Rating: PG -13
Words: 5,581
Warnings: Zip. Language mostly.
Feedback: Respectfully welcomed. Let me know if you spot any mistakes! This is unbeta'd so I tried my best, people.
A/N: Well, I can't say this is going to be 'great' or anything because I don't have high expectations for this story and it's my first crack at a multi-chapter fic, BUT…I can tell you I'll try my best to make it more interesting and believable as the chapters go along, which will be about 6 altogether and they probably won't be very long (six years worth of brilliantly dysfunctional characters, peeps, just sayin'). Yes, the time frame completely disregards the book and film but I wanted something"' different and updated, especially about the part where she is American—I know some people are touchy about 'transfers' in this fandom, so let's hope that doesn't turn you off completely. Another thing, let's pretend Harry was never the chosen one, Ron is the Hufflepuff one, but Hermione stayed the smart one, capiche? Cool. Bring on the MADNESS. First chapter is mainly Sirius' POV. R&R if you want.
Newport, Maine – 7:10 pm
Sirius Black stumbled out of the thick bushes, slapping at a dozen mosquitoes' that had decided to nest on his sweaty and dirt-ridden skin. His potentially broken bones and minor bleeding from a few lone cuts would soon do him in if he didn't find some form of shelter soon, and fights with the local strays and a nasty run in with a barb wire fence didn't help matters much. The cuts weren't deep enough to allow a healthily blood flow, but enough to leave scars in the morning and his 'broken' bones were really badly bruised compared to his past experiences, which promised to be painful and sore for a week or two if not tended to properly. He just liked to brag sometimes, and what was wrong with that if it gave you a sense of feeling, a sense of belonging somewhere in this crazy world, especially if one led the life he did? Nothing he could muster at the moment could change that fact for him, seeing as his main focus on his pressing hunger took up most of his thoughts and his day finalized on not throwing him a bone for shit—lame puns aside. There is nothing quite like the feeling of having your stomach completely devoid of victuals whilst being so direly sleep deprived you could cry. Literally, a tear had 'accidently' made its way down his face the previous day, thankfully no one was a witness to this event save for a solitary squirrel gathering for his long winter ahead.
Pitiful, he was! The same Sirius Black whose aristocratic linage would outlast the Queen and that included her grandchildren.
Sirius didn't want to dwell on how poor his life had become when he started shivering again, why was it so bloody cold? Oh, right. Tomorrow would mark the first day of September. Wishing to Merlin he had a scarf and some decent boots, he dropped the tattered and stained shawl onto the ground since it was hardly any defense against the cold and took the form of his animagus—he had spotted lights gleaming through the woods earlier and took it as a sign of life. It was when he was thinking of how much it would cost his pride to give his left hand for a meal (he bet ten quid you could play Beethoven's symphony 5 on his ribs with a stick) and a month worth of rest when a relatively large white house came looming into his line of vision, looking slightly imposing against the beginnings of dusk and the dense row of pine trees surrounding it. He sniffed the air, snout raised intently on pinpointing the distinct smell of…Roost Beef? Yes, definitely Roost. Not that he expected scraps however, when Muggles saw a dog, preferably one of his size and appearance, they usually steered clear while he went about his business. He mentally shrugged and figured he could have a go at the rubbish bin before any of them awoke the next morning in hopes of finding something edible.
He was about to tip over the rubbish bin when a girl of no less than thirteen came bounding out; her black hair was tied in a loose ponytail and her converses slapped on the paved walkway as she ran. She stopped when he peered around the bin to look at her.
"Oh hello, how did you get out here? I wonder if you're lost." She said in a careful tone, usually reserved for walking up on stray animals that startle the daylights out of you.
You don't know the half of it. Sirius thought as he took a precautionary step backward onto the street. He didn't worry about cars since the neighborhood was deserted at this time of evening. He perked his ears and cocked his head when he heard the girl speak again after closing the bin's lid.
"What's your name, huh? Hm…you are a big dog though," She proffered her hand, which held a piece of scrap she took from the trash, and clicked her tongue in an attempt to lure him forward. "Come on, don't worry, I don't bite at least! Can't say the same for my parents."
So that is an American accent, where the devil am I anyway!? There are hardly any Americans—oh gods, is she coming closer? She is. Damn. Didn't her parents teach her to never pet strays?
Just then her mother popped her head out of the door and yelled for her daughter. "Lola! Come in sweetie, your dinner's getting cold!"
"Sure mom, but look what I found." She replied as her mother finally noticed the large black dog sitting by the sidewalk, possibly thinking what a sight these two make. Sirius figured wagging his tail a little would seem less imposing. Evidently he had been wrong a lot in the past twenty-four hours.
"Lola come away from that dog, you know better than to touch stray animals."
"But mom, look at him. He's probably starving! Couldn't we just take him in for one night?"
"He's probably not starving, dear. Besides, he seems to have been quite at home with our trash." her mother arched a patronizing eyebrow.
"Fine, it'll be your fault when he does starve to death." Lola said sarcastically, turning back to the house, though not without glancing back at him, and proceeded up the narrow pathway to her front door.
"Whatever you say, Lola."
Back at the curb, an inner turmoil was wrecking havoc in Sirius' mind.
This could be good for you mate, a warm place to stay for the night with no guarantees of being tied down, said the voice of Rationality.
Yes, no guarantee they won't kick you straight out on your arse after giving you a good once over! Said the voice of beloved old Deplorable.
Sirius fidgeted for a few more seconds before throwing caution to the wind and trotted over to Lola before she went inside. She turned to him grinning. "See mom? Told you he wanted to come in."
The girl's mother sighed and crossed her arms, staring at Sirius as if she only just realized he existed. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt…and he doesn't have a collar nor does he appear dangerous. But only for ONE night, Lola. Is that clear?"
"Yes mother," Lola nodded while rolling her eyes. "Where should he sleep?"
"I think—"
"Hey Brooke, what's the hold up? You two are standing here for ages."
Sirius greeted the man by sniffing at his shirt. Well, he certainly isn't as beautiful as the mum, but she could do worse. Hmm, do I detect a hint of Chanel 5? I hope the mother is a frequent user, otherwise…
"Oh, who do we have here? So this is what kept you, huh?' He scratched Sirius behind the ears, had he been in his human form he would've decked the man already, though now that he was deprived of such fondness it felt too good. He really ought to think about seeing a psychiatrist. "Nice looking guy too, pretty big isn't he? Probably a descendent from the Hounds, or Great Dane."
"That he is. David, your daughter thinks he should stay the night, to which I agreed."
"Did you now? All right Lola I suppose it couldn't hurt, he sleeps in the living room then. He may appear calm and collected now, but he's still a stray."
"Okay dad, did you micro my plate?"
"Already waiting for you." He smiled as they all headed for the dining room, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle handsomely.
"All settled? Good. As for tomorrow, we have a dinner meeting with the Robinson's and I would like to get there early and find a decent—"
"Oh, I just remembered, he needs a name!" Lola had gotten up from the table and walked over where Sirius lay beside the Fireplace, gently stroking the fur between his ears, not that he wanted to be disturbed at this point when he eventually found the right spot. Kids, he thought for the twelfth time since entering this house.
"Lola he doesn't need a name, he's staying for just tonight."
"I know that mom; we should still call him something for now."
"Hey, maybe we should name him Scooby. Or Shag."
Why you lousy condescending mother—
Sirius' string of curses was cut short as Lola coughed. "Yeah, sure dad, or we could all gag instead."
David shrugged and opened the weather application on his cell phone. "Just a suggestion. Honey did you see the forecast for tomorrow? A high of Fifty-three, gonna be a chilly one for Maine. You should bring that white pea coat I just brought you."
"Ahem," Brooke glanced at his phone pointedly. "Dave. Phone. Dinner. Now."
"Yeah, sure. Sorry." David slipped his phone in his pocket. They were trying to come to a compromise by agreeing that if he refrained from using his phone during dinner, she would refrain from using her Visa excessively during family outings. So far, Brooke was winning.
The rest of the conversation faded into a black hole as Sirius finally comprehended what David said and snapped his head to attention, if he were human right now his eyes would've looked as round as saucers. I apperated to Maine? Why? Where did I go wrong in my past life?
"Anyway, I think I should be the one to name you, seeing as I discovered you."
Please, Merlin and whoever the hell is up or down there, don't let it be… Beethoven. Or Sputnik. I would surely die of shame.
"How about…Snuffles!"
Sirius rested his head on his paws, grumbling a bit in dog language, and sighed. Bloody Americans, of all the places to end up, and of all the things to be named THAT is what she picks—it was so obvious, why didn't I see this coming? Maine, for heaven's sake!
"I knew he would like it, didn't you mom?"
I'll tell you what I'd like to do…
"Yeah, that has a cute ring to it, charmingly in contrast to his appearance."
This never would've happen if it weren't for that bloody Peter Pettigrew!
After putting the dishes away and placing a blanket out for Sirius, praying he wouldn't decide to take a midnight trip to relieve himself, she padded upstairs. Generally he did enjoy the company of people despite how judgmental he sounded about the whole ordeal; American or not, it was just he sometimes perceived them as a tad too silly and loud—with their cellular phones and fast paste lives, it's a wonder they have any energy to make proper tea. Sirius was still thankful to get some peace when he heard a door open and saw Lola tiptoe quietly back down the stairs.
"Nox," The light in the living room evaporated, leaving the soft glow of a full moon as the only source of illumination to accompany him. "Night Snuffles; don't let the fleas bite."
September came with unusually brisk wind and rain to match, though Lola Pevensie found that she couldn't be any less excited and happy to finally be on her way back to Hogwarts. Despite her parents having issues, and there was definitely something they weren't telling her, she was even more thrilled that after five baths, about three bowls of Kibble 'n Bits, and a heavily applied Flea repellent, they decided a dog would be good for her and especially for protection when they went out on their weekly 'business' meetings. Lola could tell that whenever she would bring up the subject of what they actually did for a living, they would practically shut her out by telling her the time wasn't right for her to know and to stop prying where it wasn't needed. She wasn't prying exactly, she was just curious. Weren't most kids her age a little curious about what their parents did at work? Probably, therefore she chalked it up to either the C.I.A or International Spies, and whatever it was they did is so top secret that they're sworn into silence; thus even telling their daughter would result in immediate dismissal. Or worse, death.
'Now Lola, I think you're being quite ridiculous." Chimed a reading Hermione Granger. After getting a slightly poor grade in Herbology last term, she was second to another girl in the class and had become determined over summer break to catch up.
They were seated across from each other, with Harry Potter to her far left and Luna Lovegood in the middle, while Neville longbottom took a place near the window beside Hermione. The two had become friends almost over night mainly through their love of books, when Hermione got a little too bossy or acted like a know-it-all Lola would usually be the one to put her back in place. Nice as possible of course, while occasionally resorting to playful banter now and then. That aside, Hermione was actually a very compassionate and driven individual, Lola just couldn't understand why when they first met the other students seemed to mock and demean her, without taking the time to really know her. Well, Lola never saw the issue if it was just because she had intelligence and a desire to learn about everything at her fingertips, so she made a point of studying with her whenever she could, which soon got Hermione talking and the two eventually wrote over the summer. As for Harry, it was really inexplicable how they came to be a 'trio' of sorts, it's like they each had something to contribute to the other and ever since their first year they just clicked, unassuming as he was most times, Harry liked to keep his feelings to himself until he thought of you as someone to trust—which wasn't necessarily a bad way to be lately.
Lola also felt a special understanding to the local outcast and open-minded Luna Lovegood. Being a transfer from America doesn't always come easy, some students seemed to expect something of a low-acumen from her and unwarranted frivolity—and the running 'yank' jokes were certainly getting old. But Lola would only grin wickedly whenever problems arose while providing a sharp comeback and walk off, leaving even Malfoy to purse his lips and sulk for the remainder of the day. Though she mostly projected a serene but serious manner for someone of her age and lithe frame, while staying occasionally humorous, Lola could kick up a right fuss when the time called and once sent Ernie Macmillan scurrying down the corridor for saying something rude about Fred and George. Even McGonagall had looked at her with a bit of apprehension during Transfiguration class. Lola liked to blame it on her Native background; her mother called it the 'force' and it became one of those weird jokes that only your family can understand.
"Yet I was right about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Twice. Maybe that's who they're working to protect us from. Coincidence? I think not, Hermione."
"I think yes, Lola. If there were one of course," she sighed and closed her book, turning to look at Neville. "What do you believe, Nev?"
"Huh? Oh. Well I suppose Lola could have a point," Neville replied distractedly. Lola found that she like the way he would sprout off random facts about nature or share his insight on recurrences affecting the Muggle world, and she begin discussing the Daily Prophet with him at breakfast. She also begin noticing that he and Luna seemed to get along well. Very.
"Would turn out to be pretty wicked if her folks were Spies or something, though. Maybe you're wrong."
Hermione never really knew how to respond to his distant and straightforward reasoning. "Right. Well, how about you two then?"
"I suspect Wackpurts have taking over a colony of Dabberblimps. They can be peaceful creatures but quite hostile when one of their kind has been taken hostage; which is likely what happened and what I suspect your parents are hiding."
Everyone except Lola and Harry, who had an amused but knowing grins on their faces, stared. Until Lola sent them small glares about their rudeness and Luna shrugged, saying she was used to it in that wispy voice of hers. Hermione was about to defend her logic more when surprisingly Cedric Diggory wondered into the compartment to tell them news about Hagrid's teaching position.
"That's brilliant, Cedric. What class is he teaching?" Hermione asked shyly. Most of Gryffindor knew she had a serious crush on Cedric, but he rarely seemed to notice her and was almost oblivious to the gossip that spread around the two. Or he appeared to be; though he may have been a few years older, Lola had caught him smiling at her friend more than once while they studied in the Library.
"Care of Magical Creatures class. They've supposedly gotten a Hippogriff. I can't wait to see it. Hell, I can't wait to…whoops. Can't tell you that bit." Cedric said in a whisper, giving them all an amiable lop-sided grin that reached his grey eyes. The group was a little stunned to see him so excited, he usually stayed quiet when anything regarding teachers or the staff came about and refrained from speaking unless spoken to, unlike some of his rowdy friends.
Lola felt Hermione would probably clam up at any direct questioning towards Cedric, so she interrupted instead. "Hippogriff? Why, are we not supposed to know about them? Surely they can't be dangerous."
"They aren't, only I wasn't meant to tell you all so soon, as it was a surprise. I just heard and couldn't contain my urging excitement." Despite his joke, a slight blush creeping its way up his pale cheeks.
"Sure Cedric, and I've seen the hound of baskerville roaming Black Lake." Lola remarked, earning her a laugh from even Hermione.
"Yeah well, I'd better get going. Ernie is waiting to share a word about the Quidditch match next week. Oh, and nice work telling him off last term, Lola. Got pretty tetchy when we carried on the whole day about it, he did."
Lola simply smiled and returned to playing finger-wiggle with Crookshanks, Cedric gave them all a curt nod and dashed off to rejoin his friends.
That happened a week ago, Lola thought as she set on the floor of the common room, only a week had passed and now an innocent Buckbeak would no longer reside at Hogwarts—no thanks to that idiot Draco Malfoy and his equally idiotic father. Lola sat in the common room shifting through various pages of law books in hopes of finding some new flaw in the terrible situation Malfoy had gotten Buckbeak in. She was very upset to learn the news of Buckbeak's sentence, she was just beginning to like the uniqueness of the often-inquisitive creature, his tranquility and pride also reminded her a lot of Fawkes in some ways.
"There has to be something we can do!" Lola mentioned angrily, slamming her fifth law book closed.
"I've searched just as hard as you have, there is nothing more we can do for him except hope that it's over..." Hermione's voice faltered and she was visibly holding back tears as Lola stood up from her position on the floor to comfort her friend. She took a deep breath and let out the words she hadn't said with it. "Quickly."
"Cheer up Hermione, besides, it's not like we didn't get to touch him or see him at all, yeah?" Harry offered in a small voice. He was at a lost as to what to do whenever one of his friends was emotionally upset, particularly when they were girls.
Hermione narrowed her eyes defiantly at Harry, head held high and already thinking of a few choice words to throw in his face, mainly about his thick headedness and lack of sensitivity for a beautiful creature when Lola spoke up and grabbed Hermione's hand. "I think what Harry is trying to say is that it's sometimes better to have known then never at all," she hurriedly explained before things got really heated and someone said something they didn't mean. "We were all beginning to enjoy Buckbeak, yes, but in the end we still have memories."
Lola finished with a sigh; as if she was trying to make herself believe that only memories could suffice what little time they had spent with Buckbeak. Regardless of this fact, Hermione nodded and asked Neville to hand her a tissue. "You're right, Lola. I just can't help but feel sorry for him when he doesn't deserve this."
"Neither can I, which is why I'm going straight to Fudge and tell him so."
"But he'd never believe you, you're just a third year." Neville put the tissue box on the end table, not before knocking over a chessboard, and mentally kicked himself for his clumsiness again. Lola crossed her arms, getting more than a little tired of having every option shot down at this point. "I'm only saying that you need to remember our protesting against anything hardly matters in their eyes. You'd be better off talking to Dumbledore."
Harry glanced at Neville when he mentioned their headmaster's name, everyone new he greatly admired the elder wizard and often defended him from any remarks some students dared to make behind his back. "I rather think Dumbledore is on board as well. Reckon he sort of has to be since he can't very well go against the ministry and stay on as a Professor. He's in the middle of this mess just like we are."
"You've spoken to him then, Harry?" Neville asked skeptically. He believed Harry meant well, but sometimes those he greatly admired could blind him.
"Yes, in fact he doesn't want to see Buckbeak killed as much as us. But like you said, we can't really do anything."
Lola groaned and leaned back on sofa, placing her hands over her eyes, wishing Luna was here. She would undoubtedly tilt her head looking dreamily off into space and give them all some lucrative saying, then skip away to find better usage of her time. "This blows."
Neville looked up at her quizzically from his spot on the floor beside the sofa. "Er…Blows?"
Lola peeked out from under her hands. "Yeah, you know, it sucks. It's stupid. Lame. What a drag. Getting the picture here, Nev?"
Neville nodded, though she could tell he didn't understand why American's harbored such funny names for the simplest of things. She was thinking back to their second year and how she spent an hour explaining the definition of a 'jerk' to him because he had kept asking too many adorkable questions. Adorkable—another word she dreaded saying that year and this time it lasted almost two hours before she finally stopped him and told him that doing something 'dorky' didn't always mean you were a 'dork'. Lola lifted her head, listening to the soft ticking of the clock inching its way to seven-thirty, and noticed the common room had grown awfully quiet when she saw everyone was gone.
"Well, so much for small favors." She mumbled to herself as footsteps hurriedly approached from the corridor.
"Lola, come on! Hermione, Luna, and Harry are waiting for us. It's almost…it's almost time." Neville said sadly, his shoes were suddenly the most interesting objects in the world.
"We should go then, champ." Lola offered him a small smile upon using her favorite nickname for him.
"Right. Time to face the music, eh?"
Lola laughed a bit as the weirdness of him saying that sunk in. "Whatever you say, Nev."
It was seven-thirty by the time the reached Hagrid's hut, until they saw Fudge along with Dumbledore and the executioner coming down the path and Hagrid hastily pushed them all out the back door, saying it would be very unwise if they were caught talking to him under the circumstances. They managed to get at the top of the hill overlooking his hut and watched as the birds flew off from the sound of the blade dropping. Except for Hermione who had put her head on Harry's shoulder and held Crookshanks to her chest, blocking out any view of the execution. Harry silently responded by holding her tightly.
They were about to go back to their dorm when Malfoy came striding up donning a nauseating, self-satisfying smirk, chest protruding proudly and looking for all the world like he owned Hogwarts.
"Well, look who we have here, Crabb and Goyle, the filthy mud-blood and her helpful band of nutters come to enjoy the show." Draco and his friends snickered and shoved each other. By now, if Lola were any angrier steam would've been visible at the top of her head. But apparently it was too much for Hermione in one day, much like it was for all of them, and Draco hardly had time to duck before Lola or anyone else could do anything when the first blow landed.
"Nice shot, Hermione!" Lola pumped a fist in the air and clapped, beaming at her friend. She was usually against using violence to solve bulling, but sometimes a person just asked for it.
Hermione had already pulled out her wand and held it up to Draco's throat. Prepared to cast a rather nasty hex or worse, either way, Harry reached her before the rest could and grabbed her hand. "He's not worth it, Hermione. He's not worth getting in trouble for!"
Hermione let out a frustrated growl and took a step back as the other boys sped off to the castle with Draco in tow. She returned her wand to the safety of her pocket and picked up Crookshanks once more, who was a tad displeased over being abruptly dropped. Hermione took several deep breaths before speaking, seeming more at ease.
"That. Felt. Brilliant."
"You were amazing. That complete douche bag totally had it coming." Lola said as the others agreed. They failed to see that Luna quickly let go of Neville's hand she'd been holding for support when Crookshanks captured their attention by biting Hermione's arm.
"Ouch! Crookshanks, what's the matter with you?" Hermione said disbelievingly as her cat leaped out of her arms and ran off in the direction of the Womping Willow. Hermione followed in close pursuit, wondering why her cat was acting so strangely, but Crookshanks kept zigzagging whenever she got near enough to catch him.
"Hermione, wait up!" Lola yelled a few feet behind her. The boys along with Luna had yet to reach them.
Suddenly Hermione screamed and pointed next to Lola, or rather she thought she did. Lola spun around in time to see a black dog emerged from the woods beside them; she fleetingly though the dog's size would match that of her Snuffles at home when he bounded across the lot and headed straight for Hermione.
Before Lola could warn her friend, however, the dog pushed her down and dragged her towards the volatile tree, going directly through a hole located at the base of it. Hermione was yelling her friend's name as she disappeared from view.
Harry and the others finally caught up with Lola as she tried to collect her bearings. "What happened? We heard Hermione screaming and saw that weird dog approaching you two. Is that why Crookshanks ran off?"
"No, that dog took Hermione into the entrance and we have to get her back. Come on!" Lola started to move forward but had to crouch down as a huge branch swept overhead; of course Harry missed the memo and was knocked down with a loudly 'thud'.
Catching his breath, he allowed Lola to help him get to his feet and until she noticed something odd about the roots of the tree. She whispered to Harry as they all backed out of the blundering limbs way.
"Do you see that root there? I wonder if that's how the dog got in, because the Willow wasn't moving then."
Harry had to squint to see it and nodded, making his glasses that were hanging askew on the bridge of his nose slide further off his face. He straightened them and ran towards the base of the tree, thinking to take the tree by surprise.
"No, not yet!" Lola warned, but Harry was already half-way to the oddly shaped knot. He dove under a flailing limb and pressed the button disguised as a root.
"Way to go Harry!" Neville cheered and entered the entrance with Lola bringing up the rear. She supposed she should've asked why there was an audible 'get off my foot, Neville' from Harry instead of walking right into blackness. Needless to say, he broke the fall. Again. Lola muttered an apology and Harry said it was a good thing he's the resilient one of the group.
"Which way do you suppose they went, Lola?"
"No idea. But I think we should follow those stairs judging by the sound of shuffling above."
Once their eyes adjusted to the constant moving of the room, they came upon a door which Lola opened immediately despite Luna's warning of danger.
"Hermione!" They found her sitting on an absurdly old and worn sofa. Minus a few scratches and one badly sprained leg, she seemed fine.
"Oh thank goodness. It's just there. He's absolutely horrid!" Hermione said worriedly and pointed over the group's shoulder towards the door.
Lola put a hand to her mouth, the shock of actually seeing who the mystery dog really was made everything finally register. "Snuffles? But how did—"
Lola's words caught in her throat as she watched her lovable pet transform into a man of about thirty, with straggly black hair, unhealthy pale skin, and his body was practically emaciated for someone his age and height. Though she was given the impression that once he may have been considered very attractive, clearly something terrible happened to change his entire form in such a drastic way.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not Snuffles."
It was then Harry recognized him—how could he have forgotten when this man's face was plastered on practically every street corner? Azkaban escapee and distinct betrayer of Harry's parents; and the very fugitive who managed to get the whole wizard world buzzing with fear and excitement, Sirius Black. He had apparently followed Lola to Hogwarts and saw her as his next target; along with her friends since they were now all witnesses to what would surely be a dreadful battle, leaving only one survivor yet again. Amidst all of that, Harry wondered why he would bother to return here. And where did Lola fit in this?
Harry remembered how students would speculate where she was really from and how she came about transferring here, when Hogwarts never accepted transfers.
Maybe her family is working with him; it would explain how she so keenly knew that Voldemort was the reason behind the bad things happening at Hogwarts for the past two years. Harry thought sullenly and moved slowly in front of Hermione, obscuring her from view completely. Should anything happen, at least Hermione wouldn't take the full blow and have a chance to find help.
"Now, I'm afraid he must pay for what he did." Sirius said forcefully, glaring at the group of young wizards menacingly and taking a step forward.
Lola followed Sirius' eyes and glanced in Harry's direction. Why was he looking at her friend so strangely, and what was he planning? She had begun to hope the three of them would be enough to take on an experienced wizard such himself if the rumors proved true, when Sirius pulled out his wand and lunged at Harry.
A/N: If you're wondering about the whole 'apperate' business, I remember reading somewhere that when Sirius broke out of Azkaban, he couldn't control where he apperated to. This is loosely based on that and the reason why he ended up way across the pond—plus, no one knows exactly where Azkaban is located …after that it gets a little fuzzy seeing as I read it sometime ago. Anyway, if this bothers you, sorry. If this is the wrong information, tell me and I'll see what I can change about it, since I'm slightly worried this will blow the entire story out of proportion. :/
Thanks for taking time to read it!