddered and became a stuffed unicorn but I couldn't find laughter. I was still shaking. I put my wand in my pocket and turned, climbing the ladder. My fingers were slippery with sweat and I was trembling violently with fright. That was unnatural, it shouldn't exist. It didn't exist, of course it didn't. It was just a book character, that was all. Just a stupid boggart.

Dad looked worried when I finally climbed out of the trunk. Under his breath he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah." I said, trying to swallow with a dry mouth. "I forgot how small the trunk was and I slammed my back into the ladder rungs because the boggart was so large. That's all."

Dad looked relieved.

"Full points." Dad said and I went to stand with the others while the next person went. I was so glad that Dad couldn't see my boggart. But then again, it was my fault for reading IT so many times. But I was also glad that it wasn't Dad anymore.

I redid the hour so that I could take the Magical Theory exam. It was a confusing exam based on the nature on magic. How spells worked, theoretical aspects of magic, and also magical law. It was a very interesting class, like a mix of History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Charms. Except no magic was used in the class.

I went to potions next where I had to brew a confusing concoction from memory. My hands shook every time he walked past me. You're being ridiculous! I snapped at myself each time. But I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

I redid the hour over so that I could go to Care of Magical Creatures exam. Hagrid simply said if our flobberworms were alive at the end of the hour, we passed. I left my flobberworm by itself. I went to sit with Hagrid in silence. He didn't seem able to say much.

After the exam, we went up to eat lunch. Charms and Muggle Studies were to be taken at the same time. I went to Charms first, redoing the hour for Muggle Studies. Astronomy had to be done at midnight.

That left Herbology and History of Magic tomorrow. That was nice. It was a shame that tomorrow was also Buckbeak's execution.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, after my exams, before dinner, I walked down to Hagrid's cabin and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it. He wasn't crying, he just looked like a dead man standing.

"Oh, Hullo Elizabeth." He said. Off in the distance, I saw Fudge and the executioner talking to Dumbledore. "Buckbeak. . . he lost teh appeal. He's teh be executed. . . at sunset."

"I want to ride him." I demanded.

Hagrid stared at me for a second. "Alrigh' but I don' wan' yeh teh get in trouble."

"I won't." I said, setting my jaw.

Hagrid had Buckbeak in the pumpkin patch. He untied the rope. I bowed to Buckbeak and he bowed back immediately and I rushed over and petted his head. With Hagrid's help, I was sitting on his back. I turned Buckbeak around so that we would go away from Fudge. I knew Buckbeak had to be a 'fugitive' at the end of the day, but I wanted to ride him for one last time.

We took off and soared higher than I had ever soared on a broom. I felt free though, and I wasn't scared of the fall. It was peaceful up here, and Buckbeak was happy to be spreading his wings. I was happy for him. We soared over the forest and as I looked down, I saw galloping centaurs and farther to the left, there was a large spider. Then Buckbeak soared over the forest on the right side and I saw a large black dog. But all of these creatures weren't really more than sepcks on the forest floor.

I found however, as Buckbeak crowed with freedom and we dropped back to the ground, I was crying. I dismounted and put our heads together and sobbed one big sob.

"I love you Buckbeak." I said throwing my arms around his neck. I felt his head dip down so that his beak was touching the small of my back. After a moment or two I stepped back, wiping tears off my face. Hagrid wiped away one of his own tears.

"Don' come down at sunset." Hagrid said, "I don' wan' yeh teh see teh. . . yeh know. . ."

I shook my head but headed off, wiping away my tears. I wished that I could hurt Draco. This was all his bloody fault! But I kept my head. This had to play out a certain way, I knew this. In the redo, Hermione and Harry would save Buckbeak to save Sirius. It had to play out this way. . . It just had to.

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𝕬𝖙 𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖗, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 four of us sat at the Gryffindor table. I avoided looking at the teachers' table. None of us were eating. I was close to tears and distracted myself by stabbing a piece of sponge cake and watching cream pool out of the holes. It was actually quite satisfying and I continued to stab it rather viciously. Harry mindlessly continued stirring his spoon in his stew. Ron was eating half-heartedly. Hermione was just watching me mutilate the desert.

Finally, we left and headed into an empty chamber. Hermione and I pressed our ears up to the door, waiting for the last person to come up. If only Harry had the marauders map. . . but dad had taken it away from him and I hadn't see it in dad's office, though I had looked for it multiple times. I figured he might be carrying it on him. It was a reminder of when the four of them had created something amazing.

Four of them. . . like there were four of us now. But none of us would betray the other. . . right?

"Okay, no one there- cloak on-" Hermione said. I checked my watch briefly, marking the time with a marker on the inside of my elbow.

We had to walk very closely together because four of us barely fit under the cloak. Luckily, I was a bit shorter than the other three so I didn't have to crouch to walk and it worked out nicely.

The sun was sinking behind the Forbidden Forest. It cast long shadows down the grassy green slopes and gray stone steps. The Black Lake sparkled as the sun's long beams cast down on it. We made our way down to Hagrid's cabin. Fudge and the executioner were in the castle, most likely in Dumbledore's office.

We walked faster as we neared Hagrid's cabin. Harry knocked. I marked the time again quickly. Hagrid took a long moment to open the door. Then, he looked around for his visitor, his normal red face was nearly bloodless.

"It's us, We're wearing the invisibility cloak." Harry hissed. "Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered but he let us through and we headed into the cabin and took the invisibility cloak off. Hagrid shut the door.

Hagrid didn't sit down. He wasn't crying either. He didn't ask for any comfort. In some ways, this helpless mature person was worse to watch than if he'd sobbed his heart out. I felt tears spring to my eyes and I wiped them away furiously.

"Wan' some tea?" He asked. His hands were shaking as he reached for the tea kettle.

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking around the cabin.

"I- I took him outside." Hagrid said in a thick voice, but he wasn't crying. He spilled milk all over the table. I quickly made it disappear with my wand. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'- an' smell fresh air- before-"

He dropped the milk jug before I could catch it. It shattered across the floor.

"I'll do it, Hagrid." Hermione said quickly.

"There's another one in the cupboard." Hagrid said, finally sitting down and wiping his forehead on his long sleeves.

I cleaned up the mess with a twirl of my wand. I was getting good at cleaning up stuff. Hermione grabbed the milk jug that was in the cupboard.

"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked anxiously. "Dumbledore-"

"He's tried." Hagrid said hopelessly. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared. . . Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like. . . threatened 'em, I expect. . . 'an the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's. . . but it'll be quick an' clean. . . an' I'll be beside him. . ." Hagrid swallowed hard. His eyes were darting through the cabin, searching for comfort.

"Elizabeth, can't you do something?" Harry pleaded.

I snorted, arms crossed. "I already tried. Told him this afternoon that Buckbeak wasn't a danger. But it doesn't do any good. He knows I hate Draco. Besides, I see the future. Telling him about the past doesn't help any. By the time I thought, sometime around my exam, to think of saying that I foresaw Buckbeak winning the appeal, it was too late."

You're lying, my mind hissed at me. Which was true, of course, but this had to be worked out in a certain way.

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it- while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter- ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore. . ."

Hermione let out a small sob. She straightened up from where she was making tea and said, "We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." She said.

Hagrid shook his head. "Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway. . . If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, Yeh'll be in big trouble."

Hermione quickly turned away as tears spilled over her cheeks, hiding them from Hagrid. Then, she let out a shriek, "Ron! I- I don't believe it- it's Scabbers!"

I marked a third time.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, confused, his mouth open. Perhaps he thought Hermione had cracked from stress.

Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. Instead of milk pouring out, a small thin rat came out instead. I shuddered. I hated rats, even if they were rats that were actually Animagi.

"Scabbers!" Ron said in a blank way, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"

I rolled my eyes, thinking of how much hate had taken place between Hermione and Ron because of the stupid rat that wasn't a rat. Ron grabbed Scabbers and held him up in the light. I was glad to find that he looked horrible. He was thin and shriveled, with large patches of fur missing.

"It's okay, Scabbers!" Ron said as Scabbers struggled in his hands, trying to free himself. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

Except me, I thought. I breathed in deeply.

Hagrid stood up, his face having turned a yellow-brown parchment color. "They're comin'"

I looked out the window and then over at the forest and grinned. Then, I looked back at the path of people coming. Dumbledore was leading, his silver beard gleaming in the sunlight. Next was Fudge, looking hot in his suit. The last was an old Committee member and the last was the person I hated the most out of all of them- Macnair, the executioner.

"Yeh gotta go!" Hagrid said. Every inch of him was visibly trembling. "They mustn' find yeh here. . . go now. . ."

I hesitated and Hermione grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the back of the cabin. "I'll let yeh out the back way."

We were in his garden and more tears streamed down my face as I saw Buckbeak tethered in the pumpkin patch. Buckbeak seemed aware of what was going to happen. He kept turning his neck and pawed the ground with his paw.

"It's okay beaky." Hagrid said in a quivering voice. "It's okay." He turned to us. "Go on, get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't-" Hermione said.

"We'll tell them what really happened-" Ron interjected.

"They can't kill him-" Harry seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

"Go!" Hagrid said fiercely, "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

Hermione lifted the cloak and we all squeezed under it. "Go quick." Hagrid said hoarsely. "Don' listen. . ."

We set off silently to the other side of the house, timing it perfectly. By the time we reached the front of the house, the front door closed with a snap. I marked the time.

"Pick up the pace." I said tersely as we started walking.

"Please, let's hurry." Hermione agreed, "I can't stand it, I can't bear it. . ."

But it was hard to go faster when we had to go uphill. The sun was sinking fast now, the sky was a brilliant purple- tinged with gray and gold. And in the west, it was ruby-red with hints of orange.

However, as we reached the top of the hill, Ron stopped walking.

"Oh, please, Ron." Hermione whispered frantically.

"It's Scabbers- he won't-stay put-" Ron hissed, grabbing Scabbers and trying to shove him in his pocket.

"Stupid Scabbers." I hissed. "We're under an invisibility cloak, stop struggling."

But Scabbers continued to flail, trying to sink his little teeth into Ron's hand to free himself. "Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron." Ron said.

A door opened behind us and we heard men's voices.

"Oh Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione whispered hysterically.

"Okay- Scabbers, stay put-"

We moved forward again, as quickly as possible with Ron struggling to the side of us. I tried to block out the noises. Of course, everything would be okay the second time but as for the first time. . . I didn't want to hear it.

Ron stopped again. "I can't hold him- Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us-"

Scabbers was loud but I could still hear the voices down at Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Then, the voices all cut off and there was a loud whistling sound and a thud of an axe. I grabbed Harry's arm, sure I'd faint. Hermione swayed on the spot, her face pale.

"They did it!" She whispered to Harry. "I d-don't believe it-they did it!"

Behind us, Hagrid began to howl. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 11

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 4:27 in the morning and fell asleep in the chair- this time on purpose. I was to tired to try and get up to the dorm.

Cedric woke me up around 8. "go up to the dorm and get some real sleep." He said as I sat up and rubbed my sore neck.

"Good thing it's a Sunday." I muttered. I gathered all my things up and went up to the dorm and fell asleep. I woke up around three o'clock in the afternoon and finished some more homework.

I got dressed in fresh clothes and then headed downstairs for some lunch. I looked up at the teachers table. Dumbledore nodded to me once.

Hermione was at the Gryffindor table, reading her textbook while Harry and Ron were farther down the table. I sat across from her, yawning. I still felt rather tired.

"Oh, Hello Elizabeth." Hermione said, looking up. Her eyes were red.

"You okay Hermione?" I asked, concerned, looking at the food, finding I didn't want to eat, and laid my head down on my arms. I could feel concerned eyes on me- probably Dad.

"Sirius Black attacked Ron last night." Hermione said and her bottom lip quivered. I looked down at where Ron was entertaining some people with his story. Harry watched, looking thoughtful.

I pulled out my case file on Buckbeak. "Yes, I heard. Got woken up at 2 or something in the morning cause Dumbledore wanted me."

"You didn't have a vision?" Hermione asked, concerned.

I shook my head. "I was too focused on other things for visions to get through. I've been able to control them better because of Divination."

Hermione scoffed. I chuckled humorlessly.

"I know what you think about Trelawney." I said, sitting up, pulling over carrots, and started chomping them down in a hungry manner. "And while she's not the best teacher, the tactics that are taught are what I really needed."

"Want to go down to Hagrid's?" Hermione asked. "I was just about to go down. You look like you could do with some fresh air too."

I nodded, "Just let me grab some food." I grabbed a plate and put different foods on it and then covered it with a lid and put it in my bag, making sure it was upright.

Hermione and I got up, she tucked her book under her arm and we walked towards the side days and then were intercepted by Draco and his buddies.

"Where are you going Kane?" Draco asked. What a stupid git, doing this in front of the Professors.

"None of your business Draco." I hissed.

"Going to that sorry case of a Professor and his stupid hippogriff?" Draco said, laughing, eyes glinting.

Suddenly, I was a bit worried about myself because I was very close to punching him in the face.

"You watch your step Malfoy." I said in a cold voice. "I'm at the end of my tether. You come at me or insult anyone I like again and you're going to be in the hospital wing for a week."

I took Hermione by the arm and dragged her around Draco and his friends. We were nearly out the door when Draco shouted, "YOUR FATHER IS A LOSER OF A PROFESSOR."

The Great Hall went silent, people turning in their seats, Professors looking up from their meals, and in a flash I had turned around and shot a spell at him. I wasn't even sure what it was, my brain had stopped working. Draco was lifted into the air nearly thirty feet in the air and flew across the hall, smashing into the wall and sliding to the floor.

There were gasps of concerns and hoots of laughter from Gryffindor. I couldn't look at the Professor's table, afraid of what dad's expression was. My eyes were blazing with fire. Then I turned and walked out, the doors slamming behind us.

Hermione was quiet the entire way down to the Hagrid's and then she said in a nervous voice, "You shouldn't have done that, you're going to be in so much trouble. Oh, you shouldn't have done that!"

"So be it." I snarled, "No one insults my dad and gets away with it."

She was silent and I knocked angrily on Hagrid's door. Hagrid opened it up, warily. "Oh Hullo Elizabeth- Hermione." He said, stepping back. I stomped into the cabin.

"What's got her so riled up?" Hagrid asked Hermione as she stepped in after me.

"Malfoy insulted her dad." Hermione answered.

"What'd she do?" Hagrid asked.

"I don't know." Hermione answered. "I didn't recognize the spell."

"I didn't either." I said, trying to calm down. It wasn't really working. "I wasn't thinking at all but I'm glad I did it- I don't care how many detentions I get."

"Is he seriously injured?" Hagrid asked though I wasn't sure if he was asking in concern.

"Unfortunately not." I hissed. "He just rose into the air and slammed into the wall, that's it."

Hagrid sighed, "Yeh shouldn' of done it Elizabeth. His dad-"

"Don't care." I said sharply. I pulled out the plate of food I had brought with me and started eating and then pulled out the file I was working on for the trial.

Buckbeak was in the corner and I tossed him one of the chicken wings I had. He chomped it up immediately.

Hagrid had his horrible brown suit that he was going to wear to the trial soon. He poured tea and gave us bath buns. Since I was already eating, I declined. Hermione and I helped put together some cards for Hagrid to use as reference.

Hagrid meanwhile, asked about the attack on Ron.

"He's being a git." I said. "All because of his stupid rat and Hermione's cat."

"Ah." Hagrid said in understanding. Hermione had been here even more than I had over the few weeks that Ron wasn't talking to her. "But surely yeh care that he was attacked?"

I sighed in reluctance. My anger at Draco wasn't completely burned out yet. "Yeah, I suppose so." Hermione's eyes were filled with tears.

"From now on though." Hagrid said thoughtfully, "Yeh 'ought ter wait up at teh castle fer me ter come and get yeh guys."

I scoffed. "Hagrid, neither Hermione and I are in danger from Sirius Black, trust me."

And that was the end of that discussion.

Hagrid had sent an owl to Harry and Ron that morning to come down to his cabin at 6:00. So at 4:30, Hermione and I left the cabin. She did not want to run into Ron. I didn't either. I was afraid that I might use the spell again and send him flying into the lake.

Hermione headed to the Gryffindor common room to work on her homework. I headed off to the library because I was going to get more homework done when Professor Snape came sweeping down the stairs and glared at me and said, "Come with me."

Heart pounding, I followed him down the stairs and into the potions classroom. Snape slammed the door behind me. I kept my back to the wall as he faced me and he placed a hand on one side of my head, looking furious.

"What was that spectacle this morning Kane!" He barked.

I flushed, feeling apprehensive, curious, angry, fearful, guilty, and also an emotion that I didn't recognize. . . maybe Joy? It was something happy, being so close to him, but happy wasn't really the right word. Neither was Joy. I didn't know the word but it felt good, whatever it was. "He insulted-"

"-Your dad, I know that!" he hissed, "What was the spell that you used?"

"I have no idea." I replied honestly, trying to think coherently with him so close. "I wasn't thinking anything when I pulled my wand on him."

"You're in trouble you know?" Professor Snape said still angry, but not as angry.

"Yes, I figured as much." I said.

We stared at each other for a moment. I had brief flashes from my dream, his hands, his mouth, his abs and I flushed even more.

"Thirty points from Hufflepuff and a detention tonight." He said, turning away, dropping his hand from beside my head.

"That's it?" I asked shocked and just a little relieved, "He's your favorite student and that's all the punishment I'm getting?"

Snape turned and looked at me for a moment and then turned back around and said, "He's not my favorite student." Then he walked into his office and slammed the door behind him.

I shook my head, confused, but headed out of the potions classroom. I made my way to the library again and this time, Professor Sprout came bustling out of the library and approached me.

"Ah Miss Kane, I've been looking for you." she said. She didn't look happy

"Professor Snape already punished me." I said glumly.

She looked surprised, "Oh, well in that case, I suppose I don't have anything to say."

"Elizabeth!" Came a sharp voice. I turned and saw dad coming down the stairs, "A word."

I sighed, said good-bye to Professor Sprout, and followed Dad into his office. "What was that?" He asked, arms crossed.

I shuffled my feet. "Professor Snape already punished me." I muttered again.

"Don't care." Dad said abruptly. "Why did you attack the Malfoy boy?"

"Because he insulted you!" I said, pink spots appearing on my cheeks. "Because he insulted you and I love you. Because he's trying to make Hagrid lose his job, because he tried to hurt Harry at the game, and because I'm reaching the end of my patience!"

I glared at dad, fists clenched tightly to my sides. But I didn't cry. Oh no, I was never going to let dad see me cry ever again.

"You aren't supposed to defend me." Dad snapped angrily.

"Fine! I won't!" I snapped, my anger peaking again, and I stormed out the classroom, slamming the door closed behind me.

Instead of going to the library, I went up to the Owlery. Sadie immediately flew down and rested on my arm and I fed her a treat that I had in my pocket. That was when I cried, breaking down where no one but owls could see me. I really had reached the end of my patience. Perhaps everyone was right. I really was working to hard. I was to stressed. I needed to get some things in order.

I used Sadie as a handkerchief but she didn't mind, nuzzling her little beak against my cheek or ear or hair. I petted her as well, smoothing her feathers until my fingers seemed to go numb from cold.

Around eight o'clock I went back in the castle and headed down into the dungeons to serve my detention. After that, I went to bed and woke up around seven.

There was a Hogsmeade trip today, but I didn't feel like going. My stomach was in knots. Hagrid's trial was today. I got up and headed down straight to his cabin. He didn't look so well but Buckbeak looked nice and trimmed and I scratched his head.

"You're going to do fine Hagrid." I said as confidently as possible. "Don't stutter too much and don't drop your cards, okay? Just be confidant."

Hagrid gave me a bone crushing hug. "Thanks Elizabeth."

I petted Buckbeak one last time and Hagrid set off with a leash around Buckbeak's neck. I watched him go, distressed. Then, instead of heading back to the castle, I set off into the forest.

I was immediately greeted by Sirius who licked my hands. I grinned down at him and then said, "Sorry, I forgot food. I didn't eat myself today."

But we walked on anyways and I talked about the past couple of days and what was going on and what Hagrid had to do today. I explained a lot to him and when I explained about Malfoy and sending him flying, Sirius barked a loud laugh.

I sighed, sitting down on a wet log- it had rained sometime in the night. I petted his head. "You know." I said suddenly. "I never really liked dogs."

Sirius barked that laugh again.

"I mean, the little ones can be cute, but its when they lick your face or jumped at you with their paws, that I back up. And dog breath." I added on, scratching his head. Sirius licked me. "Stupid dog." I muttered and then grinned at him. "But you're not too bad." I said and Sirius bark laughed again.

Eventually my stomach rumbled and I looked guiltily at Sirius. "I'll bring you food too." I said. "If dad doesn't stop me and try to talk to me about yesterday." I grimaced.

Sirius walked with me to the edge of the forest and then slinked off into the bushes. I headed up to the castle and into the Great Hall. A flick of my eyes showed me that Dad wasn't among the Professors eating.

I went over to the Hufflepuff table and ate my share and then, putting food in either my pockets or a small container I had fashioned, walked back out to the woods. Sirius greeted me with a wagging tail as I walked deeper into the forest. I set the food down in front of him. I'd packed mostly chicken because I knew that was something he liked.

He ate in dog form and I looked up at the sky. When he was done eating he put his head on my belly and we both dozed and dreamed. I woke up sometime when the sun was lower in the sky. I scratched Sirius' head and then headed back to Hagrid's cabin and knocked on the door. There was no answer and I opened the door. Hagrid wasn't home yet.

Then, I heard huge footsteps behind me and saw Hagrid leading Buckbeak. He had a vacant look in his eyes and he didn't even see me as he headed into his cabin. I slipped through the door and sat across from him.

"Oh, Hullo Elizabeth." He said heavily, pulling out a piece of parchment. In ink, while crying, he wrote the words,

Dear Hermione We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won't forget all the help you gave us. Hagrid.

Then he sent it out the window with an owl.

"Hagrid, I'm so sorry." I whispered.

Hagrid shook his head. "It wasn' so bad in teh beginn'. I didn' drop teh notes or nothin' but I kep' forgettin' teh dates. I didn' cry or nothin' either but it didn' matter in teh end. Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em. . . guess I can' say I was surprised. . ."

"There's always the repeal." I said softly. "I'll work twice as hard, don't worry."

Hagrid waved his hand. "Don' matter anymore."

I bit my lip. I said good-bye and headed back up to the castle and headed down to where dad was residing. I knocked on the office door.

"Come in." A tired voice said.

I pushed open the door, looking down.

There was no sound of recognition and suddenly there were arms around me. I hugged him back. "I'm so sorry." I whispered. "I shouldn't have stormed out of here like that, I was angry and I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright." Dad said. "But I don't want you fighting anymore, do you understand that Elizabeth?"

"Yes Dad." I said.

He kissed my temple. "Good."

"Hermione's going to punch Draco in the face tomorrow." I said thoughtfully. "After Care of Magical Creatures class."

Dad just looked at me, eyebrows raised. I shrugged. "He deserves it."

"Does he?" Dad asked softly, looking into my eyes. I squirmed where I stood.

I thought about how he'd tried to sabotage Harry in the Quidditch game, how he'd let his father get rid of Dumbledore last year, how he was trying to get Hagrid fired this year, how'd he'd wished that Hermione had died last year. . .

"Yes." I said. "For. . .for some things."

I thought perhaps dad would be angry but instead he turned and went back to his desk and said, "You and Harry have a lot in common."

I wasn't sure what that was about but I said good-bye to dad and walked out of the room to get ready for dinner.

.💙💙💙.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞 I went to Ancient Runes, redid the hour for Arithmancy, and then headed for Charms.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't in the room when class started. I was paired with Susan Bones as we experimented on Cheering Charms.

"Exhilaratus" I said, moving my wand up and down and then pointing it at Susan.

Susan laughed randomly and I wondered if I had overdone the charm. She pointed her wand at me and said, "Exhilaratus".

My cheeks seemed to lift on their own and I was smiling stupidly. All my worries were gone too, I felt thoroughly cheerful. It was a nice difference compared to the worry and stress I'd been dealing with in the past.

Harry and Ron walked into the classroom and Professor Flitwick said, "You're late boys! Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs-"

Harry and Ron went back to a desk and we exchanged a look. Then, I turned back to Susan.

After class, I went with Harry and Ron to the Great Hall, both of them were smiling broadly. ". . .She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too." Ron was saying to Harry.

Harry explained to me what had happened and Ron expressed his shock. "I mean you threw him across the entire Hall!" Ron said. "Hitting Malfoy is your job, and Hermione- I mean wow!"

"Ron's in shock." Harry said.

"Clearly." I said, giggling. I was laughing more now than on a usual basis. That would be the cheering charm.

After lunch, Harry and Ron went to go and see if they could find Hermione and I headed off to Transfiguration, already feeling tired since the Cheering Charms had worn off. Thinking hard, I pointed my wand at myself and said, "Exhilaratus." Now that that was done, I walked inside the Transfiguration classroom feeling much happier.

Today we were working on statue to model transfigurations. Specifically, a small stone statue no bigger than our hand into a dragon model that exhaled smoke. It was a hard transformation but doable.

By the end of Transfiguration with much frustration despite the Cheering Charm, I managed to get my model to exhale smoke and wasn't given extra homework. For that, I was thankful. I already had so much to do.

Then, I turned the hour back and headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts where Professor Lupin was teaching us about Vampires.

I headed to library before dinner and got my Vampire essay and Charm essay out of the way and then headed down to dinner. Then it was back to the library then to the common room, using the time turner to turn the hour back so I had an extra hour to do homework.

The other Hufflepuffs weren't too invested in their homework, but instead talking about Gryffindors prospects on beating Slytherin.

"Potter has a Firebolt." One was saying as I tried to concentrate on deciphering rune sentences.

"Yeah, but he's only one player." Another argued. "The entire Slytherin team is on Nimbus 2001s, and the Gryffindor team is mostly on Cleansweep 7s."

"But Potter's seeker anyways, so as long as the Gryffindors can score 50 points before Slytherin, Harry can catch the Snitch and win." A third person argued.

There was lots of squabbling and I was starting to feel very anxious. I pulled my wand out again and did the Cheering Charm on myself again and this put me in a better mood and was able to tune out the others and finish my runes project before turning to Muggle studies.

All in all, it was a very tiring day.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 10

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 the next Quidditch match, Oliver had a practice and I went down with Harry and Ron because I wanted to give a go on his Firebolt too. I laid down on the bleachers, reading It while Madam Hooch dozed next to me and Ron watched the Quidditch game.

"Is that book any good?" Ron asked, glancing at the bloody letters on the front.

I looked up briefly. It was my hundredth time reading the book. "Yeah, it's really good. You want to read it after I'm done with it?"

"Maybe." Ron was apprehensive, and turned his attention back to the game. I looked for my place in the book and continued to read about how Beverly and Bill were going up to the hotel even though the people they were really married too were in hotels across the street. Of course, neither of them knew about that. Stupid really. Why would you cheat on someone you love? Of course, in Beverly's case, Tom was a huge prick. But Bill. . . stupid Bill. . .

Madam Hooch was snoring when the team practice was over and as Harry strode over and Ron vaulted the stands, I nudged Madam Hooch in the ribs. She woke up with a jolt.

"Thank you for waking me Miss Kane." Madam Hooch said, rubbing her yellow eyes.

"It's alright." I said, bookmarking my place in the book.

"Practice is over?" Madam Hooch asked, looking between Harry and Ron and the rest of the team heading back up to the castle.

"Yes." I answered honestly. "But Ron and I are going to try out Harry's broomstick. You can go back up to the castle if you would like, Black won't approach us."

Madam Hooch eyed me. I think if it had been any other student, she would've taken points or scolded them. However she just nodded. It was a bizarre, twisted feeling that the teachers trusted my word unquestionably. I watched as she headed back up to the castle. If I had been any other student (specifically a Slytherin) I'm sure there were a dozen things I could've gotten away with. The thought made me uncomfortable.

I vaulted the stands as well and watched as Ron took off on the Firebolt, flying up as high as he dared and then swooping down and doing loops, whooping the whole time. I grinned and bounced up and down as I waited for Ron to let me fly.

He flew for about fifteen minutes straight and it started to get dark. Finally, he touched down and handed the broom off to me. I jumped off from the ground and flew off, screaming with delight.

There was no way to describe such an experience. The wind blowing through my long tangled hair, the stomach drops from sudden drops, going up like a rocket. The broom seemed to respond to thoughts rather than touch. It was amazing and I wished for a millisecond that I had a Firebolt. But I was content with my Nimbus which was a very good broom itself.

After I touched down, red cheeks and freezing, Harry shouldered his broom and I grabbed my book and we headed back towards the castle. We talked about the smoothness of the Firebolt and other things and then suddenly, Harry stopped.

Ron and I looked at him.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked, looking at me.

Harry pointed into the darkness and I whipped out my wand and whispered, "Lumos." Crookshanks sat there in the leaves.

"Get out of here!" Ron roared furiously, reaching down and picking up a stone to throw it but Crookshanks was gone immediately. "See?" Ron continued, dropping the stone, still angry, "She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants- probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now. . ."

"Nox." I muttered.

Ron was still furiously muttering to himself but I was thinking, "you lost Scabbers?" I asked.

"I didn't lose him!" Ron said nearly apoplectic with rage, "Crookshanks ate him!"

Sirius hadn't said who the rat had belonged to. He hadn't known himself, but he'd seen Pettigrew in a newspaper. Ron's whole family had been in the newspaper over the summer. . . Scabbers on his shoulder. I felt a cold wave of horror wash over me. Pettigrew had been Scabbers. Scabbers had been Pettigrew. Pettigrew had been in front of me the entire time and I was so blind. . .

And now, Scabbers or Pettigrew was gone. But I didn't believe that Crookshanks had eaten him. No. . . Crookshanks had always been after Scabbers and Scabbers only.

We crossed the castle threshold and I went down a separate corridor from the others. I was thinking hard about how I was going to get out of the castle tonight. I had to talk to Sirius, I just had to.

I lay in my bed, looking up at the ceiling with my eyes wide open. I rolled over, waiting for Susan to finally fall asleep. Then, I slipped out of bed, picking up my boots and cloak, and snuck out of the dorm. I carried my boots through the castle until I slipped out the front door and then I strolled off into the dark towards the forest.

Once inside the forest, I slipped behind a tree and climbed it and sat in the branches. I watched as Professor Snape entered the forest. I pressed my back to the tree, not daring to breathe. He looked around, confused and angry. He set off down a path, his wand lit. I counted to 60 and then climbed back down the tree and set off the opposite way.

I searched all of Sirius' normal places and, unable to find him, I climbed back up into the trees and traveled that way. I saw Firenze below with Ronan, Bane, Ivagio, and many other Centaurs. They were galloping through the forest, unaware that anyone was around.

I was glad the trees were so thick, it made traveling off the ground much easier. And then, looking down, stretching out to grab another tree branch, I saw a great big black dog. "Sirius!" I hissed quietly in case Snape was around. The dog leapt up and growled. "Up here." I hissed again. The dog looked up.

The dog turned into Sirius, who climbed up the tree with some difficulty. He pulled me into a hug which I returned.

"I've missed you." I whispered. "But we have to be careful. There's a Professor in the forest tonight."

Sirius nodded and said, "I've missed you too Eilís" He said.

Carefully, stretching himself out on the branches, he turned back into a dog. I explained what had happened but soon, Sirius was back in human form, shaking his head.

"Crookshanks knew Peter or Scabbers, whichever you want to call him wasn't a real rat. Just as he knew I wasn't a real dog. He already told me that Peter had faked his death again." Sirius sounded troubled. Then he added bitterly, "What did it matter anyways? Faking his death worked once before."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I want him dead too."

Sirius looked at me with a thoughtful look on his face, "You haven't told Harry about the truth yet?"

I hesitated and said, "Sirius, Harry doesn't even know I'm his sister."

Sirius' thoughtful look turned shocked, "What?" He asked.

I explained what had happened in my first year from what the sorting hat said, (to dangerous for me to be in Gryffindor but also that I was sorted into Hufflepuff long before I even set foot in the castle [whatever that meant]) and coming to the conclusion that it would be best if Harry- or anyone for that matter- didn't know who I really was.

Sirius didn't say anything after that. Finally, as the moon got higher in the sky he asked, "When are you going to tell him?"

"When my visions tell me too." I answered simply. "Sometimes, I try to tell people stuff and something different comes out. Whenever I'm able to tell him I'm his sister, I'll do it. Until then, I'm just his friend."

Sirius looked up at the moon too, "You should go to bed."

"I know." I said. "But there's a Quidditch game again. Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. Since I'm not playing, I don't have to go. I can just sleep in."

Sirius clucked his tongue. "You should go."

"Maybe." I said. "I suppose it ought to be interesting."

"I watched the first Quidditch game." Sirius said suddenly, "You fly just as well as your father. . . even though you're a Chaser of course. And that was a good catch when Harry fell. . ."

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Alright, maybe I'll go tomorrow." I said. "Stay safe, okay?"

"Of course." He said in a husky voice. "Take care Eilís."

Grinning, I jumped down from the tree and set off back towards the castle. There was no trouble and I didn't see Snape either as I made my way to the common room and back up to my dorm. I fell into bed and fell asleep instantly.

.💙💙💙.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, I sat at the Gryffindor table across from Harry and next to Fred. My back was to the teachers table.

Harry had his broom out on the table per request of Oliver Wood who wanted to show the broom off. Cedric had come over and actually congratulated Harry on having required a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and then winked at me. I grinned but Fred tensed up next to me.

"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter." Draco Malfoy said and a bit of the Great Hall quieted down to listen in.

"Yeah, reckon so." Harry said casually.

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" Malfoy said, eyes glinting with hate. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute- in case you get to near a dementor."

The Slytherins all laughed and I spoke up and said, "Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours Malfoy! Then it could catch the Snitch for you."

The entire cafeteria erupted into laughter and Draco, after narrowing his eyes, stalked off. I turned to the others. The Gryffindors were still laughing and I blushed and quickly took a sip of pumpkin juice.

The Gryffindor team headed out so they could get ready for the game. I walked out with Hermione, Ginny, and Lee.

"Have fun commenting Lee." I said.

Lee laughed and said, "You can have my job Liz. That was a great joke at breakfast."

I blushed as he headed off and then sighed.

Hermione, Ginny, and I sat down very closet to the teachers tower. I could briefly see my dad's head sitting in the back row. Dumbledore and McGonagall were in the front row along with Lee. McGonagall was sitting very close to Lee, as always.

Snape was sitting on the outside of the box, on our side, and I looked out at the Quidditch field. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game started, the two teams zooming upwards, the Chasers seeing who could get the Quaffle first.

"They're off!" Lee announced, "and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship-"

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" Professor McGonagall asked tartly.

I laughed along with Ginny. Hermione looked stressed and had brought one of her textbooks out. It was the Muggle studies one and I felt a jolt of unease when I realized that I still had to read about three hundred and seventy-two pages. Maybe I should've stayed inside.

"Right you are, Professor- just giving a bit of background information- The Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and-"

"Jordan!"

I laughed again and my worries of reading the book were gone.

"Okay, okay." Lee said a bit disgruntled. "Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for goal. . ."

Harry streaked past Katie, Cho following very close behind. Even though she was on a slower broom, she was a good flier. I had noticed this when we played against Ravenclaw last game.

Fred yelled something at Harry as he passed by, going after a bludger that was zooming towards Alicia.

Katie scored the first goal of the match and the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs all cheered. The Ravenclaws clapped politely and the Slytherins booed.

Harry dived suddenly and Cho followed. The Gryffindors all leaned forward, eager to see if Harry was going to catch the snitch but a bludger came out of nowhere and Harry veered off course in order to dodge it.

There was more applause from the Ravenclaw end. George sent his bludger towards the Ravenclaw beater and he had to roll to avoid the Bludger.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn- Chang's comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision-balance is really noticeable in these long-"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY?" Professor McGonagall shouted, at the end of her tether.

Lee got paid for commentating? Interesting.

Ravenclaw had scored three goals by now, putting Gryffindor only fifty points ahead. Harry then accelerated, but Cho was to the side of him.

"She's going to cut him off!" I sighed in disappointment. Cho did indeed, cut him off and Harry swerved, avoiding collision.

Wood yelled at Harry so loud, the entire field could hear him, "HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN! KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"

Lee said, "Wood goes off on his seeker telling him the right thing to do in this situation and oh, Katie has the Quaffle. . ."

Then, Harry dived again and Cho followed him immediately. But Harry pulled up while Cho continued to go down and shot off towards the Ravenclaw end. Cho was pulling up and then she pointed at something and I looked down the barrier.

Harry looked down and then pulled out his wand and shouted something. I had also taken out my wand and muttered, "Expelliarmus!" A silvery substance shot out of Harry's wand and red light shot out of my wand. Harry didn't look but I watched as the dementors fell over and I saw Slytherin colors underneath the black hoods.

I clenched my teeth in disgust.

"What was it Eliza?" Ginny asked fearfully.

"Stupid Slytherins dressed up as dementors." I answered through gritted teeth, putting my wand back in my robes.

"That's horrible." Ginny said, sounding disgusted, rolling her eyes and leaning over the barrier to look down.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. The Gryffindor team all flew towards Harry. The three girls were kissing him. Wood was shouting something, Fred had Harry's head in a tight grip. They made their way back to the ground. The Gryffindors all rose and ran out on the field. I pushed my way to the front and I was tied with Ron. I hugged Harry tightly and he hugged me back.

"You did it!" I squealed.

Then we let go and Fred was there and I hugged him tightly too.

Dad came onto the field and whispered something in Harry's ear.

I crept closer because dad looked shaken.

"Dad are you alright?" I asked while Harry said, "The dementors didn't affect me at all! I didn't feel a thing!"

"That would be because they-er- weren't dementors." Dad said. "Come and see-"

I followed behind because I was worried about dad.

"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright." Dad said.

Harry looked at Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint. They were trying to remove themselves from the long black hoods.

Towering over them was Professor McGonagall, her hat that she'd been wearing dangling in her hand as she waved it at the Slytherins. "An unworthy trick! A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

I watched Professor Dumbledore striding across the field, looking. . . well he never really did look angry but he was certainly unhappy. There was a steely glint in his eyes that had replaced the twinkling look.

Ron had fought his way to our side and was doubled up with laughter at the sight of them. "First you roast him Elizabeth and then you scare him Harry! Oh what a day!"

"Come on Harry!" George said, fighting his way over as well. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now! You can come too Elizabeth."

"Thanks George." I said. "But I have a lot of homework I need to get done."

George rolled his eyes. "You're missing out."

"I'll come party when you get the cup." I said, grinning.

Harry and Ron went off with George and I looked up at dad, "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dad asked, walking back up the field.

"You looked shaken." I said, walking next to him, "That's all."

"Oh." Dad said. "I suppose that had to do with Mr. Malfoy and his trick. I can't believe that anyone would do such a thing in such serious times."

"Ah." I answered.

"Elizabeth!" Lee called my name, "Are you coming to the party?"

I shook my head, "Next time!" I called back.

"Shame." Lee commented.

Dad looked at me as Lee hurried on. "Do you normally go to the Gryffindor common room?"

"Oh!" I said, cheeks turning red, "I think I see a friend of mine-"

"Elizabeth." Dad said, sighing but almost laughing.

"I'm basically a Gryffindor." I admitted. "But I would've been in Gryffindor anyways if it weren't for my stupid visions." This part came out more bitterly than I had meant it to. I sighed, "It's not bad being a Hufflepuff dad, but I fit in somewhere else."

Dad didn't comment on anything and my eyes flicked over to the forest. I saw large yellow eyes coming from the bush and I smiled.

Dad put his arm around my shoulder and looked down at me. "How much homework do you have?"

"A lot." I said, sighing. "I debated if I even wanted to come to the game. . ."

"Well, go ahead and get it done quickly, okay. And don't stay up too late." He warned me.

"I won't, don't worry." I said and I kissed his cheek and flew up the stairs and into the common room. I settled into a corner in the back and pulled out my textbook and my parchment paper. The title of 'Why do Muggles need electricity' was written over the top. I was through nearly fifty pages when Cedric approached.

"Can I sit here?" Cedric asked, pointing to where a stack of papers was covering a chair. I nodded without looking up.

Cedric moved the papers to the floor. "I'm surprised you didn't go to the Gryffindor party." He commented, but he didn't seem angry about it.

"I know I'm a Hufflepuff Ced, but I don't think I've ever really fit in here." I turned the page which had a depiction of a lightbulb and I pulled over my parchment and started to write.

"How are you getting through your classes?" Ced asked, picking up my Arithmancy book and flipping through it.

"By working hard." I said, biting the inside of my cheek.

"Perhaps too hard?" Cedric asked, putting the book down.

I shook my head, "It's not too bad."

"Sure." Cedric said uncertainly. "You should drop something." he added.

I laughed, "I probably will. I'm thinking I'll drop Muggle Studies and Arithmancy at the end of the year. They're both wonderful classes and taxing but I just don't think I'll need 'em. And once I reach the end of my fifth year, I can drop Astronomy too."

Cedric chuckled, "Right, well, I'll let you alone so you can finish. See ya Liz."

"Bye Ced." I said, flipping another page.

The common room started to clear out around nine and by eleven, everyone was in bed. I worked through the book and then the essay and another book and a homework assignment. I looked up at the clock. Nearly 12:20.

I'll just put my head down and close my eyes for a couple of seconds, I thought. I rested my head on my arm, feeling relieved. Then I'll open my eyes and turn time back for a couple hours. . . no I can't do that today. . .

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"𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖘 𝕶𝖆𝖓𝖊!" 𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖊 was shaking my shoulder.

I bolted upright and saw Professor Sprout's concerned face. I looked around. It was about 2:34 in the morning.

"Oh no!" I muttered to myself. I picked up my book that was on the floor. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you." Professor Sprout said in a worried voice. I quickly jumped to my feet and followed her out of the room. She left me at the bottom of the stairs and left me there. I supposed she wasn't coming in. She bustled off as though she had somewhere to be.

I wondered what Dumbledore wanted to know. I knocked on the door. "Come in." A tired voice said.

I entered the room and saw that the same people were there as last time minus Fudge. "You wanted to see me?" I asked, blushing because I realized how horrible I looked. I ran my fingers through my hair but there was nothing I could do about my wrinkled clothes.

"Yes." Dumbledore said and he looked much older than he normally did. "I was wondering if you'd had any visions about Sirius Black today?"

"Umm no?" I said frowning, "Why?"

"He attacked the Gryffindor common room again." Professor McGonagall said. Her face was white.

"Mr. Weasley was the one he attacked." Professor Dumbledore said.

"Which one?" I asked quickly.

"Ronald Weasley." Dumbledore said, "Perhaps I should've clarified that point."

"I don't understand." I said. "How did he get in the common room?"

"Mr. Longbottom had written down the passwords and Sirius managed to get ahold of them." Professor McGonagall said.

"Well I don't blame Neville." I said, frowning still. "That portrait had a different password for the day and they were always ridiculous ones."

"That as it may be," Professor McGonagall said sharply. "He should've realized that it was a dangerous time to be caring around passwords."

"He wasn't carrying them around." I interjected. "He'd left them on his bedside table."

Professor McGonagall had no response to that.

"How do you propose that Black got the passwords then?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

I paused for a moment, feeling Dad, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore's eyes on me. And they weren't really the only eyes- the portraits were looking at me too. I thought about it. Hermione's cat Crookshanks had probably brought Sirius the passwords. But, if I said as much, they would wonder how the cat and Sirius were communicating. That might lead to the suspicions of Sirius being an Animagus. And that of course, would lead to even greater troubles for Sirius.

"I don't know." I finally said.

More silence.

"Thank you Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said. "Let me know if you see anything at all."

A brief flash of irritation swept over me but I simply nodded and said, "of course." I turned to go and then Professor Dumbledore called me back, "Elizabeth."

"Yes, Professor?"

"Get some sleep." He said.

I flushed bright red. He must've known I was up studying when he called me. I nodded and then wrenched the door open and hurried down the spiraling stairs. I made my way back to the Common room, and back to where I had been studying.

I knelt by the chair that I had been sitting in, picking up an overturned inkwell. With a wave of my wand and muttering a single word under my breath, the ink was cleaned up off the floor. I stacked my textbooks up in a neighboring chair and then pulled my Potions essay towards me. Disregarding Dumbledore's words of wisdom, I threw myself back into studying.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 9

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓 for the end of term banquet of course. Ron and Hermione were there but Harry wasn't. I sat with the Hufflepuffs, between Susan and Leanne. I stared thoughtfully up at the table where Fudge was sitting next to Dumbledore. I pulled out my Herbology textbook and opened it up on the wooden table and read about water plants.

I wasn't trying to show off if Fudge was pointed my way, I was simply interested in these plants. They were an interesting subject. And besides, we had an essay on them in a few weeks- I foresaw that.

I barely ate anything, even though Susan was telling me I should eat something. I told her I was waiting for dessert. When dessert came around, I ate a block of ice cream and I was left alone about the eating.

After dinner, I was making my way back to the Hufflepuff common room, when I was intercepted by Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Kane, I need you to come with me." Professor McGonagall said. She sounded almost nervous. I sighed and followed her to Dumbledore's office. I bet if there was a prize for visiting Dumbledore's office the most- I'd most certainly have won it.

In the room were Professors Snape, Dumbledore, and Lupin. Fudge was standing on the opposite side of dad and so, I went over to where dad was standing. Fudge's eyes bulged a little and then relaxed. I nearly hissed under my breath.

"Elizabeth." Dumbledore said, "This is the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."

I nodded a bit stiffly, "Yes, I know."

Fudge came over and held a hand out and I shook it because I didn't want to embarrass dad by being rude.

"I've heard quite a bit about you, Miss Kane." Fudge said politely.

"Yes, I heard as much in the Three Broomsticks today." I said in a cheerful voice.

Fudge looked flabbergasted. "You- you were there?"

I nodded, feeling a bit pleased about his reaction but not letting it show on my face. McGonagall's cheeks were flushed slightly.

"Well then." Fudge said, acting as though he was comfortable with this but he was obviously uneasy, "You know what I want to know."

"I haven't had any visions about Sirius Black." I stated blandly. "And hopefully, I never will."

Fudge seemed a bit angry about that, "You know that Black is a dangerous criminal! Everyone should be doing his or her part to catch him!"

I nearly opened my mouth to say that I didn't want him caught but kept my mouth shut. Dad's hand went on my shoulder. Fudge's eyes flicked to that gesture and then back to my face.

"I don't have the time to look for visions." I said. "I'm taking 15 classes, 5-6 private lessons with my favorite teachers, and Quidditch with homework on top of that. What visions come to me, I talk about, but I don't actively go out and search for visions."

Both Snape and McGonagall flushed at the favorite teachers part. Fudge looked a bit shocked and then Professor McGonagall spoke, "I told you Cornelius, she's one of our smartest students."

I flushed.

Fudge sighed in disappointment. "Well, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. I suppose if you see something about Black you'll tell Dumbledore right away?"

"Of course." I said a bit more happily. I was glad this conversation was coming to a close.

Dad lowered his hand from my shoulder, also sensing the conversation coming to a close. Fudge looked at him again and then headed back across the room. I heard dad sigh behind me. But it wasn't a sad sigh, it was a 'I'm used to this treatment' sigh.

I turned to him and saw that he was looking at me with a sad expression. I whispered, "I'm sorry." to him.

He smiled and put a hand on my head. "It's quite alright." He whispered back.

I wanted to hug him but I was afraid of what Fudge would try to proclaim if he knew I was dad's daughter. Although, it might be obvious now. I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it.

"Miss Kane." Dumbledore said politely, though there was a fire in his eyes as he looked at Fudge. He hadn't approved of him meeting me anymore than Hagrid did. "You may go now."

I nodded, kissed Dad's cheek quickly, and then fled the room.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I lay in an empty dorm in an empty common room. I was the only Hufflepuff who had stayed for break. Even the head students and prefects hadn't stayed.

The first thing I did was get up, grab my homework, and bring it down to the Hufflepuff common room. I spread my homework out all over the floor and then worked my way through it. I finished it in three hours.

Then, after putting it away, I went downstairs for breakfast.

I was quite literally the only one in the Great Hall except for some of the teachers. I didn't feel like staying so I piled toast with butter and left, going outside and finding myself by the Whomping Willow.

I chewed on a piece of toast, looking at the tree. There was obviously a small hole near the base, big enough for an adult to just squeeze through. The branches were still right now but I assumed that if I were to walk under, I would probably get walloped by all sides.

I put half the toast on the ground though in case Sirius came out and wanted it. Then, I walked down to Hagrid's. I knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it. Hagrid looking a bit lost and then he said, "Oh, Hullo Elizabeth."

"Hey Hagrid, can I come in?" I asked, clutching my cloak around me because it was freezing outside.

"Sure, sure." He said and stomped back into the cabin. I followed, shutting the door behind me.

"Jus' got a letter today." He said, flipping it over to me. "Can yeh read it?"

"Sure thing Hagrid." I said, a bit reluctantly, knowing the contents of the letter already. I opened the letter and read aloud: Dear Mr. Hagrid, Further to our inquiry into the attack by the hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the. . . Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. Yours in fellowship. . ." I didn't bother reading the list of school governors. I didn't like them much.

I placed the letter on the table, not looking at Hagrid. Hagrid burst into tears. I got up and hugged him. "It's alright Hagrid, I'll find you a good defense."

"Thanks Elizabeth." He said, squeezing me tightly but it didn't hurt.

I went and sat down next to Buckbeak who was sitting in the corner of Hagrid's hut. I petted his head feathers. "Beautiful Buckbeak." I whispered in his ears.

He had his head down on the floor as though he was sleeping but his eyes were opened and he clicked his beak when I spoke.

"He likes yeh, tha' fer sure." Hagrid said. Tears leaked out of his eyes. The crying was on and off. His sobs got worse every time he read the letter but he kept reading it. It was like he couldn't believe it.

Around noon, there was a knock on the door and Harry's voice said, "Hagrid! Hagrid, are you in there?"

Hagrid got up and walked slowly over to the door and pushed the door opened slowly. Through his wide legs, I could see Ron and Hermione were with Harry as well. I petted Buckbeak's' feathers absentmindedly.

"Yeh've heard?" He bellowed and he flung himself onto Harry's neck. I think perhaps I would've laughed if it wasn't for how horrible I felt.

Ron and Hermione helped pull Hagrid off Harry and sit him down in his chair. He then slumped over the table, sobbing. My heart hurt and I felt tears fall down my own face. I couldn't bear to see him in pain.

Hermione, looking from Hagrid to me said, "Hagrid, what is it?"

Harry picked the letter up off the table and said, "What's this, Hagrid?"

Hagrid's sobs grew louder and I said, "Read it."

Harry read it aloud and when it got to the part saying that Hagrid wouldn't be responsible, Ron said, "Well that's okay then, Hagrid!" But I shook my head and Hagrid waved his gigantic hand, meaning he wanted Harry to read on.

When he finished the rest of the letter, Ron said, "Oh, But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff Hagrid. I'll bet he'll get off-"

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" Hagrid choked on his own tears. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures."

There was a ripping sound that made the four of us jump and I looked at Buckbeak. He was finally eating the leg of ham that Hagrid had given him. I sighed as blood leaked all over the floor. At least my shoes were black.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow! All on his own! At Christmas!" Hagrid said and I remembered that the letter said that Buckbeak should be tethered and isolated.

"Of course not Hagrid." I said softly, smoothing Buckbeaks' head feathers back repeatedly. He made a crooning sound and closed his large yellow-orange eyes.

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense Hagrid." Hermione said kindly, laying a hand on Hagrid's forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."

"Won't make no diff'rence! Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! An' if I lose the case, Buckbeak-" Hagrid couldn't say the last word and instead, moved his finger against his neck, made a choking noise, and then sobbed again. Strange that he would thank me for trying to help him and then tell Hermione that it didn't make any difference. Maybe having the letter read twice to him was more than he could stand.

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" Harry asked desperately.

"He's done more'n enough fer me already." Hagrid groaned, wiping his tears away. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around-"

Both Hermione and Ron glanced quickly up at Harry. Harry didn't say a thing about Black and the Three Broomsticks. Instead, he said, "Listen, Hagrid. You can't give up. Hermione's right, you just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses-"

"I'm sure I've read about a case of hippogriff-baiting, where the hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened." Hermione said thoughtfully.

Hagrid howled even louder and then Harry and Hermione looked at Ron. Ron, his ears growing red said, "Er- shall I make a cup of tea?"

Now I looked at him too.

"It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset." Ron muttered, shrugging.

I stood up suddenly. "I have to go Hagrid, I need to see my dad."

I kissed Hagrid's rough cheeks and hugged him again and said, "Don't worry Hagrid, we're going to help Buckbeak."

I left and hurried to dad's office. He was asleep in his chair, his head on the papers that were laying on his desk. I slipped the quill out of his hand and put it in the inkwell and moved the inkwell, well out of the way in case he hit it. Then, I gently pulled the papers out from under his arms and put them in a stack by the chair.

I observed him for a moment. He really was young. His red hair was even redder in the sunlight. The scars on his face were what made people think he was older. I remembered George Weasley saying that he'd overheard a group of girls talking about how good looking dad was. Perhaps he'd made it up, perhaps he hadn't. I liked to think that he hadn't though. I smiled and kissed his cheek gently.

Then I left for the library and pulled out books about hippogriffs and also records of Committee trials. I brought them back to dad's office and read and studied and made notes until the sun went down. I wasn't going to let Draco Malfoy kill Buckbeak.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖉 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 day, usually in the quiet, abandoned common room. There really wasn't much to go on. Sometimes, I went down to Hagrid's cabin. I didn't see Harry, Hermione, or Ron for most of break.

On Christmas day, I stayed in the common room with my files, and then went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. My hands were shaking. I really shouldn't be doing this. The office door was locked and taking a deep breath, I unlocked it with my wand and opened the door slowly. A werewolf was laying in the corner of the room and I sucked in a deep breath.

I had never seen a werewolf before. It had no hair and its legs and arms were lengthened. Its head was oval shaped and the snout long. It had yellow eyes. It glanced up at me, but kept its head on its legs. It had no reason to attack me. I went to step inside.

Suddenly, someone jerked me backwards, closing the door in front of me and locking it again. "Are you crazy?" Professor Snape hissed at me, both hands on my shoulders, pressing me up against the wall. He was furious. I wondered if he could feel my heart beating, because I could definitely feel his. It was even faster than mine.

"I-I jus-just wanted to s-see what he l-looked like." I stuttered, my heart racing. I felt ashamed for thinking the word it. He was a he and that was that. He turned into a werewolf. He was the wolf. He had no hair. His legs were elongated. He had yellow eyes. Not it.

I was also consciously aware of how close we were and my thoughts immediately flashed to my dreams and also the day I'd slipped my arms around his waist. My heart thudded again.

"Besides." I said, gaining my breath. "You made the potion, he's harmless."

"You don't know that." Snape hissed, pressing even closer to me. "What if he hadn't drank enough? I wouldn't let any student near him right now, not even Harry, and you know how much I don't particularly like him."

Wouldn't it be simpler to say hate?

I took in a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry. It was Christmas and I wanted to be with him."

"After he turns back." Snape said, his hands loosening on my shoulders, stepping backwards. "Now go."

I hesitated, looking up at his face. Some urge told me to kiss him and kiss him now. I wanted to and I couldn't, and I raced down the stairs and out of the door, breathing hard.

I went back to the dorm and back upstairs where my stack of presents was waiting. I wondered if Snape had gotten the chocolates yet and if he a) liked them and b) knew who had given them to him. Surely he knew it was me. I couldn't imagine anyone else sending him something.

My fingers were still trembling from the scare Snape had given me as I opened my first present, which was from dad. He'd given me two Stephen King books called Misery and The Drawing of the Three. There was also Honeyduke chocolate.

The next box was from Trang which had my favorite American candies and also some new books. One was the Diary of Anne Frank. The others were In the Hand of the Goddess, Japanese by Spring, The Crocodile Bird, and Snow White Blood Red.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had all given me candy. Fred had given me yet another charm for my bracelet, this one a flower.

Hagrid had sent me Christmas fudge again along with a lovely statuette of a Hippogriff, carved to the likeness of Buckbeak.

Mrs. Weasley had sent me another sweater- this one yellow. She had also included about two dozen Christmas brownies. I loved her Christmas brownies which were filled with candies or frosted over with vanilla.

There were three more presents than there should have been. The first one I picked up was thick and it turned out to be a book. It was called Animal Ghosts of Britain. Horrified and fascinated, I opened the book up. It was a strange book with spirits of animals floating in the pictures. I flipped to the front cover and in the giving pocket was a note that said, I thought you might enjoy this but if you don't you can burn it. -S.S.

Snape had given me the book. I smiled and set it aside, looking at the next two presents. The second one I picked up had a card attached. It was from Cedric and my mouth went a bit dry. I opened up the package and found a box with an anklet in it. Carved into the metal was two brooms. I put it around my ankle immediately.

The last package was small and when I opened it, I found that it was a photograph album. Flipping through it, I saw that it was completely empty except for one picture. It wasn't in the beginning, middle, or end of the book so it wasn't easy to find. It was on a random page and I pulled it out.

It was mum, dad, Harry, Sirius, and I around a Christmas tree. There was a cat sitting on my lap and I had one hand in its fur. Harry was sitting between dad and mum. He wasn't wearing any glasses and he was holding a toy broom in his hand. He was looking up at dad's face. Dad was wearing glasses, smiling at the camera. One hand was behind Harry's back, the other had a random toy in his hand- a small wooden car.

I was sitting on Sirius' lap, next to mom, the cat in my lap. Sirius was smiling up at the camera. I looked confused, a wooden spoon in my hand. I also wasn't wearing glasses. Mum and dad were laughing at something. The photo moved a little bit and I kept looking from the camera to mum's face.

I found that I was crying and I took the photo, folding it up into a small square before opening my heart locket and putting it inside. Now I would never lose it. I put the photo album in the bottom drawer of my nightstand.

I grabbed my Hippogriff books and headed down to Hagrid's cabin. He was spending the day with Buckbeak instead of going to the castle for the Christmas dinner. I stayed with him until I got hungry.

"I'll be back." I said, putting a hand on Hagrid's shoulder. I figured I would just walk inside, grab some food, put it on a plate, and bring it back out to Hagrid's cabin. I had my notebook with all my notes and I was looking down at it when I walked into the Great Hall.

I looked up and then around because there was something different about it. Three of the tables were missing.

I flushed, realizing that to get food, I was going to have to go near people and I turned around to go right back outside and then Hermione called my name, "Eliza!"

I hissed in frustration but made my way over to the table, "Hullo Hermione." I said, snapping my notebook closed, putting the pencil behind my ear.

"You can't sit down!" Professor Trelawney shrieked, "There's already thirteen and the numbers will be corrupted!"

I looked at her blankly, "I wasn't staying anyways."

"Where have you been?" Harry asked and I turned my back to the teachers.

"Hagrid's." I said. "He didn't want to leave Buckbeak and we're going over Committee cases." I lifted my notebook slightly which of course, had every committee case concerning Hippogriffs getting off in it and how it was accomplished.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron all looked a bit guilty.

"Have something to eat Elizabeth." Dumbledore said kindly.

"Yes, I'm taking something for Hagrid and I." I looked at Dumbledore, looked to take bread, and took another look at Dumbledore. Then, lips twitching into a smile, I said, "Nice hat Professor."

"Why thank you Elizabeth. Severus doesn't seem to like it as much." Dumbledore said. I giggled and Ron and Harry laughed. Snape pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Don't know why." I finally said when I managed to stop laughing. "It's a splendid hat." I grabbed some of the bread that was on the table and wrapped it in a napkin.

I quickly headed back out to Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid was feeding Buckbeak Polecats. I set the bowl of food on the table.

"Hey Hagrid?" I asked, "Do you think I could ride Buckbeak? I'll make sure he comes back and he could use the fresh air too."

Hagrid nodded and led Buckbeak out of the cabin. Hagrid helped me onto Buckbeak's back and then hit Buckbeak's hindquarters. Buckbeak took off running and as we passed the large windows that showed into the Great Hall, I realized everyone could see me now. I smiled.

Then Buckbeak spread his wings and I whooped as he circled upwards, higher and higher. "I love you Buckbeak!" I laughed. All my self-restraint fell from me as we flew. I was a kid. I had no responsibilities. I was flying. I loved it.

We flew for a long time before we circled back and then he headed for the ground right by the windows where Hagrid was standing, looking up. His hand was over his eyes, shielding them against the bright sun. I jumped off, laughing, and petting Buckbeak's head. I'm sure my eyes were shining.

"That was amazing!" I said.

Hagrid was smiling too and I was glad. It was so hard to see tears on his face. I spent the rest of the day out there.

.💙💙💙.

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖌𝖔𝖙 back to the empty castle, I found that Hermione had a fight with not only Harry, but also Ron over Harry's newest broomstick.

She was in the library which was the only reason I knew about the fight. I was putting away some of the files I had pulled earlier today. None of them had been helpful.

"Hermione?" I asked. "What are you doing in here?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed. "Harry got a broom for Christmas, a firebolt."

"Yeah? I said that he would get a new broom for Christmas, didn't I?" I asked, confused.

Hermione's eyes widened and she said, "Oh of course, I'm so stupid!" And then she burst into tears. Madam Pince shot us a look.

"Calm down Hermione, tell me what happened." I said, pulling out a seat so that I could sit across from her.

"I told Professor McGonagall about the broom." Hermione said, moping up her face with a handkerchief. "And I thought that Sirius Black could've sent it and she agreed with me. So she took the broom from them and Flitwick is going to check the broom for jinxes and hexes. But I should've just asked you first."

"It's alright Hermione." I said. "Nothing is wrong with the broom and McGonagall will give it back in due time." I didn't comment about the broom possibly being from Sirius.

Hermione looked much cheered by this news and we threw ourselves into finding more about hippogriff cases.

.💙💙💙.

𝕸𝖞 𝖇𝖚𝖘𝖞 𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖉𝖚𝖑𝖊 started right back up as school started again. Care of Magical Creatures was enjoyable again. Each class was simply creating the biggest bonfire as fire-dwelling salamanders scampered up and down the logs. I didn't like lizards much, but these ones were so tiny, they were positively cute.

We had started palmistry in divination which I was failing miserably at. I had preferred the teacup readings. You could make stuff up (or in my case, use the future to influence my readings) about events. Palmistry was about the person whose palm you were reading and I really wasn't finding much to read about Justin.

I had finished Occlumency with dad. I could now keep him out of my head for substantial amounts of time. He congratulated me saying, "You are probably the youngest Occlumens ever."

My Runes Professor had stopped with my private lessons because she said I couldn't possibly learn more without going to the next grade, so we'd pick up lessons next year if I continued with the class.

This didn't free up my schedule that much. My work schedule was finally getting to me too since exams were on this side of the year. Hermione was struggling as well. According to Ron she was up nearly to midnight every night surrounded by piles of books and charts and diagrams. It sounded very similar to what I was doing.

The only difference was, I wasn't staying up to midnight. What I had started to do, I wasn't supposed to be doing. I would finish as much homework as I could in the library until it was curfew and I had to go to the common room. Then, I'd turn my time-turner back two hours and go inside and finish the rest of the homework. This lengthened my days by more than five, sometimes six hours, and I was starting to feel exhausted.

Dad saw the dark circles under my eyes and he pulled me aside after class. "Drop your private lessons Elizabeth." He said.

I blinked at him stupidly, taking me some time to register what he'd said. "What?" I asked after a second.

"I said, drop your private lessons. You can't keep going like this." Dad said, his hands on my shoulders. "I'm serious."

"I'm oh-okay Dad." I yawned. I had stupidly gone out to the forest to talk to Firenze after finishing my homework last night. I missed the forest though.

Dad pursed his lips together and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"I just need more sleep, that's all." I said and then grinned, "You could give me less homework of course." This was a joke because Dad hardly gave out that much homework and what homework he did give out was fairly easy (for me at least) and was usually done in less than thirty minutes. "It's a joke." I said hastily before he actually considered the idea. "I need the homework."

Dad sighed and hugged me, "Try to get some more sleep."

"I will." I said and kissed his cheek and headed to my next lesson.

.💙💙💙.

𝕱𝖊𝖇𝖗𝖚𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖔𝖓 quickly bringing bitter rains. There was a Quidditch match of Ravenclaw against Slytherin. I didn't go and instead, spent the entire afternoon taking a nap in the dorm room.

This was great for me because when I got up, I was refreshed and started on my homework. According to the chatter from the Hufflepuffs when they came back in, most of them shivering and wet, Slytherin had won.

This meant that Gryffindor was supposed to play Ravenclaw next. If Gryffindor could win. . .

I had finished all my homework for dinner and went downstairs to eat. After eating something, I headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom but before I went inside, I was intercepted by Fred Weasley.

"Hey Fred!" I said happily. He grinned.

"Hey Liz. We haven't talked much."

"Sorry, I've been extremely busy." I said, feeling horrible. I did miss spending time with Fred, George, and Lee.

"Nah, it's okay. You and Hermione are working hard, I get that." Fred said, still grinning but his cheeks had a slightly flushed look to them.

"I heard you guys get to play Ravenclaw." I said quickly, showing I did know something outside of studying. "You guys might actually win the cup."

"I hope so." Fred said before asking, "Do you know what day it is?"

"Umm, Saturday?" I asked, racking my brain. Yes, it had to be Saturday because Quidditch games were always on Saturday.

"Yes," Fred said with a laugh, "But I mean the date!"

"Umm. . ." I thought long and hard and said, "The 10th?"

"No." Fred said with a laugh. "It's the 14th."

I let that sink in and then I gasped and said, "It's Valentines day!"

Fred laughed, "A bit hard to remember now that the Great Hall isn't covered with pink confetti and no Lockhart in those ridiculous robes."

We both laughed really hard.

"So." Fred said. "Do you want to be my Valentine again?"

I grinned, "Of course I will."

Fred reached out a hand and bent down and kissed me. I closed my eyes, a thrill going through me. I dropped my book bag by my feet. My arms went around his neck, pulling him closer. He tasted like pineapple. His hand was in my hair, crushing me to him in a sweet way, the other around my waist. I moved my hands slightly so that my fingers were in his short, bright red hair.

Neither of us heard the door on my left open and my dad's shocked voice rang out saying, "Elizabeth!"

We jumped apart and I stared at my dad in something like maybe horror and embarrassment.

Fred, for once, was at a loss for words and then said, "Oh, hi Professor Lupin."

Dad glared at him and then, taking my arm, pulled me into the room, shutting the door in Fred's face.

"A-are you mad?" I stuttered, my cheeks flushed and my heart pounding crazily.

"Don't you think you're too young to date?" Dad asked, his arms crossed. We'd never had a boy talk and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to have a boy talk with him.

"Er-" I opened my mouth and said, "Well we're not really dating."

I thought dad might have an aneurysm. "You let him kiss you and you're not dating?"

So I'd made things worse. I hesitated and said, "It's just cause it's Valentines day. . . that's all dad, I promise. And it was just one kiss."

Dad sat down in a chair. "You're growing up way too fast."

"I know." I said, trying to make a joke, "I don't even fit on your lap anymore."

Dad chuckled, "Wanna bet?"

I grinned and sat on his knees and he put his arms around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"To tell you the truth Elizabeth, I don't have any particular problems with Fred Weasley." Dad said. I looked at him. He had deep circles under his eyes and looked ill. I touched his face. Dad sighed, "I know how I look."

"Very handsome." I said fiercely. "You know, according to George Weasley there's a lot of students of the girl body who think your handsome too."

Dad smiled wryly. "I'm sure they wouldn't think that if they knew what I am."

I touched the scars above and below his eye. They had fascinated me as a young girl. "Doesn't matter, does it?" I whispered.

"No." Dad said thoughtfully. "It really doesn't." He was silent for a moment and then said, "I probably won't ever marry, you know?"

I looked at him for a moment and put both my hands on each side of his face and closed my eyes, searching.

Dad chuckled, breaking my concentration and I frowned at him, "What?" I asked.

"You're not going to find anything." Dad said. He sounded both smug but also sad and I closed my eyes and pressed harder.

I don't really know how long it took me to see a young woman, in the auror department, with pink spiky hair. But I felt exhausted and then dad was shaking my shoulders and I found that I was laying on the floor. Dad's face was extremely pale and worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his lips barely moving. "You. . . fainted I think. Or passed out."

I sat up slowly, my head was ringing. "I've never searched so far before." I murmured, clutching my head. "Usually, I only feel dizzy."

Dad didn't comment but helped me to my feet. He looked down and I said, "There is someone, you know."

Dad actually had the audacity to look shocked and I laughed and then stopped quickly, pressing on the sides of my head and wincing in pain. "Who?" He asked.

So he was curious. I smiled. "Well I don't know her name. . ."

Dad glared at me.

"She's an Auror." I said, thinking back to what I had seen. I didn't want him to know exactly who she was if he saw her. I wanted him to grow to love her without knowing that he should love her. . .if that made sense. The pink hair was a dead giveaway. "She finished her seventh year when I entered my first year."

Dad's lips twitched and he said, "Uncle Moody might know her, eh?"

I blushed. Alastor "mad-eye" moody was a friend of dad's. I'd only met him a couple of times but I had called him Uncle Moody on the first meeting and the name had stuck for me. "Possibly." I muttered.

"Alright." Dad said, "You're sure you're okay?"

I nodded, blushing deeper.

"Alright then." Dad said, "You can go find Fred and. . . and. . ." Dad seemed to be struggling with the next part and I grinned. "-and you know- be valentines. . . if all you're doing is kissing anyways."

"Of course dad." I said. "That's all we do anyways." I flushed, "That's not what I meant, I just mean-"

Dad laughed, "Go on Elizabeth."

I grinned and kissed dad on the cheek and headed for the door. Dad called my name and I turned, "I do love you sweetheart."

I grinned. "Love you too dad."

Then I ducked out the door and went to find Fred.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 8

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 were let out of the hospital wing on Monday and we went back to attending classes. It was a relief to be back with other people. Of course, Draco Malfoy imitated Harry and I falling off our brooms over and over again every time one of us walked past. It was really getting on my nerves.

I kept my cool though. Cedric had us training constantly so that we could potentially win against Ravenclaw. I had to keep turning back hours to complete multiple classes. I kept leaving a food basket in the woods though I hadn't seen Sirius in a long time. I conversed with Firenze and sometimes Ronan or Ivagio about the stars and the future. I visited Hagrid with either Ginny or Hermione. And also, my private lessons with my teachers, and occlumency with dad.

Occlumency left me shivery afterwards and usually frustrated. I was not good at it unless there was something I really didn't want dad to see- like my interactions with Snape or my dreams.

We didn't work on the Patronus charm anymore, occlumency seemed to be dad's priority. So, I had started working on the charm by myself in an abandoned classroom or in the forest. It was coming along much better than Occlumency was, though I hadn't produced a corporeal patronus yet.

The bell rang and I hurried from class. I wanted to go and pop in and say hi to dad real quick. He was up and teaching again. I hurried through the hallways but when I heard him talking to someone, I stopped quickly.

"Why did they have to come to the match?" It was Harry's voice- bitter.

"They're getting hungry." Dad said in a cool voice. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up. . . I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement. . . emotions running high. . . it was their idea of a feast."

"Elizabeth saved me." Harry said suddenly. "Did you hear about that?"

"Yes." Dad said and he sounded proud. "I did hear about that as a matter of fact."

Harry was silent for a second. I waited and then, I turned and left. I didn't want to hear anymore.

.💙💙💙.

𝕽𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖜 𝖋𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖚𝖘 at the next match, much to my irritation. It had been a long, tiring game too. I'd managed to score a few goals though- nearly all of them- and I was glad because dad was watching today. Of course, like nearly every other game, I nearly broke my head open with a bludger.

But there were no injuries at the end of the game when the Ravenclaw seeker- Cho Chang- caught the snitch. We were disappointed, but now we could cheer on Gryffindor. I was a bit disappointed for another reason. It was barely even Christmas time and my Quidditch season was already over.

"There's always next year." Cedric said with a wistful look on his face.

Yes. I supposed there was always next year.

The days passed quickly despite turning back hours, probably because I needed time to slow down. I supposed I could've used the time turner to create more hours for homework, but I decided to use it only for getting to class. (Unless I got desperate. Only then would I use it for homework).

There was another Hogsmeade trip the last week before term and I wondered if I really even wanted to go. I decided I would, for a short amount of time, and then come back.

I went with Hermione and Ron and we left Harry behind. My bag was empty again and I was trying to think up different gifts for the others. Christmas was coming soon.

Ron and Hermione decided that we would stop inside Honeydukes first. I bought boxes of chocolates for each person I wanted to give a gift to.

I also got Pepper Imps and Ice Mice because I wanted to try them out and I hadn't bought them last time.

"What should we get for Harry?" Hermione asked Ron, looking around. We were in the Unusual Tastes section.

"How about those?" Ron asked, pointing at the blood-flavored lollipops.

"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect." Hermione was saying.

I picked one up and said, "I wonder if they actually taste like blood."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Hermione said, shivering. I decided I'd buy it and try it out.

"How about these?" Ron said, picking up a jar of Cockroach Clusters and stuffed them under Hermione's nose.

A different voice made all of us jump. "Definitely not."

"Harry!" Hermione squealed, "What are you doing here? How- how did you-?" Hermione looked like she may have a heart attack.

"Wow!" Ron said with a very impressed look on his face, "you've learned to Apparate!"

I giggled.

"'Course I haven't." Harry said. He dropped his voice and said, "Fred and George got this map from Filch. It shows all the different secret passageways and stuff. Anyways I found a secret passage from the cellar of Hogsmeade to Hogwarts."

"Wicked." I said, grinning.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" Ron said, outraged, "I'm their brother!"

"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" Hermione said in an astonished voice, "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

"No, I'm not!" Harry said a bit loudly.

"Are you mad?" Ron said, looking at Hermione as though she were mad. "Hand in something that good?"

"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!" Harry said, arguing the logic.

I felt my stomach twist. While I knew Hermione wasn't going to tell, I felt nervous in real time. Imagine Fred and George reluctantly giving it over, and then being in trouble only hours later.

"But what about Sirius Black!" Hermione hissed and I very nearly rolled my eyes. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!" That was a good point too.

I intervened. "Hermione, Sirius is never going to use that secret passage."

We looked at each other for a second and Hermione tentatively asked, "Are you positive?"

I was silent for a moment, thinking. It was true, he would never use this passage ever. But in the end, he would use the passageway under the Whomping Willow. I only knew this because I was concentrating really hard. I wondered briefly if he was staying in the Shrieking Shack right now. . ."Yes, I'm positive." I finally said, hoping that I wasn't lying.

"Fine." Hermione sighed. Ron showed Harry around the shop while we paid for our sweets. "You are sure, right?" Hermione whispered in my ear.

I simply nodded. We headed out into the cold while Ron and Hermione pointed out different shops. I wondered if we could go into the Three Broomsticks. There were no dementors around, they were floating up very high in the sky.

Ron finally voiced the opinion that we should go into the Three Broomsticks, and so we went in. I looked around curiously. I'd never been inside before.

There were high beams crossing the roof made of wood. There were many wooden tables and booths scattered around the room in neat rows. Christmas trees decorated the corners of the room. In the back was a bar with stools and a young woman with blond hair was serving customers from behind it. She was thin and curvy and had a very pretty face. Her full lips were coloured red and she was obviously wearing mascara.

"That's Madam Rosmerta." Said Ron, who had gone red in the face. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?"

I giggled again as he set off for the bar. Harry, Hermione, and I went into the back corner of the room into an empty booth. We were near the fireplace and there was a Christmas tree that was by us. Ron came back about five minutes later, even redder than he'd been when he'd left us, carrying two tanks of butterbeer in each hand.

He handed Hermione and I our tankards. The tankards were made of glass and I could feel the heat coming through the material. I'd never actually had butterbeer before and was excited. Dad had always said that my first sip should be here with friends, no matter how many times I'd asked for the drink before. I realized now, that he was right. I was going to have to tell him.

"Merry Christmas!" Ron said, lifting his tankard and we all clinked ours together.

We all drank and I realized that it was one of the best things I had ever tasted. It was sweet, but not overly sweet, and hot so that it filled the insides of your body from head to toe. But I felt something was coming and on a premonition, I grabbed the tankard from Harry's hands.

The other three looked at me in shock and I hissed, "Get under the table now." At the same time, the doors opened and in came Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid. Hagrid was talking to the Minister of Magic- Fudge.

Harry quickly ducked under the table. At least now he wasn't going to be dripping with butterbeer.

"Hermione." I hissed again, "The tree."

Hermione whispered, "Mobiliarbus!" And the Christmas tree rose a few inches off the ground, landing in front of our table, hiding us all from view.

I could feel Harry's body against my leg (Hermione and Ron were sitting across from me). I handed him down his tankard of butterbeer so he could drink it- if he wanted to. I took another sip of the drink, mostly for something to do. Stupid Harry. Should've brought the damn Invisibility Cloak.

There was a click of heels and I heard a voice I'd never heard before say, "A small gillywater?"

"Mine." Professor McGonagall's voice said crisply.

"Four pints of Mulled Mead?"

"Ta, Rosmerta." Came Hagrid's boisterous voice.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella?"

"Mmm!" Professor Flitwick said, smacking his lips and I burst into silent giggles and muffled my mouth against my arm.

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister." Madam Rosmerta finished off.

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear." Fudge said. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us. . ."

"Well, thank you very much, Minister." Rosmerta said and there was the sound of heels leaving and then heels returning and another chair being pulled up to the table.

I twitched my leg nervously. How long were the teachers going to be here?

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Rosmerta asked.

"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" Fudge said a few moments after she'd asked the question.

"I did hear a rumor." Madam Rosmerta said.

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" Professor McGonagall asked in an exasperated voice.

"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" Rosmerta asked and so Hagrid never answered the question.

"I'm sure of it." Fudge said shortly.

"You know that the dementors have searched the whole village twice? Madam Rosmerta said, an icy edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away. . . It's very bad for business, Minister."

Fudge sounded uncomfortable as he answered, "Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do. Necessary precaution unfortunate, but there you are. . . I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore- he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not." Professor McGonagall said in a sharp voice, "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

I shuddered at the thought of the dementors floating around the school. I'm sure I'd be embarassing myself even further, fainting every day and whatnot. I made a mental note to practice the patronus charm more than I already was.

"Hear, hear!" Professor Flitwick squeaked in a high pitched voice.

"All the same. . ." Fudge said, "If that girl you talked about would just give us something. . ."

I straightened up and stared at them- well where they would've been if the tree wasn't there. Hermione and Ron looked at me quickly too.

"Girl?" Madam Rosmerta asked in a curious voice, "What girl are you talking about?"

"Her name is Elizabeth Kane." Professor McGonagall said crisply and my cheeks flushed with embarrassed colour. Hermione and Ron looked at me quickly.

"According to Dumbledore, she can see the future." Fudge said. "Now if only she would direct her thoughts towards Black's capture, perhaps we'd have caught him by now."

"Now see here, Minister." Hagrid said in a sharp, almost cold voice, "Elizabeth ain' a tool. She's jus' a student like teh others."

I felt a special love towards Hagrid at that moment.

"Yes." Professor McGonagall said, also in a cold voice, "She has other things to be worried about. It is not her business to catch Sirius Black."

"I've never met this girl." Madam Rosmerta said, in a fascinated voice.

I shifted in my seat, looking down at the table, clenching my butterbeer tankard. Hermione and Ron made a point of not looking at me as well.

"She's the smartest student we have up at the school." Professor McGonagall said, "She's a third-year in Hufflepuff. She's very close with Harry Potter."

"Oh!" Madam Rosmerta said. "Of course, she's the girl in the article about whether or not she was Harry Potter's sister!"

"Tha' would be her." Hagrid said.

We all looked at each other nervously. My leg was bouncing up and down, rubbing against Harry's shoulder.

"Anyways." Fudge said dismissively, getting to the reason of why he was here. "I'd much rather she see something anyways. But the original point, the dementors are here for protection. We all know what Black is capable of, of course."

"I still have trouble believing it, you know." Madam Rosmerta said in a voice of those who were reminiscing about past events, "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought. . . I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta." Fudge said, "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" Madam Rosmerta asked, "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

Well, duh, I thought but didn't say.

"I certainly do." Fudge said matter of factly.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?" Madam Rosmerta practically scoffed at the Minister.

Professor McGonagall said, "You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta, Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally." And there was a small laugh from Madam Rosmerta. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here- ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Harry dropped his tankard with a loud thud. Ron kicked him under the table. I felt a jolt of shock shoot up my spine. I had known, of course, but it was so different hearing it from someone else's lips. Someone besides Dad anyways.

"Precisely." Professor McGonagall said. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright of, course, exceptionally bright, in fact- but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers-"

She was abruptly cut off as Hagrid chuckled and said, "I dunno, Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money. Elizabeth could too as a matter of fact, the amount of times she goes into the forest." My lips twitched into a smile too and then dropped as quickly as it had come.

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers! Inseparable!" Flitwick added.

"Of course they were." Fudge said. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" Madam Rosmerta whispered.

"Worse than that, m'dear. . ." Fudge dropped his voice and the four of us leaned to the side to hear better. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. . ."

Well, of course my parents had known Voldemort was after them. That was why Sirius was the only one who knew I was Harry's twin sister. That's why he knew where I was hidden- deep in the basement in my pink and white crib and pink backpack with all my necessities already packed.

Sirius was my godfather too. Sirius was innocent. I knew that. . . how did I prove it? My parents had protected me. . . and my mum had protected Harry too. . . and my dad. . . James, my dad. . . he'd protected all three of us.

I felt tears spring up in my eyes and I wiped them away. I listened back into the conversation.

". . .immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper," Professor Flitwick squeaked, sounding as though we might've been in the classroom. "and is henceforth impossible to find-unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper?" Madam Rosmerta asked in a whisper.

"Naturally." Professor McGonagall said. She sounded like she had a stuffed nose. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself. . . and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potter's Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" Madam Rosmerta gasped and quickly lowered her voice again.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements. Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who." Professor McGonagall said. She seemed to know a lot about this. Then again, she was deputy headmistress. You didn't get there unless the headmaster greatly respected you.

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

"He did." Fudge intervened. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed-"

"Black betrayed them?" Madam Rosmerta barely breathed this question.

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it-"

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, a bit louder than the others. The bar went quiet for a moment and then started up again.

"Shh!" Professor McGonagall said in a strained voice.

"I met him!" Hagrid growled, though his voice was much lower. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead. . . an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily and Jame's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the new o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin' he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid suddenly roared.

The four of us, used to listening in as hard as possible, all jumped at the sudden volume change. This time however, the bar didn't pay any attention to this outburst.

I stopped listening. Hagrid hadn't been the last to see Sirius. I had. I couldn't remember it, though I could just barely remember a lit place, perhaps a café. I remembered other things as well, the smell of burning wood, and a soft voice in my ear- Sirius' voice. Then there'd been something bitter, the smell I registered with coffee. That must've been the lit place and why I was sure it was a café.

I couldn't remember much farther back, though there was a memory of baby Harry and me sitting around a Christmas tree. Dad and mums' faces were a bit blurry. A cat came and sat in my lap and I hit it with a wooden spoon from my new play cooking set. The cat rolled over onto its back and stretched. Mum scolded me. It wasn't much but it was my only memory I had of the four of us together. But Sirius wasn't in that one.

I focused on the conversation again.

Fudge was saying, ". . .the Potter's friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."

"Pettigrew. . . that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" Madam Rosmerta asked.

"Hero-worshiped Black and Potter. Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I- how I regret that now. . ."

"There, now, Minerva," Fudge said kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses- Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later- told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens. . ."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose at that moment and it made me realize that she was softer than she acted. The last time she had cried it was because Harry, Ron, and I had asked to go see Hermione in the hospital wing last year. Or maybe she only cried once a year.

"Stupid boy. . . foolish boy. . . he was always hopeless at dueling. . . should have left it to the Ministry. . ." Professor McGonagall said.

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't messed around with wands- I'd've ripped him limb-from-limb." Hagrid growled in a dangerous I'd never heard before. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid. Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I- I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him. . . a heap of bloodstained robes and a few- a few fragments-" Fudge said, at first sharply when addressing Hagrid, then softer as he described the rest.

It was funny really, I thought randomly, that Hagrid was sitting here so amiably when Fudge had put him in Azkaban last year. What was up with that? Had Hagrid really just forgiven Fudge like that? Or maybe I was the only person in the world who held a grudge against other people for their crimes against other people. I certainly would never forgive Fudge for that.

Five noses were blown after that. I glanced up. Ron's face was horrified. Hermione had tears in her eyes. I reached down, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. To my surprise, Harry reached up and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. I felt a sort of vindictive pleasure rise up in me. My brother needed comfort! I was comforting him! Yes!

Fudge continued by saying, "Well, there you have it, Rosmerta. Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Merlin, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."

"Is it true he's mad, Minister?" Rosmerta said with a long, sad sigh.

"I wish I could say that he was." Fudge said slowly, perhaps even thoughtfully. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while-"

No, I thought. He was unhinged (if he ever was) because he blamed himself for mum and dad's deaths. Because it was his idea of Pettigrew being the Secret-Keeper. That's what I knew now- I just had to prove it.

"-The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man- cruel. . . pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them. . . but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored- asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him- and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."

"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" Madam Rosmerta asked. She seemed confused. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"

"I daresay that is his-er- eventual plan." Fudge said, a bit uncomfortably and I realized that he wasn't going to tell Madam Rosmerta that Black was 'after' Harry Potter. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing. . . but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again. . ."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.

"You know, Cornelius," Professor McGonagall said after a very long silence. I realized my hand was tight with Harry's. "If you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle."

One by one the chairs all screeched back and there was a sound like Madam Rosmerta was collecting glasses. Then the teachers had walked out of the pub and Madam Rosmerta went behind the bar.

"H-Harry?" Hermione whispered. Harry came up from under the table. His face was pale.

"Let's go." I said sharply. "Let's go. Now."

We left the pub. Harry wandered back to Honeydukes in a lost way.

I turned to Hermione and Ron, "I'll see you guys back at the castle."

They nodded, looking at little pale, and I followed Harry into Honeydukes, up into the cellar, and into the secret passageway.

He was silent for most of the trip and I finally said, "I know why."

He jerked and asked, "Know why what?"

"Why Hagrid and Mr. Weasley never told you the truth."

"And why is that?" He asked coolly.

"Well first of all, neither Mr. Weasley nor Hagrid knew the whole story. They just knew as much as you- we knew. That Black was after you and he was Voldemort's supporter. They didn't know any of the other stuff. And Fudge certainly wasn't going to tell you the whole story, you heard him at the pub, 'Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him.' Fudge just sees you as a small, helpless boy."

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

I was silent for a moment, "He's the only one that I can say didn't have a good reason for not telling you. I suppose the reason would be he too thinks you're too young. Isn't that the reason he gave for not answering your questions after your fight with Quirrell?"

Harry was silent for the rest of the time and when we got out of the tunnel. When he got out he said, "I'm going to the common room, will I see you at dinner?"

"Maybe. If Fudge is eating here he might want to 'see' me. Maybe I'll go out to the forest and converse with the Centaurs to avoid him." I said with a shrug. It actually sounded like a really good idea.

Harry just nodded and then trudged off in the opposite direction. I stood there for a moment, unsure of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I had heard the conversation three times now. I had seen it in a vision, Sirius had explained it to me in the forest months ago, and now I had just heard it at the pub. Yet, there was some sort of unexplainable shock that was going through me.

Finally, I made my way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. I listened at the door but I didn't hear anything. I opened the door tentatively and then, not seeing any students, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

I headed up the stairs to where the office was and knocked. "Come in." Dad said.

I opened the door and went inside. Dad looked up from his work and put his quill down, "What's wrong?" He asked automatically. Perhaps my face looked worse than I had thought.

I explained nearly everything that I had heard at the pub. Dad grew a little pale as he heard the conversation and then he shook his head at the end, "What a conversation to have in a public pub."

I laughed a little and then said, "I wasn't really shocked, I'd already seen the conversation beforehand but um. . ." I drifted off. "Did you know about this beforehand? All of it, I mean?"

"Yes." Dad said, picking his quill back up and making a mark on his papers.

I nodded and then sat down. There was silence except for the scratching of the quill on the paper. I looked out the window. Hagrid was walking to his hut.

"You have a nice view." I commented.

Dad chuckled and then sighed, "I have bad news."

I looked at him warily. "Yes?"

"I won't be able to spend Christmas day with you." Dad said, carefully circling something on the paper.

"I know." I said, though I still felt sad at the mention of it. "I memorize the dates every year. . . I have another question."

"Ask away."

"Why isn't my last name Lupin?"

Dad came a start, blotting the letters on the paper and looked up at me, a curious expression on his face. Then he smiled, "You know, I always wondered why you never asked that when you were younger." Then his smiled faded and said, "It was the wish of your parents for your last name to be Kane. Perhaps because there are no wizarding families with that name. Perhaps because if your last name had stayed Potter, well that's an obvious one. . . and if your last name had been Lupin, perhaps others would've made the connection and realized you were the adopted daughter of a werewolf."

I nodded, "Do you think I could get it legally changed to Lupin if I wanted to?"

Dad looked at me curiously, but his cheeks were flushed pink. He was pleased, I realized. "Only if you really, really wanted to."

I was silent for a moment. I couldn't think of anything else to say or ask so I stood and walked over to him and bent down and kissed his cheek.

"Love you dad."

"Love you too sweetheart."

I left the office and sighed as the door closed. If I wasn't married by the time I was eighteen (and of course, I wouldn't be because that was just. . . well that was just impossible) I would change my last name to Lupin. Until I got married, of course.

I smiled, walking down the stairs and then headed to the end of term banquet, unable to stop smiling at the pleasure on dad's face when I'd told him I wanted to change my name to his. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 7

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖔, 𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 six thirty, I was outside the door of Professor Dumbledore's office. I yawned, then knocked, and then went into the office. Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, and Lupin were all standing around.

"You look tired Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said.

"I've never done well sleeping around others." I muttered. I hated these meetings. It always felt like I was on jury. "But I do want to get one thing out of the way."

"And what is that?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"No one helped Sirius Black into the castle." I glared at Snape, "Do you understand me?"

There was silence. Then Professor Dumbledore said, "Thank you for clarifying."

"No offense, Headmaster, but I was asking Professor Snape." I said lightly. "You aren't the one who has a problem with my father."

Professor McGonagall looked a bit shocked, looking between Professor Lupin and myself. "Wait, Remus. . ."

Dad sighed. "Yes, Elizabeth is my daughter."

Professor McGonagall looked even more shocked, Professor Dumbledore looked tired, and Professor Snape looked angry and abashed at the same time. But then again, angry was just his resting face.

"Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore continued, "Do you know why he attacked the Gryffindor common room?"

I hesitated and then related the same theory I had laid on Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Professor Dumbledore looked thoughtful and Professor McGonagall looked hopeful.

"Then he might not be after Potter after all!" Professor McGonagall said.

"I didn't say that." I said, much softer than I had addressed Professor Snape. "It's just a theory."

"Do you think perhaps, and I hate asking this of you Miss Kane because I know you hate doing it, but do you think it's possible you can mark his next move?" Professor Dumbledore said.

I sighed. "I can try."

I pulled the other chair away from his desk and turned it so that I could have my back to them and sat down, pulling my knees up under my chin and rested my forehead on them. I closed my eyes. The other teachers were talking, I could hear their voices except for dad's.

I was in a misty dream where Flint was telling Oliver that Hufflepuff would have to play against Gryffindor because Malfoy's arm was still 'hurting'. I gritted my teeth. And then- the visions cut off. I was dreaming instead. . . a dream that I often had about Professor Snape and myself, kissing, but I remembered that he was out there and I couldn't have this dream. . . and then Fred kissing me on valentine's day. . . and then Trang and I laughing over our comics. . . and then I was in Hagrid's cottage and then. . .

I was awake and I blinked stupidly, aware of raised voices behind me. I got out of the chair. Dad and Snape were staring at each other angrily, their wands raised. Professor McGonagall was standing next to Professor Dumbledore, a hand over her mouth. Professor Dumbledore was standing his own wand out, but not pointed at either Dad nor Snape.

"Remus, Severus." Dumbledore said sharply. Dad and Snape turned away from each other, thrusting their wands in their robes. "Miss Kane, did you see anything?"

It took me a minute to find my voice- it was hard to concentrate waking up to such a bizarre scene- and then I said, "I- I don't know. I was in my visions and then they just- disappeared. Like- like. . ." I tried to find a way to describe the feeling of the way it was cut off. "Like it was just- cut off. I don't know why, it never happened before. . ." I trailed off as dad glared angrily at Snape's back again.

"What happened after it was cut off?" Dad asked, hate and anger lacing his voice.

Though startled, I answered, "I just started to go through past memories that weren't visions, like I was dreaming. . ."

"You may go back to class Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said. He was trying to sound calm, but his eyes were blazing.

I fumbled with the doorknob and walked out the door feeling disoriented and confused. I closed the door but didn't go downstairs. Instead, I sat on the other side of the door. What the hell had happened?

Dad spoke first, practically spitting venom. "Don't you dare go through my daughter's head ever again Severus."

"We're not going to get answers-" Snape started.

Professor Dumbledore interrupted. "Severus, she's only going to see at her own pace. And we heard what happened when you went through her mind. She stopped seeing and only remembered."

It was then that I realized Snape had done Legilimency. "We won't tell Miss Kane what happened, do you hear me?" Professor Dumbledore said coldly. "And I expect you to never do that again, do you hear me Severus?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Snape said sharply.

I quietly crept away, not wanting to be found and not really wanting to hear anymore. I headed up to the Hufflepuff common room and got my textbooks. Today was going to be a horrible day.

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𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖘 ended, I went to find Cedric. I had redone three classes which was three extra hours without sleep.

Cedric was studying with his friends, half of them girls, the other half boys. "Hey Liz!" He said, looking a bit concerned, I'm sure I looked tired.

"C-can I t-talk to you for half a s-second?" I asked, yawning.

"Yeah!" He said. "What's up?" He asked as we were out of earshot from his friends.

"I had a v-vision." I said, yawning again. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"That's alright, what was your vision?" Cedric asked, looking both excited and fearful.

"Malfoy, that's the Slytherin's seeker, hurt his arm in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. While he did it on purpose, he still got hurt. Anyways, Flint is going to pull Slytherin from the first game and so then. . ."

"Hufflepuff will be playing Gryffindor for the first game?" Cedric finished for me.

I nodded.

"Thanks for letting me know early, I'll start upping practices." Ced said, looking out the window. "Not today, obviously, you need to go and get some sleep."

I shook my head, yawning again, "I gotta finish homework first and then I'll get some sleep. But Gryffindor has been practicing in every weather available. And I already know that the weather on the day of the match is going to be horrible. That's the real reason Flint is going to call off the match is the weather."

Cedric nodded angrily. "Yes, that is a Slytherin tactic."

"I-I sh-should go." I yawned. "If I want to start on my homework."

"Get a lot of sleep Liz." Cedric said, putting a hand on my shoulder and then walked back over to where his friends were.

I debated between going and studying down at Hagrid's or in dad's office. I decided on dad's office. I needed to ask him a question anyways.

Dad looked extremely pale when I entered his office. Full moon was in just two days. "Ah, Elizabeth." He said. "You should get some sleep."

"I want to learn Occlumency." I said harshly.

Dad stared at me and put his quill down. "So you overheard the conversation after you left?"

I nodded. "I don't want anyone in my head dad, not even you if I'm being honest. I've thought things and have memories I've never wanted you to see but you're also the only one who won't judge me for those memories and so you're the only one who can teach me to close my mind."

Dad hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I said with zero hesitations and with zero convictions.

"We'll start after the full moon." Dad said. "Maybe, If I don't fall behind work to much."

"Let me do it." I offered quickly. "I know all the answers, I can at least mark the wrong ones and then you can just write grades on them when you get better."

"No." Dad said solidly. "You don't have the time, Elizabeth. I told you I wasn't going to give you private lessons because of the same reason and yet, I've got two different spells I'm going to be teaching you. No, get some sleep and be well rested for those lessons. I'll grade the stuff when I'm no longer ill."

I sighed, disappointed, and yawned again.

Dad got up from behind the desk and hugged me. "Go get some sleep sweetheart." He kissed my temple and I left the office.

I studied in the common room that night, working through my homework until my eyeballs burned. Around nine o'clock, Cedric came back with his friends. I was nearly through all my homework, I had two essays left. Cedric came and sat down in a chair.

"Did you get some dinner?"

"Noooo." I said slowly, writing down my last sentence on my Runes essay.

"What about sleep?"

"No." I said shortly, putting the essay aside and picking up the measuring tape and measuring it. Perfect. Then I picked up a new piece of parchment and started on my Charms homework.

"How do you even have homework?" Cedric asked. "I thought in the younger grades they don't give homework if you do the spells in class."

"Extra homework." I corrected. "But everyone gets some homework."

"You should drop a class."

I laughed, nearly blotting the start on my second paragraph. "Yes, I've heard that before."

Cedric was silent as he watched me write out my third and then fourth paragraphs. This essay was much shorter than the others, which I was glad for. I waved my wand over my essays, drying the ink completely. Then I wrapped them up one by one and put a band around them. I wrote which essay they were on the outside of the roll. I put each roll in my bag.

I looked up for the first time and saw Ced's worried face. "You know you're working way too hard, right?"

I shrugged, "I find everything incredibly fascinating."

"You're done, right?" Cedric asked, pointing at the nearly empty table.

I shook my head, "No, I still got to read a chapter in my Runes textbook and two chapters in my Muggle studies textbook. But that should be easy-"

Cedric put his finger on my mouth, "Get some sleep. As your Quidditch captain, that's an order. Read your chapters in the morning."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the girls in the corner look at me, outraged. "Your fan clubs mad." I whispered.

Cedric shrugged but pulled his hand away all the same. "Go!"

I laughed, but grabbed my bag all the same. "Night Ced."

"Night Liz." He said.

I headed up the stairs, put my bag down by the side of my bed, pulled on my pajamas, and climbed into bed. I fell asleep almost immediately.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I woke up at 7:45 and got dressed slowly and made my way downstairs, my bag already packed for the day and propped my Muggle Studies book up and started reading while I fed myself Bacon. Harry, Ron, and Hermione came and sat down around me.

"Hullo Eliza." Ron said sleepily. I guessed he'd picked up Ginny's nickname for me, "What are you reading this early in the morning for?"

"Cedric wouldn't let me read last night. He told me to go to bed anyways." I said, turning the page on the book to read about electricity.

"You let him tell you what to do?" Harry asked curiously.

I looked up, a bit defensive. "Well, he's my Quidditch Captain. He can tell the team members what's best for their health. It just means I have to finish my homework this morning before class."

"But you don't have Muggle Studies this morning." Ron said with a grin. "You have Charms, with us."

"I know." I said nonchalantly. "But I'd much rather get it done sooner rather than later."

Ron shrugged, helping himself to eggs and toast.

Hermione and I exchanged a look. It was getting harder to hide the secrets from Ron and Harry since they had started to memorize our schedules. To bad they couldn't memorize the dates to Goblin rebellions or potion ingredients.

I changed the subject quickly, "So has Flint told Oliver the news yet?"

"Yes." Harry said, dejectedly. "We have to play Hufflepuff now."

"Yeesh," I said sarcastically, "You sound disappointed, almost like you think we might beat you."

"I suppose it's possible." Harry said thoughtfully, looking up at the stormy ceiling and then said, "Glad we don't have Care of Magical Creatures today." Then Harry grinned and looked at me. "Fred thinks we'll beat you guys because he said Hufflepuff is a pushover."

I glared down the table where Fred, George, and Lee were sitting and laughing, "We'll show him!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all laughed and I joined in. I finished off the second chapter and closed the textbook, putting it back in my bag. Then, I walked to charms with them.

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𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖘 over, I felt exhausted. I'd redone two separate hours, making the day longer than it should have been.

I dropped everything in the common room and started on my homework. I was halfway through it, nearing seven o'clock when Cedric came in and grabbed the quill from my hand. I looked up startled.

"Have you eaten dinner?" Cedric asked.

It was like a repeat of last night. "No?" I asked.

"Come on." Cedric said, "Put your stuff away and let's go down and eat."

I didn't argue. I dried out my essay and did the same as I had last night, putting everything away in my dorm. Then I went back downstairs and walked with Cedric down to dinner. I sat at the Hufflepuff table with Cedric and his friends and ate. I didn't talk but listened to them jest, and laughed when something was funny.

As it neared closer and closer to eight, I leaned over and said, "I have to go, I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?" He asked quietly.

"Private lesson with Snape." I said back.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, "See you."

I walked down the corridor and knocked on Snape's door. There was no answer and I pushed the door open. There was no one in there though there was a piece of paper on the table. I walked over, closing the door behind me and picked up the piece of paper.

Running late, be there soon

I sat down on the stool and put my head in my arms and closed my eyes. I think I fell asleep because my dream started out the same as it usually did.

I was in Snape's office and he was standing behind me. "Elizabeth." He said in a voice that he had never used in real life. It was soft and sweet and made me feel strange. But a good strange. His hand closed around the tie we students wore and he pulled upwards while he bent down so that our mouths came together. I felt a sort of ecstasy go through me.

My hands were in his hair, something I dreamed of whether I was asleep or not. The hand that wasn't holding my tie was around my waist, pulling me closer. The dream always got a little blurry at this point but when it got clearer, we were on his bed. I had slept in this bed before, in my first year when Professor Quirrell had chased me, meaning to kill me.

His hands were on the top button of my shirt, undoing it and the next one, and the next one. My hands reached up, taking the cloak off his shoulders. His black vest was buttoned too and in a flash, it was off him. His body always changed you at this part. Sometimes he had abs, sometimes he didn't. He was never fat but sometimes never stick thin either. His fingers deftly undid my last button and he pulled the shirt away. . .

And then someone was shaking me and I sat up straight, now in the potions room. Professor Snape had his hand on my shoulder and was saying, "Wake up Elizabeth."

I rubbed my eyes and looked into his eyes and then looked away, blushing. Oh, thank God he hadn't gone into my mind. He had just walked in.

"If you're tired, you don't have to do the lesson." Professor Snape said, walking around the table now and sat down in front of me. He undid his cloak and laid it on the seat next to him. I think I might've started hyperventilating and my fingers reflexively twitched as though taking his vest off was muscle memory. "Are you alright?" Professor Snape asked, concerned.

My cheeks flushed and I thought heat might be radiating from them. "Ah, yes, Professor, s-sorry, I was dreaming and er- you s-startled me."

"Oh." Professor Snape said, frowning. I noticed his cheeks were a little flushed too. "Do you want to continue the lesson?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." I said, regaining the rhythm of my breathing and pushed my hair back. I had to get a grip on myself!

Professor Snape seemed a bit occupied as he went up to his desk and I said, "Professor?"

"Yes?" he asked without looking up.

"You taught dad's class today?" I asked hesitantly.

His shoulders tensed up, "Yes. Professor Dumbledore asked me to substitute."

"Did you really assign a werewolf assignment?"

Snape finally looked up at me. There was a flash and I remembered his face before he kissed me. I quickly shoved the dream aside. He never kissed you! I thought hotly in my head. It was a bloody dream!

"Yes." He said calmly.

I shrugged. "Okay, I was just wondering."

"You're not mad?" He seemed genuinely shocked.

"No one's going to do the assignment anyways." I said. "Except Hermione."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, an aggressive one. "Come in." Snape said coldly.

Ron entered the room. He looked at me, a bit curiously, and then realized I must be here for my private lesson.

"Mr. Weasley, you can start over there." Snape said, pointing to the table. "You'll only be cleaning the desks. Tomorrow you'll be cleaning the bedpans in the hospital wing. Miss Kane, we'll take the lesson into the office."

I felt my cheeks go colourless and then blush again. Ron nodded curtly and started in the farthest corner. I got up and self-consciously made my way over to the office and stepped inside. Automatically, my eyes went over to the bed and I blushed and sat down in the wooden chair by the desk across the room from the bed.

Professor Snape closed the door behind him and then sat down next to me and started the lesson.

.💙💙💙.

𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖔𝖓 was over, Professor Snape held me back. He looked like he was fighting with himself about something.

I peered at him curiously, "What is it, Professor?"

"In Dumbledore's office a few days ago. . ." Snape started slowly, clenching the desk in his hands and not looking at me, "I er-"

"I already know." I said abruptly.

Snape looked at me, surprised and then recovered, looking sullen, "I suppose Lupin told you?"

I shook my head, "I eavesdropped at the door after I left."

Snape hesitated and then got up abruptly and strode across the room towards his bed and with his back towards me he said, "I shouldn't have done it. I just. . . I wanted to catch Black. I didn't know-"

"I'm not mad." I said softly, getting up and walking over to him. I reached out, hesitated and then, slipped my hands around his waist.

He tensed and then relaxed. I leaned my forehead against his back. I wasn't sure what had made me so bold, but I had done it. Maybe it was because of the dream and now I was in the same place.

I felt his hand on mine and I took in a shuddering breath. Then I stepped backwards and put my hand on the handle, "I overstepped boundaries, s-sorry."

He didn't answer, his back still towards me and then in a strange, strangled voice that I suppose he thought was normal he said, "It's quite alright, Elizabeth. We'll just be careful not to overstep anymore boundaries."

I blushed and then stepped out, closing the door behind me. Ron was already gone and I went up to my dorm and lay awake, thinking of his words and his posture and his voice. I rolled over, smiling into my pillow. Needless to say, it took a very long time to get to sleep.

.💙💙💙.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞 was the Quidditch match. I was a bit disappointed and definitely furious with Malfoy. If only the Quidditch match wasn't on the weekend of a full moon! Then Dad would've been able to see me fly.

I ate a little breakfast and then went to join the other Hufflepuffs in the locker room. It was pouring outside. It was the kind of weather that thunder rumbled and lightning flashed and you thought it might be a hurricane or a tornado except you were in Britain.

We waited in the room, Cedric looked out the windows and then turned to me and said, "Any visions of wisdom Kane?"

Everyone, including me, laughed. "I think we have a pretty high chance of actually winning this." I admitted. "But only if we are on the top of our game, no slacking."

"You'll make a great captain one day." Heidi said, with an eye roll. "Bloody inspiring speech."

There was another round of laughter and I think we all felt a bit better.

It was time and we all stood, clutching our brooms.

The rain had lightened up just enough so it didn't feel like hail on our heads, but was still pouring in torrents. Cedric smiled at Oliver but Oliver didn't look like he was capable of unlocking his tightened jaw and just nodded. I winked at Harry who grinned back. We were already soaked before we even kicked up off the ground.

The rain was falling harder now as we flew upwards on our brooms. Heidi grabbed the Quaffle and we shot off towards the Gryffindor pitch. I was a bit nervous and hoped I didn't have to throw the Quaffle. Wood was a superb keeper.

But Heidi threw me the Quaffle as Angelina Johnson came up on her left side and I caught it and sped forward. I rolled to avoid Katie's hands and sped towards Oliver, my eyes narrowed. Oliver stared me down and I threw the Quaffle as hard as possible. It went through.

Oliver looked distressed and my stomach turned. I felt guilty now and I turned around so I didn't have to see his face anymore. I dodged another bludger (barely) and raced back down towards the Hufflepuff goals a bit half-heartedly. Alicia had the Quaffle and then threw it to Angelina and she scored.

The game continued and I didn't score anymore goals, either throwing the Quaffle to Heidi or to Malcolm. I didn't want the pressure. But when I passed the scoreboard, I saw we were losing by 50 points.

Then, over everything, I heard Madam Hooch's whistle and through the blinding rain, I made my way towards the ground.

I landed next to Cedric. We were all soaking wet.

"What happened?" Heidi asked.

"Oliver called a time out." I answered. "Oh, sorry Ced."

Everyone laughed.

"No problem Liz." Cedric said, with a huge grin. We took off on our brooms again as the Gryffindors had finished their huddle. Heidi got the Quaffle and I scored a second goal. Forty points now.

We were flying back towards Hufflepuffs goal posts when I stopped flying. It wasn't a stop I had meant to make, it was instinctive. My vision was gone, a different vision in front of my eyes. I watched it, hypnotized and then pulled out of it.

I came to realize I had stopped in front of the teacher's stadium and Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore had their eyes on me. I flicked my eyes over to them for a second and then searched the sky, looking for Harry. I ducked as a bludger nearly took my head off and out of the corner of my eye, I saw both Snape and McGonagall jerk reflexively.

Suddenly, an intense coldness came from around and I took off on my broom, frightened. The dementors were coming.

I saw Harry, shooting upwards in the sky and, abandoning the game, I followed him. Cedric was above him by just a little more. Then, I brought my broom to a halt as the dementors, perhaps a hundred of them, were floating up after Harry and Cedric.

I felt the coldness go right through my bones. I wasn't going to be able to get to Harry- I was already feeling faint from here. I saw Harry look down, and then, his face went slack and he fell from his broom.

I knew I gasped, though I couldn't hear it over the thunder. Harry fell past the dementors, though they seemed to grab at him and then past me, the dementors swooping. I felt dizzy and I shot down after Harry. I gained on him, screams were coming from the crowd. I didn't stop though, and I caught Harry's arm and pulled him onto my broom. I leaned across him so that he would stay on the broom.

But the dementors weren't giving up and they were swirling around us. Harry was already out and I yanked my hairband out of my hair and wrapped it around my wrist and then around the broom handle. I shot towards the ground as fast as I could.

I was very close to passing out but I knew, as someone- my mum started screaming in my ears "James- James, quickly!" And dad screaming back, "He's here, grab Harry and run!" Because Harry wasn't safe but I was. Because Voldemort didn't know I existed. Because if mum took Harry and ran, she could come back for me. But she didn't.

And then, I passed out. We were still fifty feet in the air- falling.

.💙💙💙.

𝕴 𝖆𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖔𝖓 something soft and clean. A bed. A hospital bed. There were voices too. I could hear Fred's voice but I didn't open my eyes, I couldn't.

"We'll come and see you later. Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had." Fred said and I heard multiple feet marching out of the hospital wing. Cedric must've caught the snitch, I thought.

"Dumbledore was really angry." Hermione's voice said. She sounded like she had been crying, "Eliza caught you, of course but the dementors, it looked like you were surrounded in a ball of them. She couldn't get back to the ground. So you both fell, you both probably passed out again. . . Dumbledore ran onto the field as you guys fell, waved his wand, and you both suddenly looked like you were falling in slow motion. Of course, the dementors were still over you both and he shot something silvery at them and they fled. You hit the ground and didn't move. He was furious-"

Hermione cut off and Ron took up the story. "Then he magicked both of you onto stretchers. The four house heads came running down too. McGonagall and Sprout seemed the most concerned of course. Everyone thought you two were. . ."

Dead. I finished for him in my head.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" Harry asked after a long silence.

"Er-" Hermione said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well. . . when you fell off, it got blown away." Hermione said in a hesitant voice, not wanting to continue.

"And?" Harry asked.

"And it hit- it hit- Oh Harry!" Hermione cried in dismay. "it hit the Whomping Willow!"

I wondered about my Nimbus. I had attached it to my wrist for that reason.

"And?" Harry asked in a choked voice.

"Well," Ron said. "You know the Whomping Willow. It- it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around." Hermione said and it sounded like she was picking up a bundle of sticks.

Harry didn't say anything for a long time and then said, "Is Elizabeth going to be okay?"

"Yes." Hermione said. "Madam Pomfrey said she'll be out longer than you because she passed after you. I'd assume she'd be coming around anytime soon."

She stopped talking and I felt that perhaps they were all looking at me. I didn't move.

"I guess I owe Elizabeth my life." Harry said.

"Shut up." I said from my bed, still not opening my eyes, "You would've done the same for me."

I finally opened my eyes and sat up slowly, rubbing them.

"Elizabeth!" Hermione squealed, looking much happier, now that I was awake. "Oh thank goodness."

"Where's my broom?" I asked, looking around.

Hermione clucked her tongue, "What is it with Quidditch players waking up and asking about their brooms?"

I grinned, not quite up to laughing. I looked down at my wrist and saw there was a huge imprint mark where my band had been. The band in question was sitting on my bedside table, soaking wet.

Hermione and Ron looked as though they had climbed out of a swimming pool, they were that wet. But Harry and I were no longer in our Quidditch uniforms. We were in standard hospital garments.

"Cedric has your broom." Ron answered. "The team was here before Madam Pomfrey kicked 'em out. Cedric took the broom for you."

I nodded, relieved.

"It's okay Harry." I said. "You'll get a new broom for Christmas."

"That's good to know." Harry said, sounding relieved. "Who's buying it for me?"

I shrugged, "Don't know yet. And I won't tell you what type of broom it'll be either. I won't ruin that surprise."

Ron made a face, "Why do you get to know Christmas presents before everyone else? We aren't even mid way through November yet!"

I felt much better than I had before. I didn't answer Ron.

"When can I leave the hospital?" I asked as Madam Pomfrey bustled over with medicine. She seemed to have a small heart attack.

"On Monday!" She said, aghast. "Don't you dare think that you can leave any earlier than that."

I was a bit upset with this since there really wasn't anything wrong with me. Plus, I had homework I needed to get done before Monday and if I couldn't leave, how was I supposed to get it?

Luckily, Cedric and Heidi showed up some time later, both clean and in Hogwarts robes.

"How are you feeling Elizabeth?" Heidi asked anxiously.

"Never better." I said with a smile. "I honestly feel like I could leave now and be fine."

"You don't hurt anywhere?" Cedric asked, concerned.

I shook my head. "My wrist is a little sore." I held up my wrist as proof. The band mark was still there.

Cedric shook his head. "That was a stupid move, you know. You nearly cut your wrist off."

I shrugged, "At least my broom is safe." Heidi and I laughed, but Cedric seemed extremely concerned.

"What did happen?" I asked. "I remember grabbing Harry as he fell and pulling him on my broom. You were above him, and you caught the snitch. . ."

I trailed off and Cedric took up the story, "Well, I caught the snitch and looked back and saw Harry fall off his broom. I saw all the dementors below but they didn't affect me as much as they had seemed to affect him. . . I was only cold and a bit depressed even though we'd won the game. . . anyways, I did see you catch him and you took the band out of your hair and you were making your way to the ground but the dementors. . . well they seemed to surround you, like a. . . like a black hole." Cedric finished with some difficulty.

"Of course," Heidi said. "Dumbledore managed to save both of you. You hit the ground and. . . well. . . we thought you guys were. . ." She grew pale.

"Dead." I whispered for her.

She nodded her head. "The only talk seemed to be coming from the Slytherin pitch."

I snorted. "Of course."

Heidi laughed a little.

"Heidi, can you get my homework and stuff for me?" I asked then. "I have to get it done by Monday."

"Absolutely not." Cedric said sharply. "You're supposed to be resting."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll go bonkers if I don't get this homework done, okay? I have to have something to do in here."

"Fine." Cedric said, sounding just a little snappish.

"I'll be back soon." Heidi said, and dashed out of the infirmary wing.

I sighed, leaning back on the pillows.

Cedric looked down at the bed, not saying anything.

"Are you mad?" I asked suddenly. He looked up at me.

"Only a little bit." He answered.

"You shouldn't be."

"Yes I should."

We glared at each other and then we both smiled at the same time and burst into laughter.

"Alright." I said, "Be mad all you want."

"I will." Cedric said, then leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Get some rest Kane."

"Sure." I said, blushing. He walked out of the hospital wing, hands in his pockets. I glanced over where Harry was sitting up, reading a book. No one was visiting him.

I thought about calling over to him but Heidi came back with my homework and I threw myself into studying. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 4

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💙💙💙.

𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖕𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘 class, I was also looking forwards to it. I hadn't talked to Professor Snape since he'd left me outside the Hospital Wing after he'd carried me from Professor McGonagall's office, after Harry, Ron, Ginny, Professor Lockhart, and I came back from the Chamber of Secrets. I'd said something stupid along the lines of 'as long as you care.' Of course Professor Snape opened his mouth with the words 'I can't-' and I immediately left so not to hear the words of rejection that would've followed if I hadn't cut him off. Have I already mentioned that? It felt worth noting again.

Professor Snape was perhaps one of my favorite Professors. I loved him with a passion as a person too. I probably loved him more than Fred, Cedric, Percy, or Oliver. Of course, he was a Professor so my love was rescinded down to a stupid crush and I tried not to think about those feelings period. Besides, love might be to strong of a word- after all by not thinking about your feelings, you usually can't understand them until later.

I slipped my dragon ring on my finger and my time-turner around my neck. I also put on my silver necklace from my parents but didn't put it right next to the time-turner. I didn't want there to be a chance that the two necklaces tangled with each other.

I met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione before we got to the Great Hall. I noticed the thin gold chain around Hermione's neck but neither Ron nor Harry seemed to notice. But I wore lots of necklaces all the time so a chain around my neck was nothing new.

We walked into the Great Hall, Hermione and I talking about what possible new subjects could be starting today.

As we walked into the Great Hall and I glanced up at the teacher's table. Dad was already there and so was Snape.

Suddenly, I heard a roar of laughter from the Slytherin table. I didn't look at them just yet, but a couple teachers heads- dad's and Snape's included- looked up at the noise.

"Ignore him, Just ignore him, it's not worth it!" Hermione whispered, prodding Harry in the back.

"Hey, Kane!" Pansy shouted, "Kane! The dementors are coming, Kane! Woooo"

I turned to look at her and said, "At least my face doesn't look like a pug!"

This brought out laughs from the neighboring Ravenclaw table and Pansy's face darkened, staring at me with hate.

"Oh, you shouldn't have done that!" Hermione criticized as we walked over to Gryffindor table.

I shrugged and sat down next to Fred. "I'm not scared of her."

"New third-year schedules." George said, passing them over. "I grabbed yours from Hufflepuff, Elizabeth. Figured you'd sit here today."

"Thanks George." I said, taking it, scanning it over. I'd been completely right about all my classes today.

"What's up with you, Harry?" George asked.

I looked up at Harry's face. He was, naturally, a bit angry.

"Malfoy." Ron said, sitting on George's side and glaring over at the Slytherin table. We all turned to look at the Slytherin table. We watched Malfoy pretend to faint again.

"The little git." George said in a calm voice. "he wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself." Fred said, throwing a contemptuous glare at Malfoy.

"I wasn't too happy myself." George said. "They're horrible things, those dementors. . ."

"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" Fred asked.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"Forget it Harry." George said a bit shortly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking. . . They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most the prisoners go mad in there."

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match." Fred said. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

That seemed to make Harry a bit happier and he grabbed himself sausages and fried tomato.

I grabbed a piece of bacon and nibbled on it before I felt it was a good time to leave for the dungeon. Potions, then Ancient Runes and Arithmancy and Muggle Studies at the same time, and then Transfiguration. I'd have to run up and grab my Muggle Studies textbook though. I hadn't foreseen that class.

"You don't eat much." Fred whispered while Ron and Hermione argued over her schedule. "I noticed that at the Leaky Cauldron too."

I shrugged. "Everyone has different eating habits." but I wouldn't quite meet his eyes and he knew it.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione left for the Divination tower and as I never really felt comfortable staying at the Gryffindor table without them, I got up to head for the dungeons. Fred got up too and asked if he could walk me to class.

I blushed and nodded and we walked out of the Great Hall, side by side.

"So, let's talk." Fred said as we walked down a nearly empty corridor. "What's going on, Elizabeth?"

"You know." I said lightly, avoiding the conversation completely. "You're a lot more serious around me than everyone else."

"I'm only serious when I have to be." He said.

"Or when you feel you have to be." I corrected with a roll of my eyes. "Besides, literally nothing is going on, I just didn't feel like eating breakfast."

"Or dinner?" Fred asked.

I felt my cheeks go red. He'd noticed? "Ugh! You really want me to explain this to you!"

"Yes." Fred said. "I do."

I glared at him, my cheeks going redder still. "This is so embarrassing."

"Really, and why's that?" Fred asked, knowing that I was stalling.

I looked down at the ground and said, "I am really picky, Fred. I hate eating new things, I hate salads and soups and vegetables and nuts and a bunch of other things that Hogwarts serves. My favorite times of the year are Halloween and Christmas and Easter when Hogwarts serves different foods and American desserts. And it makes me ungrateful because your family isn't the richest and I wasted your parents money by not eating the dinner and-"

Fred pressed his lips to mine. My breath caught in my throat and I closed my eyes. He pulled apart slowly and said, "I don't thinking you're ungrateful."

I felt as though I might combust.

"You're right," he continued, and he smiled. "Everyone really does have different eating habits. But it is funny to see you get all riled up."

I hit his arm, realizing he'd been trying to get me riled up on purpose. "You jerk!"

He laughed, "You're going to be late for class."

"Wow", I said sarcastically, "and who's fault is that?"

He grinned, "Ah, you'll forgive me eventually."

I giggled and then ran down the stairs and down the corridor and made it into the potion's classroom with two minutes to spare. I took my usual spot in the front of the room on the right side.

Susan always sat next to me. I noticed that she seemed a bit tired.

Potions started. Professor Snape went over some of the basics and then set us to prepare to brew an Allergy relief potion for next class.

"Miss Kane, please stay a moment longer." Professor Snape said in his casual bored voice. My heart thudded and I packed a little slower than the others.

"Yes, Professor?" I asked as everyone else filed out of the room.

"I wanted to ask you if you want to continue private lessons, or if you would rather not." Professor Snape said, shuffling papers on his desk.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'd love to continue lessons. . ." I said, looking down at the ground. "Anything else?"

Professor Snape opened his mouth like he was going to say something and then he said, "Never mind, you may go."

I hesitated and then left. I hurried up the stairs to my Ancient Runes class. The Hufflepuffs were taking this class with Slytherins although there weren't many students on either side. I took a seat closest to the door so I could dart through after the bell rang and hurry to the bathroom and turn my time-turner and then go to Arithmancy. And then Muggle studies. Oh Merlin, this was going to be trippy.

Ancient Runes was a fascinating class. I was very much in love with it and I wouldn't doubt if the class would replace Potions as my favorite class.

Then, time went backwards from 10:30 to 9:00 and I took a different route to Arithmancy. This class was with the Gryffindors and Hermione and I sat together. I supposed we would go to Muggle Studies together.

Arithmancy was. . . interesting? A bit boring and a bit complex really. It was taking the numbers 1-9 and finding the matching letter. Each number had three letters except for 9 which only had two letters. Then, there were number codes and you had to figure out which letters worked in which way. It could be any combination of letters to make a word. For example: 76395 was supposed to be You're. But 7 could've started with g or p or y. I wasn't sure how I felt about the class. It certainly made me think harder than any other class and was more complex than Runes.

Muggle studies- time went backwards again from 10:00 to 9:00. Muggle studies was certainly interesting- if not a little repetitive. We learned about how telephones work. This was going to be an easy grade. Hermione had come from Divination and had to dash back to where she'd left Harry and Ron and I stayed in the classroom for an extra second, pretending to be picking up a near empty bottle of ink, I'd 'dropped'.

I had a small free period before I was going to have to go to Transfiguration after lunch. I decided to go down to Hagrid's and see what he was doing.

"Hi Hagrid." I said, when I reached his hut. He had some dead polecats hanging on a pole.

"Hi Elizabeth. Aren't yeh supposed ter be in class right now?" Hagrid asked.

"Flying." I answered. "But I don't have to attend because I'm on the Quidditch team." I put my bag down and sat down on the log. After first year, flying classes became optional unless you'd flunked horribly.

"Oh, that's right." Hagrid said.

"So what do you have planned for today's lesson?" I asked with a grin.

"Like yeh don' know." Hagrid said with a smile.

"Hippogriffs." I answered.

"Ay." Hagrid said, standing, "Want ter come an' see 'em?"

"I'd love to." I said, getting to my feet and followed Hagrid a few feet into the forest where a paddock had been set up.

"Yeh know how ter approach 'em?" Hagrid asked, a bit nervous and a bit excited.

I nodded, wiping my palms on my robes, and then climbed over the fence. I approached the Hippogriff that I knew Harry would be using when he came to this class. His name was Buckbeak.

I bowed, not taking my eyes off of Buckbeak's', trying not to blink. I waited. Buckbeak bowed back and I approached slowly, petting the feathers on Buckbeak's' head.

"You're gorgeous." I whispered. "Absolutely handsome." He really was. His feathers were so smooth and silky.

Hagrid was grinning, "Yeh do well with creatures, Elizabeth."

"Thank you Hagrid." I said, blushing with pride, continuing to stroke his feathers. "He's really a beautiful one too." I said, a bit louder so Hagrid could hear me.

"Yes." Hagrid said with a bit of pride in his voice. "They all are, aren't they?

I looked around at the other Hippogriffs and said, "Yes, indeed."

I kissed Buckbeak's head and then got out of the paddock. Hagrid tossed a polecat towards Buckbeak who snapped it up. Hagrid gave each of 'em one and then we headed back to his cabin.

"I'll have ter get some m're polecats." Hagrid said thoughtfully.

I laughed. "I suppose you will."

I heard something to my side and I looked into the yellow eyes of a huge black shaggy dog that was peeking it's head out of the foliage. I opened my mouth in surprise and then I quickly looked away, snapping my mouth closed. No need to bring any attention to him.

I went back up to the castle, feeling nauseous. What was he doing here? Surely he knew how much trouble he was going to be in if someone that wasn't me saw him?

No, I thought. You and dad are the only ones who know he's an Animagus, remember?

I found Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating stew. I wrinkled my nose. Stew? Oh, Merlin, Elizabeth, I thought. Grow up.

Ron seemed very angry and said, "Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's- that's bad. My- my Uncle Bilius saw one and- and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence." Hermione said calmly while pouring herself pumpkin juice. I stayed silent.

"You don't know what you're talking about! Grims care the living daylights out of most wizards!" Ron said, even angrier than before.

"I saw a black dog." I said, hoping to cut the Grim discussion.

"You did?" Ron asked, dropping his mouth, "You've seen the grim too?"

"Well. . ." I said. "It was a big shaggy black dog with great big yellow eyes. It came up to me and licked my hand, and I petted it, and then I went home. It was just a stray though."

"That sounds a lot like the dog I saw too." Harry said.

"See." Hermione said superiorly to Ron. "Both Elizabeth and Harry have seen your 'grim' and their both alive."

"That's because I don't believe in Grims." I said matter of factly. "Seers like to push that sort of thing though. And I know because I saw Professor McGonagall telling you guys that Professor Trelawney tells a student every year they're going to die. We are going to die. Harry is going to die. When he's like eighty something."

"Gee." Harry said, grimacing, "Imagine dying at only eighty."

We all laughed and the discussion was gone.

"By the way, guys." I said quickly as they were about to go outside to Care of Magical Creatures classroom. "Draco is going to try and screw up Hagrid's first class. You're also going to be going over Hippogriffs. Harry, you're going to volunteer when Hagrid asks for a volunteer and you are going to be completely fine. Just make sure that you listen to everything Hagrid says."

Harry looked a bit shocked but Ron laughed, "I think that's the first time you've laid out a prophecy for us."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck guys."

I turned and headed off to Transfiguration which passed quickly and then I was out. No more classes for the day! I headed down to the Great Hall a bit apprehensive. I'd never interfered with the future so successfully before. I'd stopped Ron and Hermione from fighting. I had only wanted Harry to know that he would be okay for volunteering with Hagrid. What if he had stopped Draco from screwing up Hagrid's class? I knew that if Buckbeak wasn't put on death row it would screw up. . . well, it would screw up something.

But when I entered the Great Hall and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were searching the teachers' table for Hagrid, I knew that what I had foreseen had really happened.

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" I heard Hermione ask anxiously as she sat motionless at the Gryffindor table.

"No." I muttered, coming and sitting down next to her.

"They'd better not." Ron said, not eating either.

Harry was looking past me, probably towards the Slytherin table.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back." Ron said sadly.

"You guys are going to go down to Hagrid's after dinner." I said suddenly. "I'm not going to go though."

"You're just full of prophecy's today, aren't you." Ron said but he didn't sound amused like before.

I glared at him. "They aren't prophecys! I'm just telling you guys ahead of time what you're going to do anyways."

We went our separate ways after dinner, and I went upstairs and started on my Potions, Transfiguration, and Muggle studies homework. Then an essay for Ancient Runes and then a deciphering chart for Arithmancy. It was 11:31 when I finished and I brought my stuff upstairs and put it away and then, headed back down the stairs.

I hesitated, and then stepped out of the common room and stole through the darkness towards the front door. I looked around and then darted through the doors and sprinted down the lawn, double checking behind me before slipping into the forest.

I ran for a little bit so that if someone had followed me, they wouldn't be able to find me. Then, I made my way to where I liked to go. A black dog soon joined me.

"Are you stupid?" I hissed quietly. "You're going to get caught."

"I'm not." A voice said suddenly. I looked at my godfather for the first time in my life. I hugged him tightly and his arms tightened around me too. "Well, at least you don't think I'm a murderer."

"Get back into dog form though." I said, a bit nervously. "Sometimes people follow me in."

He did as I said and we walked through the forest for a long time before I sat down. "I'm not sure how I know your innocent, I don't rightly know, but. . ." I explained in depth about my visions and my feelings and how my feelings were usually very good, etc. etc.

Sirius listened patiently, his head on my knee. He was fluffy, I gave him that. Then, he retreated into the shadows and became his human form but stayed where he was. It was clever, no one would've been able to see him.

"Before your parents died, I was their secret-keeper." Sirius said slowly. He paused in between sentences, probably so that we would be able to hear if anyone was coming. He also spoke so softly I had to listen carefully to catch it. "But I knew Voldemort would know I was the secret keeper so I told your father to tell him to use Peter. Peter Pettigrew. I thought it was the perfect plan. . ."

I felt tears come to my eyes.

"Instead, Peter turned around and gave the information to Voldemort and then. . ." Sirius drew in breath. "I should've known, of course. . .it is my fault your parents died. . ."

"No." I whispered. "No it wasn't."

"I admit, I did try and kill Peter." Sirius continued, "But he cut off his own finger, blew up the street, and disappeared with the other rats."

"He was an Animagus too?" I asked sharply.

"Yes, the smallest of myself, your father, and I. A rat. Guess it fits in too, a rat." Sirius laughed without humor.

"Yeah, Dad- Lupin I mean- he told me about you guys being Animanguses." I said rather calmly. "Dad- James- he was a stag."

"Lupin told you, eh?" Sirius asked rather calmly.

"Yeah." I said with a bit of a smile. "When I was younger and wanted to know everything about my father, my parents. But when I grew up. . . Lupin's enough, you know? I love him."

We sat in a bit of silence for a moment before Sirius continued his story.

"I was the only one who knew about Peter of course. Remus thought he was dead. No one had ever known Peter was an Animagus besides me, him, and your father. So, I had to escape. The boy that the rat belongs to lives in the same dorm as Harry. If Peter heard the dark lord was rising. . . what would've stopped him from delivering Harry to Voldemort? And you, what if he found out about you too? I couldn't bear the thought of you both being in danger. . ."

He turned back into a dog and came over to where I was still sitting. I rested my hand on his head. After a few minutes, I heard running hooves. I looked over and saw Centaurs running past about a yard away.

"I should go back up to the castle." I whispered. "I'll bring food next time I come and I'll try to come every day."

Sirius nudged my hand with his nose. We walked back to the edge of the forest and then I bent down and kissed his shaggy head and then made my way back to the dorm carefully.

Well, as Ron had said, at least I couldn't say it wasn't an interesting day back.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 2

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖆 few days for Harry to actually blow up his aunt. I passed the time easily. I hung up Fred's painting in my bedroom above my bed. Regardless of my feelings, it was a great piece of art and I could fully appreciate it. Next, I worked on rigging up a little stand in my bedroom so Hedwig would have somewhere to sleep.

I read Ron's book first. There was fascinating subject material, just as he'd said there would be. I read the Monster book of Monsters next which was just as easily fascinating, if not more because I loved magical creatures. Hedwig and Sadie swooped in and out of my room easily. I think they were competing about how many mice they could catch every night.

In my closet, I had the pink backpack that I had come to Lupins with. I pulled it out frequently, wondering what to put in it, if I should put anything in it at all. No, perhaps not. Besides, it'd look very out of place at Hogwarts. I couldn't remember a single pink object in the castle. Well, except perhaps Lockhart's Valentines day robes.

Finally, on the day that Harry would run from his house, I went downstairs. Dad was sitting on the couch, writing out lesson plans. We were getting closer to the start of the school year and he was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I felt proud every single time that I thought about it.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley." I declared, grabbing some floo powder from the jar next to the fireplace. Dad looked up in surprise.

"Now?"

"I had a vision." I proclaimed extravagantly with a teasing smile. "Don't worry, it's not a dangerous one and I'll be home in half an hour to tell you all about it."

"Maybe you could tell me now so I don't worry for half an hour." Dad said, a bit tersely in my opinion.

I sighed. "Harry blew up his aunt. I just want to see him."

"Oh." Dad said, frowning. "And this can't wait until tomorrow morning because?"

"I want to surprise him." I said, stepping into the fireplace. I threw down the power and shouted, "Diagon Alley."

I flew out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace. Tom, the bartender looked up a bit surprised. "Bit late, don't you think?"

I smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'm not staying long."

I strode off in the direction of the stairs and mounted them, listening carefully at the doors and finally I came to a room where I heard a somewhat, half familiar voice saying, "Circumstances change, Harry. . . We have to take into account the present climate. . . Surely you don't want to be expelled?"

"Of course I don't." I heard Harry's voice say behind the door. I stood alongside the wall.

"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge said with a bit of a boisterous, fake laugh. "Now, have a crumpet Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."

I heard the door open but Fudge didn't look my way, and instead strode down the way I'd come. I slipped into the room. Harry was looking in front of himself at the desk and didn't see me. I snuck up behind him and grabbed his shoulder saying, "Hiya Harry!"

Harry jumped about ten feet in the air and I watched in pleasure as he crashed into the desk behind him. "E-Elizabeth!" He shouted, gasping for breath. "You scared the crap out of me."

I grinned, grabbing a crumpet from the plate. "I'll meet you in room eleven." I said, slipping out of the room again and heading down the hallway. I unlocked the door and slipped into the room, closing the door and locking it again behind me again. Then, I sat down in a chair by the window. Hedwig was already perched on top of the wardrobe and I grinned at her.

I waited a couple of moments and then Tom unlocked the door and led Harry in.

"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.

Hedwig flew down onto Harry's arm, clucking her beak. I giggled.

"Very smart owl you've got there." Tom chuckled. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask." He gave me a brief look, shrugged, and left the room.

Harry turned to me. "You told Hedwig I'd be here, didn't you?"

I shook my head. "She knew all on her own."

Harry came over and hugged me. "I've missed you Elizabeth."

I grinned, closing my eyes. "I've missed you too."

"Thanks for the present." Harry said. "I love the books, and the sugar quills helped at home too."

"I'm glad." I said, sitting down on his bed. "So, how's your aunt?"

"Deflated and she doesn't remember anything."

"To bad." I yawned. "She'd never pick on you again if she remembered."

"I doubt my uncle and aunt will ever have her over again as long as I'm in the house." Harry said and shrugged. "I don't mind in the very least."

I sighed, sitting up, and looking at the clock. "I told my dad I'd be back home. I'd invite you stay at our place, but I reckon you'd much rather stay here. I'll be back every day though, if you want me to."

"Yeah!" Harry said enthusiastically, which made me very happy. "I'd love that. I would come stay with you but I promised the minister I'd stay here."

"Great! It's no problem." I said, jumping off the bed and kissing his cheek. "But if you do get tired of me, tell me to stay home, kay?"

I exited the room before he could answer and sprinted back to the fireplace. Tom didn't even look up as I disappeared back to my living room.

Dad was still sitting on the couch, looking a bit anxious. "That was thirty-two minutes and twelve seconds, Elizabeth."

I looked at him, open-mouthed. Had he really kept track of every second?

Looking at my face, he burst into laughter. "I'm just joking. I don't know how long you were gone."

I sighed and then joined in the laughing with him. Then I sighed, "I'm going to go up and take a shower." I hesitated. "Are you going to be alright?"

Dad sighed, bookmarking his spot. "Elizabeth, I turn into a werewolf every month. Of course, I'm going to be fine."

I hesitated. Dad stood up and came over to me and gave me a tight hug. "I'm going to be fine, Elizabeth."

I nodded and headed up the stairs, my throat to tight to say anything. Dad would become a werewolf in a week or so, right before term started too! I felt horrible and a wave of anger and determination washed over me in the bathroom. I would make a werewolf cure, I would!

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𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 couple of days, I spent the majority of my time with Harry. He liked to spend the majority of the day at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, working on his homework. Our Uncle and Aunt hadn't let him do his summer homework so he was catching up on it now.

Florean Fortescue knew a lot about medieval witch burnings and loved to talk to both Harry and me about them, considering that was what our History of Magic essay was on. In fact, he knew so much that I threw my old essay in the fire and started on a new one. He also gave Harry and I free sundaes every half an hour.

I didn't like this much, mostly because I felt bad and knew a lot about businesses. So, I usually added the sum total of the sundaes up and left the money in the tip jar. I think he knew I was doing this though because our sundaes seemed to get larger every day.

Harry was also practicing the art of self control. This made me laugh but since he'd never had his own money, he finally knew how hard it was not to spend it on cool things. I had grown up poor, but before I learned about money, nearly everything I asked for- usually books- dad found a way to provide it or find a substitute. Once I learned about money, I stopped asking for stuff. I had practiced self-control for a long time until I'd found my fortune under Gringotts.

Harry and I also got our books one day. I'd been begging him to do this for ages and finally he gave in.

It was a bit funny as we entered Flourish and Blotts, the manger came hurrying towards us. "Hogwarts? Come to get your new books?"

"Yes." Harry started to say, pulling out his list, "I need-"

"Get out of the way." The manager said quite impatiently, pushing past us. He drew on a pair of thick gloves and picked up a walking stick and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage. I supposed they were being kept in the cage so that they weren't scuttling all over the shop, tearing up other books.

"Hang on!" Harry said quickly. "We've already got those."

"Have you?" There was a flash of relief on the manager's face and he put the stick and gloves back down. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning-"

There was a loud ripping noise as suddenly, two of the books seized a third and started to rip it apart.

"Stop it! Stop it!" The manager said, picking up the stick again and breaking them apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility- cost a fortune and we never found them. . . Well. . . is there anything else I can help you with?"

I strode towards the Monster's cage and stuck my hand in, rubbing my finger along the binding. I did this with each book and they all stopped scratching and tearing and biting and stacked on top of each other nicely. I turned back around as the manager gaped at me.

"Yes." Harry said, looking down at his list and smiling. "We need Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky."

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" He led the two of us to the back of the room where a small table was stacked with books like Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks, Broken Balls: when Fortunes Turn Foul, and Intro to Tarot. "Here you go." The manager said, handing me my copy.

I rattled off the rest of the books that I needed and watched Harry out of the corner of my eye as he observed a book called Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming.

"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you." The manager said, my letter in his hand but addressing Harry. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death." When Harry didn't answer, he pressed Unfogging the Future into his hands, breaking Harry out of his trance.

"Anything else?" The manager asked.

"Yes. Er- I need Intermediate Transfiguration and the Standard Book of spells, Grade three."

The manager bustled off and brought back our books, handing each of us our relative stack. I grabbed the Intro to Tarot book and tucked it under my arm.

We paid for our books and left Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't speak a single word and kept bumping into things, seeming a bit dazed. I kept my mouth shut though. I guess Sirius had gone and seen him too. Unlike me however, it seemed Harry didn't remember him. I said good-bye as we reached the Leaky Cauldron. It was nowhere near the time for me to leave, but he didn't seem to notice as he stumbled up the stairs to his room.

At home, I dumped the books on my bed and went back downstairs, grabbing my jacket. It was raining outside and I splashed in puddles on my way to Trang's house.

I arrived at Trang's house and knocked on the door and she let me in. Actually, she pulled me in and I stumbled over the doorstep.

"My American celebrities magazine just came in!" Trang said, giggling and I continued tripping over my own two feet as she dragged me up the stairs without waiting for me to catch my balance.

I was a bit interested. I didn't know much about America though I'd studied some of their history. I heard that their entertainment was grand though.

We went up to her bedroom and she pulled out some of her magazines, the newest on top. We looked through them together.

She kept pointing out different guys and asking me if they were cute.

"Is he cute?" She asked, pointing to a white guy. He was wearing a nice suit with a white shirt and red tie. He had a wonderful smile and I looked at his description. He was in real estate and had a cameo in Home Alone 2.

"He is handsome." I corrected, blushing a little, looking for his name. Donald Trump. "So these are the men you have in America?"

Trang giggled, "He's much older now, but yeah. What about this guy?"

I looked at the picture. He had the thin makings of a mustache and black hair, a bit curly. He seemed to be surprised in the photo that he was in. I looked at his description. Played Iron man in all the movies.

"Robert Downey Jr?" I asked, my voice squealing. "I'm in love with him!"

Trang chuckled. "All the Marvel actors are quite good-looking, aren't they?"

I rolled my eyes. "Have you seen Paul Bettany? Will Smith? Personal favorite, Benedict Cumberbatch."

"Actually, he's British." Trang laughed again. "Who's your favorite American actor?"

I leafed through her celebrity magazine. "Donald Trump." I finally said.

Trang rolled her eyes. "Have you ever even watched any of his movies?"

"Yeah!" I lied. "Okay, no, but I think he's hot."

"He is, isn't he!" Trang agreed dreamily.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking through the magazines and pointing out whos hottest and then moved onto British celebrities and ranking the Beatles from hottest to least hottest. I ranked mine as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. Trang ranked hers as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison.

Then, we moved our conversation to school.

"So, you're dads got a new job, again?" Trang asked innocently, reorganizing her magazine collection. It was sad to see that her American collection had grown larger than her British one. (I didn't blame her. The American guys were definitely hotter and if I was old enough, I would've married Robert Downey Jr- or so I believed. But that was only if Benedict Cumberbatch was still unavailable).

"Yeah, he's actually is going to be a teacher at my school." I said slowly, flipping through a different magazine. All the guys in this one were surfers. Usually blond, rather tan, and blue eyes. I wasn't sure if the magazine was for the surfboards or the guys.

"Oh! That's very interesting." Trang asked, still leafing through a magazine. It seemed a little to fast for her to actually be reading it. Her voice was very breezy too. "What subject is he going to teach? I didn't realize he had a teaching degree."

My cheeks flushed the way they did when I was caught keeping the magical world from Trang. I decided to go as close to the subject as possible. "Mythology."

There was a hint of recognition in Trang's eyes and then it was gone. "That's interesting. So magical creatures and stuff like that?"

"Yeah." I said, nearly holding my breath. "So what about you? How's school for you?"

Trang went along with the subject change. "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'll be starting freshman year and I've taken up an instrument, I told you that, didn't I?"

She'd mentioned it briefly in one of her letters. "I think so." I said.

"Viola." She said. "I'm not very good at it though."

"I bet." I said, a smile growing on my face and a teasing look in my eyes.

She looked at me in fake hurt. "You take that back, right now!"

"Make me!" I said, leaping to my feet and grabbing a pillow. She grabbed a larger pillow and we started to attack each other. I smacked her across the hips and she slammed her pillow over my head. I stumbled back and attacked her legs. We collapsed on each other, laughing and giggling and wrestling.

We lay there for a long time, laughing and catching our breath.

"ARE YOU GIRLS OKAY UP THERE?" Trang's mother called from downstairs.

This brought on another bout of giggles and then Trang sat up and said, "I have a secret to tell you." Her eyes were shining. She whispered in my ear, "I started my period!"

"Really!" I shrieked, a bit jealous. She was growing up much faster than I was! "Lucky!"

"Not really." She said, giggling uncontrollably. "My back hurts like hell."

I asked a multitude of questions about what it was like, what it felt like, etc. I knew I had reached the age that it usually started and I couldn't wait. Or, based on what she was saying, perhaps I could. But I was in awe because I didn't know what it would be like and I didn't have a mother or mother like figure in my life to tell me. . . perhaps Mrs. Weasley but that would certainly be one awkward conversation. Trang was like my sister (though I'd always thought of her as a little sister). Now, I thought of her like my big sister, telling me the secrets of adulthood.

"GIRLS?" Trang's mother called up the stairs.

"YEAH, MOM?" Trang called back in an annoyed tone.

"THAT TV SHOW YOU GUYS WATCH. . .SCOOBY-DO I THINK IS ON! DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU WANTED TO WATCH IT?"

"Oh yeah. . ." Trang muttered and I sat up quickly. She turned to me, "You want to watch?"

I scoffed. "Of course I do. Scooby-doo is one of the best shows out there!"

"COMING!" Trang called down the stairs.

We sprinted from her room down the stairs and into the living room. The TV was already on, the Scooby-Doo theme song playing.

You know we got a mystery to solve so, Scooby-doo be ready for your act- don't hold back-

"And, Scooby doo, if you come through you're gonna have yourself a SCOOBY SNACK!" Trang and I sang together, collapsing on the couch and giggling. Trang grabbed the remote, turning it up.

Lovely, buttery smells wafted in from the kitchen and Trang's mother brought us out Cola's and popcorn. We thanked her and settled in for an hour of about four Scooby-doo episodes.

Trang's mother invited me to stay over for dinner but I said good night and headed home. I'd stayed over later than I should've but I had a fancy for Scooby-doo. I know, childish, but it was my favorite show and Dad didn't have a TV.

Dad had dinner ready and I felt a bit bad. I usually made dinner and I never wanted him to make dinner. He wasn't a bad cook, but he'd taken me in and I wanted to repay for it.

"Elizabeth?" He called as I closed the door behind me.

"Yeah dad?" I asked, sadly. I knew what tonight was and that was another reason I should've made dinner. He'd stayed longer than he should've.

"I have to go."

"I know, I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. I lost track of time."

Dad rushed from the kitchen and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about it." And then he was rushing out the back door and I heard a crack which meant that he'd apparated.

I felt a heavy weight of anxiety settle on me and I went to bed without dinner.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I woke up with a heavy heart, knowing that tonight Dad was going to turn into a werewolf.

Dinner was still on the stove, having not been eaten last night and, cursing under my breath, I threw it in the garbage. I'd have to make something for dad when he came home tomorrow morning. . . something to eat before we boarded the train.

I met Harry in his bedroom and we wandered out after he'd eaten breakfast. We went back to to the Quidditch store. Harry came here every day because he wanted to look at the Firebolt. My stomach turned with anticipation every time I saw it. It was the most gorgeous broom I had ever seen since Silver Arrows. Even my Nimbus 2000, a wonderful beautiful broom, somehow wasn't in the same beauty rank as this one.

The cherry handle and all the twigs that gave it the impression that it was on fire near the end. I sighed. I had the money in my vault. I wondered if it would even make a dent. But there was no way that I was going to empty my vault on a broom. What if dad had a financial issue and our vault couldn't fix it and I didn't have any gold in my separate vault because I'd spent it on a nice broom?

"Let's go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor." I said suddenly, a flash of a vision lingering in my eyes.

Harry pursed his lips. "I don't know if that's where we should eat today."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not why I want to go there." I grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the Ice Cream Parlor.

"Elizabeth! Harry!" Hermione called from one of the seats at the Ice-cream. Harry grinned at me.

"Finally!" Ron said as we sat down at the table. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and-"

"I got all my school stuff last week." Harry said and then asked, "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad." Came Ron's one-word answer.

"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"I didn't mean to." Harry said as Ron roared with laughter. Under any other circumstances, I would've laughed too, but I just smiled. "I just- lost control."

"It's not funny. Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled." Hermione said sharply.

"So am I." Harry admitted, frowning at the table. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron and then at me and then back to Ron and asked, "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" Ron shrugged. He was struggling to speak without breaking into laughter again. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up my aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me." I did laugh at this but it was a bit thin. "Anyway, you can ask Dad this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow Hermione's there as well!"

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things. Are you staying over, Elizabeth?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm going with Dad to Kings Crossing tomorrow." At least, I certainly hoped so. I didn't foresee any trouble though.

"Excellent." Harry said happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

Ron reached into his bag and pulled out a thin box that I knew contained a wand. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books. What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two. They were fine until he handed them to us. Once Hermione and I touched em, they came to life and we dropped em and they started tearing up other books."

"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing to the three bulging bags next to her chair.

"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I?" Hermione asked a bit defensively. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies-"

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. "You're Muggle-born. . ."

I stopped listening. I was so worried about dad. I shouldn't have come today. The last time I'd left the house before he'd come home. . . our house had been robbed and I thought I was going to be murdered.

"Elizabeth?" Harry asked, bringing me back. Ron and Hermione were standing up with their bags and I quickly jumped up.

"Sorry." I muttered and trailed after them as we made our way to the Magical Creature shop. I supposed that Hermione was going to get an owl then. Or a big huge fluffy orange cat was what she really was going to get.

"So, Elizabeth?" Ron asked, "What kind of owl is Hermione going to get?"

I sighed. "She's not."

She gave me a look, "Then what am I going to get?"

"A cat named Crookshanks." I said in a dull voice. "He's a big orange cat."

"Yes." Ron sniggered. "We got that he was a cat the first time."

"I'm going to wait outside." I said. Ron and Hermione went in but Harry stayed outside a moment longer.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "No. I'll tell you eventually, just not right now, kay?"

Harry nodded his head and headed into the shop. I closed my eyes. I wanted to see dad arriving home safely. It took a heck of a lot of concentration and a lot of mis-visions taking place at Hogwarts. Eventually, I found a vision of dad sitting on the Hogwarts train, his raggedy trunk up in the luggage compartment, fast asleep.

I opened my eyes, a weight lifting off my chest. Suddenly, Scabbers- Ron's rat- shot out of the Pet store. I quickly lunged and picked him up.

"Yeesh, Scabbers." I said. "The cat wasn't going to kill you." I stared at him a bit longer. "To bad it didn't." I added on for a random reason. I felt a sudden intense dislike for the rat. But that might have been because I absolutely hated rats.

Ron and Harry raced out of the shop, looked around, and I held Scabbers out to Ron. I didn't want to touch such filth.

"What was that?" Ron asked Harry.

"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger." Harry said placidly.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Getting her cat." Harry said.

At that moment, Hermione came out clutching a large orange cat with a squashed face. It was also a bit bowlegged. Seeing it in the light made me realize that it wasn't orange, but rather ginger.

"You bought that monster?" Ron asked, his mouth hanging open. He turned to me, "That's the cat that you saw?"

I nodded, my lips twitching. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" I asked innocently. I personally hoped the cat killed Scabbers. . .but why? Why the sudden intense disliking of Ron's pet rat? Each year, there was someone I didn't like for uncertain reasons until they were revealed at the end of the year: Quirrell, Lockhart, and now a rat. I shrugged. I supposed I'd find out eventually as I always did.

"He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"

I sighed. "They will be in separate dorms. Now, can we please go up to the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Hoping to see Fred?" Ron asked, flashing me a smirk.

I blushed bright red and muttered something along the lines of no, not at all. The others laughed and we headed up the street to the Inn.

We entered and found Mr. Weasley sitting at the bar, reading a newspaper. "Harry! Elizabeth! How are you?" He asked, looking up as we came in.

"Fine, thanks." Harry said.

"Wonderful." I said, just a bit too heartily, "How are you, Mr. Weasley?"

"Ah." Mr. Weasley said, putting down the paper and showing the picture of Sirius Black staring up at us.

"They still haven't caught him, then?" Harry asked, interested.

"No. They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far." Mr. Weasley said, polishing his glasses quickly before putting them back on.

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" Ron asked, interested. "it'd be good to get some more money-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron." Mr. Weasley said shortly. He looked very stressed, I realized. A bit like Dad before a full moon. Just not as sick looking. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

Before anymore could be said, Mrs. Weasley showed up in the bar, laden down with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Percy, and Ginny.

Percy walked up to Harry and held his hand out solemnly like they'd never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you."

"Hello Percy." Harry said, a quiver in his voice. Like me, he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"I hope you're well?" Percy said, pompously, shaking hands.

"Very well, thanks-" Harry said with a hiccup, still trying not to laugh.

"Harry!" Fred said, elbowing Percy out of the way. My laughs were about to come through. Fred bowed deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy-"

I started giggling.

Now, George elbowed Fred out of the way, seizing up Harry's hand. "Marvelous. Absolutely spiffing."

I was openly laughing now. Percy was scowling.

"That's enough, now." Mrs. Weasley said, exchanging a look with her husband. I looked back. He was grinning as well, covering it up now that Mrs. Weasley was scolding him.

"Mum!" Fred said, turning and seizing her hand into both of his. "How really corking to see you-"

"I said, that's enough." Mrs. Weasley said and the shopping bags went into an empty chair. "Hello, Harry dear. Hello, Elizabeth. I suppose you've heard our exciting news? Second Head Boy in the family!" She said, swelling up with pride. Percy was wearing the silver badge on his chest.

"And last." Fred muttered under his breath. I giggled again.

"I don't doubt that." Mrs. Weasley said, frowning. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" George said, looking as though he was allergic to the idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

Ginny and I laughed.

"You want to set a better example for your sister!" Mrs. Weasley snapped at them.

Percy said, "Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother. I'm going up to change for dinner. . ."

He strode proudly up the stairs while the rest of us laughed. George heaved a large sigh and turned to Harry and I. "We tried to shut him in a pyramid. But mum spotted us."

I giggled and then glanced up at the clock. It was getting on pretty late. I should go back to the house for dinner. . .Dad would be home from last nights full moon. . .

"Hey Liz!" Fred said, coming up to join our little cluster.

"Hey Fred." I said, blushing. "Thank you for the birthday present, it was real lovely."

Fred grinned. "Oh, glad you liked it. You figured out how to enlarge it then?"

"Dad did it for me." I said.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Fred asked.

I hesitated. "I'll ask my dad. But probably not."

"Alright." Fred said, seeming a little disappointed.

I waved bye to all of them and went back home. I tripped over my own two feet getting out of the fireplace and landed on the floor.

"Ow. . ." I muttered, getting up and wiping the soot off my knees. "Dad?" I called out hesitantly.

There was no answer and my heart started pumping. I thought about going back to the Leaky Cauldron to get the others but thought against it. Perhaps dad was outside. I hurried into the kitchen, pausing to look at the calendar. Oh wait. . .tonight was full moon.

For some reason, he had changed his spot for transforming into a werewolf. He still hadn't told me why. That's why he left yesterday. It still threw me off, always making me think that the night he left was the night of the full moon. But no, tonight was full moon.

Well then, I would go back to the Leaky Cauldron and eat dinner with the Weasleys. I'm sure dad wouldn't mind as long as I was back in time to pack. . .I'd have to pack for him too.

I waited until dinnertime, reading It by Stephen King. It was a vulgar horror book, with many cuss words and sexual occurrences. I knew dad hadn't read it because if he had read it, I certainly wouldn't be sitting here reading it right now. He'd have burned it before letting me read it.

At the moment, I was reading a very vivid scene in the beginning of the book between Beverly and her husband Tom. Tom was reliving some of the nights he'd 'trained' Beverly so that she didn't smoke cigarettes. Very strange feelings came over me whenever I read that part and I didn't completely understand the feelings at all.

Despite that, the book was very good, though a bit inappropriate, and I read it over and over again between other books.

When dinnertime came, I went back to the Leaky Cauldron and joined the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry. I sat between Fred and Ginny, talking to each of them in turns.

There were five different courses that we ate through. Well, they did. I'm a picky bird. First there was an appetizer of bread and fruits and cheeses. And then soup and salad followed by some sort of magical food that I'd never had before. There was stew after that with more bread followed by spotted dick.

Then, for dessert there was chocolate pudding. I didn't care for it much and nibbled around it. The conversation was very light and fun. I'd never quite eaten in an atmosphere like it. If it was dad and I, we might be reading or doing mundane talk. If it was Trang and I, we were talking about American, British or Australian actors or American politics or American food (I found out that American pizza wasn't a disease after all, but quite like an Italian pizza just with more grease). At Hogwarts, well I usually didn't eat with everyone else at Hogwarts.

As we neared the end of dessert, Fred asked, "How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?"

Oh, I had forgotten that they didn't have a car again. I quickly glanced at Mrs. Weasley and felt guilt surge through me. I put my spoon down. I had forgotten to put gold in their vault this year. I'd have to do that next year.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars." Mr. Weasley said in what he probably thought was an offhand, causal voice. Everyone except Mrs. Weasley and I looked up at him.

"Why?" Percy asked, curious.

"It's because of you, Perce." George said in the most serious voice he could muster. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them-"

"-for Humongous Bighead." Fred finished for him.

Everyone except for Mrs. Weasley and Percy snorted into their pudding. I was a bit surprised that Mr. Weasley had laughed, simply because Percy was his son, and that Hermione had laughed, because she liked Percy. But then, again, it was funny.

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked, trying to be dignified and show that he was above petty insults. But he clearly upset because he'd said 'are' instead of 'is.' Why is the Ministry providing cars, Father? I may not have mentioned this before, but I hate improper grammar.

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore, and as I work there, they're doing me a favor-" Mr. Weasley said, his ears red. But he'd said the sentence so casually.

An unexpected flash was in my head.

"Elizabeth?" Mrs. Weasley asked and I jerked, "Are you okay, dear?"

"Oh!" I said, bit loudly. "yeah, I'm fine." I blushed and looked down at the table.

Dinner finished and the Weasleys started to make their way upstairs, but I grabbed Harry's arm and jerked my head towards the door to the back of the Inn.

"What did you see?" Harry asked the minute we were outside. He tapped the proper brick and we started to walk down the street of Diagon Alley.

"Well, it wasn't much, but it was the answer to why Fudge let you off without any punishment, and why the Ministry is giving Weasley the car. It's why the Weasleys even stayed over a night instead of staying at the burrow. It's cause of Sirius Black. The Ministry believes that Black is coming after you."

"After me?" Harry asked incredulously. "But why?"

I shook my head. "That part, I don't know. Nor do I even believe or know if he really is coming after you. However, it's believed that he is coming after you because he was friends with ou- your father. I don't know all of it though."

Harry looked stunned.

"I have to go, Harry." I said and we turned back around. Once we were back in the Inn, I said, "Harry, Mr and Mrs. Weasley will be talking about it in the parlor. I don't know if you've missed the conversation by talking with me, but maybe you could catch something."

I waved, hopped in the fireplace and went home. Was Sirius after Harry? If so, why? I climbed the stairs, brushed my teeth, and got into bed. I rolled over and over, distracted by the fact that dad wasn't home yet. Finally, I got out of bed, and went into Dad's room, grabbing a throw blanket and fell asleep in his bed.

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