Disclaimer: As first you read and soon discover, I am not the picture on the cover. This work is not mine to claim, I just try to write the same...
The much awaited chapter begins...
Year Three
Looking back now, I never would have realized that during my third year at Hogwarts that I would experience a life changing event. Actually, I didn't even realize I was experiencing one. Though it wouldn't happen till the end, it would ultimately change my life drastically.
Maybe I should start during the summer between my second and third year. I was thirteen going on fourteen, a young lady. My parents knew that I was growing up fast and they were terrified- I could see it in their eyes.
The first thing that would happen was that I received the customary invitations from both Ron and Harry, both of which I declined. I still had those silly notions in my head and I knew I should get over them- it was just hard.
The second was that I was literally dragged to my estranged grandmother's estate against my will to 'reconnect' with her, something I didn't particularly want to do. However, my parents commanded it of me and so I had no choice.
Merlin it was torture.
It was like experiencing the Spanish Inquisition and having to sit through a United States Congressional meeting which, in my opinion, was the equivalent of watching a psychotic squirrel in a barrel of nuts.
Translation: boring.
I know it sounds dreadfully childish, but I often found myself performing small bouts of magic that I could do without getting into trouble from my relatives. You ought to have seen Aunt Janine's face when her punch turned acid green just as she was about to drink it.
H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!
My parents shot me 'the look' and I grinned inwardly. They may suspect that it was me but they would never be able to prove it. I laid off of the pranks for a bit anyway.
I was never more glad to be home! I threw myself onto my bed with delight only to find that my mattress had an odd lump in the middle. I rose up to investigate and found Errol, the Weasley's owl. Poor thing looked a little worse for wear.
"Hello Errol," I greeted as I took the parchment from his leg, "there's some treats over there; just help yourself to some."
I will never forget that letter.
Hermione,
We're coming to get you, don't argue. Peter Pettigrew has escaped from Azkaban. We don't know what he's up to so mum, dad, and Harry's folks think you should come and stay with us.
Expect us around noon.
Ron.
I reread it again just to make sense of it all and then glanced at the clock. It was eleven thirty. Great, I had thirty minutes to pack and explain to my parents my sudden departure.
I quickly leapt off my bed and got to work throwing stuff hazardously into my school trunk. Since it was magical, it expanded to allow all of my belongings (and I had quite a few) to fit neatly inside.
I finished packing with five minutes to spare and decided to give mum and dad the short version. But, as luck would have it, I didn't have to explain a thing. An owl from Lily Potter arrived five minutes prior to when I ran downstairs, though it was lengthier than the one I had received.
Mum looked up at me as I entered the sitting room and only asked, "Are you packed?"
Right then I knew that my mum understood. She, who had seen magic at its greatest thirteen years ago, knew that one must sacrifice to save. Her eyes were filled with worry, though, and that I couldn't erase.
I walked over to her and hugged her tightly, a part of me wishing that I never had to let go. But I knew that I must. The dangers of the wizarding world were for me alone. I couldn't ask someone to walk the path for me, nor could I expect someone to walk with me.
I, in essence, was alone.
The Weasleys stumbled out of the fireplace about eight minutes later, five of them that is. Before me were Arthur Weasley, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny, all nice and dirty from the soot.
Mr. Weasley smiled at me pleasantly. "Hello again, Hermione." He nodded to my parents. "Ann, Mike, splendid to see you as well. I hope you received the owls."
I nodded. "Yes, sir, we did. I just have to go retrieve my trunk…"
"We'll get it!" Fred and George immediately offered and, before I could stop them, were bounding up the steps in the direction of my room- it wouldn't occur to me till later that I never told them where my room was. They were back in no time lugging my trunk as if it weighed nothing.
My dad took out his wallet. "Here, this should get you all your school supplies. There's a little bit extra in there as well if you want to buy yourself a birthday present." He kissed my forehead as I took the pounds he offered. "Love you, pumpkin."
"Love you too, dad."
It was at that moment that our relationship changed. He went from 'daddy'- my saviour and defender against all evil- to 'dad'- the man who offered his genes so that I could be born. Don't get me wrong, I still loved him dearly; there was just no longer any ill-conceived notion that he could protect me from all the evil of the world.
I left my parents that day with a feeling in my stomach that things would never be the same. I knew deep down that something extraordinary would happen this year that would remove the last ounce of innocence that I possessed, from me.
And so I arrived at the Burrow with tears in my eyes. I may have known that the change was going to happen, but I didn't have to like it. I think, looking back now, I was somewhat scared of growing up. The prospect frightened me beyond belief, but I would grow up.
No one can really pinpoint the exact moment in their life when they realize that everything they have ever known changes. It is at that point that we grow up. That point is when we can look in the mirror and notice the change.
I suspect that point was around this year, my third year. Sure, before now I have seen terrible things that no one should witness that young, but I never really had understood the exact danger before this year. It was in this year that I woke up and realized that I could die.
But let's move on to a different subject. The Weasleys were overjoyed at seeing me. They had just returned from Egypt to visit one of Ron's older brothers, Bill. They had won the money in a draw held by the Ministry.
Ron was so excited about going to Diagon Alley because he had a few galleons, enough to purchase a small pet. I'll admit the idea of having a pet appealed to me and so I decided to get one myself. I thought about an owl…
I was a bit surprised with a strange man stepped through the fireplace one day. He was tall and very skinny with scars visible on his hands and face. He had mousy hair and startling amber eyes that pierced through me.
A second later, Declan appeared.
"Hermione!" he cried as he ran at me and wrapped his arms tightly around me in one of his bone crushing hugs.
"Ah," the older man said as he came up behind Declan, "so you are the infamous Hermione Granger that I've been hearing so much about." He extended his hand. "Remus Lupin."
I smiled. So this was Declan's father and one-third of the Marauders. I must admit, he was nothing like I had imagined but I think I honestly liked this image better. It made his appearance much more…wild.
Oh Merlin how I laugh now when I realized the word I paired with my future professor for he told me ten minutes later that he was taking on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. He was so nice too, and smart; I couldn't wait to have him for class.
When I inquired about is wife, he told me that she was on a research trip for a week or two. She was working for the Experimental Magic Agency, focusing mainly on the use of vegetation and such in wands and potions.
Declan grinned at me in a goofy sort of way. "Guess what!"
I looked at him amused by his childish enthusiasm. "What?"
"Sirius will be coming back soon," he said excitedly. "He's been gone for a couple of years doing something but James and dad just received an owl from him saying that he was coming back. He might even be here before we head back to Hogwarts."
I was confused. I had thought Sirius was there the whole time and I just never met him. Guess I was sadly wrong on that front. But he was coming back…did I want to meet him?
I didn't know….
Remus was going to take us over to Harry's house to meet them before heading on to Diagon Alley. I was a bit nervous. I had never been to the Potters' house. Well, I guessed I should go and get it over with, not like I had any other choice anyway.
I collected my money bag and joined them all in the sitting room in front of the fireplace. Remus smiled at me as I joined them and took my place between Ginny and Declan. I grinned at them and readied myself to floo.
My first impression of Harry's house was W-O-W. It was huge! The house, they told me, had about fifteen bedrooms and sixteen baths. There was one large kitchen and one large dining hall. There were also two giant libraries, one exercise room, a music room, and a game room. The game room had a lot of muggle games as well as wizard ones.
Harry explained that Sirius usually stayed with them during the times that he was home. Obviously Harry's godfather couldn't stand to live in his own house though he still had it and kept it in impeccable shape.
I really felt sorry for the man that I had yet to meet. He was still in love with the woman that he had lost, the same woman that had died so that Harry could live. Their love was one of those legendary loves that could stretch across time and space.
As soon as my eyes landed on the photograph of them, I knew. Him with his roguishly handsome face and her with those deep brown eyes that shined with passion- they were made for each other.
And then a thought drifted through my mind. The woman, she looked so very familiar… could she have been the woman that had saved my mum that night? She sure did look like the woman my mum had described to me.
I wanted to meet Sirius then. I wanted to see what kind of man he had become. I wanted to see the love that he surely had for her.
My wish would be granted, just not as soon as I had hoped.
We all went to Diagon Alley together and I was amazed by the drastic change. Posters displaying the deranged face of Peter Pettigrew littered the streets and everyone was acting dodgy. Lily and James, I noticed, stayed protectively close to me and Harry while Remus took the others. I couldn't help but wonder what they were so scared of.
Of course it had been Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters that night; Pettigrew who willingly handed them over to Lord Voldemort on a silver platter. It was he who was the cause of so much pain.
Rachel took a step closer to her mother and tried to offer me a smile, but she failed miserably at it. Everyone, though they wouldn't admit it, was a bit uneasy.
We purchased our belongings as quickly as possible before heading over to the pet shop. I had decided on an owl, but I would not walk out with an owl that day. Ron wouldn't either for that matter.
Ron, for some unexplainable reason, was drawn to the rats. He thought they were fascinating- disgusting, I know. Anyways, while he was checking out the display of rats, Harry and I walked around.
I was scrutinizing a barn owl with liquid silver eyes when the cry sounded. It startled both Harry and I and we immediately dashed towards the source.
There was Ron, holding a particularly filthy rat, fighting off a horribly adorable- well, to me- cat mix. I think I fell in love with the half kneazle right then and there.
The old woman at the front was shouting something that sounded like "off you mangy cat! Crookshanks!" but I wasn't too sure. Ron grasped the rat firmly, protecting it from what he later proclaimed as "the monster."
Ron bought the rat and I got the cat.
The almost bald rodent was dubbed 'Scabbers' while my cat/kneazle mix kept its name of Crookshanks. They didn't get along one bit.
Scabbers, unlike normal magical rats, didn't display an ounce of magical power. Actually, he appeared quite lazy. He slept away most of the day and when he was active, he just wanted to eat all of the time. Really, he was a useless rat.
Crookshanks, on the other hand, was quite useful, though he made it an occasional habit to kill a rat or spider and bring it back to me. However, he had an acute sense of when I was sad or what not and curled up with me. He was my familiar.
Sirius didn't come back before we had to head back to Hogwarts. Professor Lupin as we now had to call him- rode with us on the train.
And so I had my first experience with a dementor.
I guess I should tell you how scary they were and how I was frozen in fear. Or maybe I should tell you about the sudden coldness that chilled my bones right to the very core, or about the distant screams in my head.
But, no, that wasn't what made me afraid of the frightening beings that fed on every happy thought you have. I was more afraid of Harry's reaction to them. His body would tense up and his eyes would freeze over. Then he would just sort of lose all of his energy and faint.
We were all by his side in an instant while Professor Lupin did something that made the dementor go away. It took us a few minutes, but we were able to bring Harry around.
He seemed sort of out of it, but after some chocolate he was a bit better. He told us that all he could really remember was a malicious cackle and a bright green light. He seemed a little shaken up, but I figured he'd be better later.
When we arrived at Hogwarts, both Harry and I were called into an immediate meeting with McGonagall. With him, she only wanted to make sure that he was okay. With me, she gave me something which would help me tremendously this year- a time turner.
An amazing little device. It was the only way that I could make it to all of my classes on time. You see, the time turner allowed me to go against time.
I admit, the whole time turning thing could get a bit hectic. There are so many rules that you have to observe. The most important one is that you cannot allow yourself to see yourself if that makes any sense.
Anyways, the one fun part about it was the fact that I was able to mess with Ron's head. The poor dear just couldn't figure out how I was able to be in two places at once. It probably didn't help that I was dreadfully evasive about the whole thing.
Hagrid was our new Care of Magical Creatures Professor and on the first day, Malfoy was injured by a hippogriff named Buckbeak; he hadn't listened to Hagrid. Basically, Hagrid was in a lot of trouble. Malfoy's father was furious and, since he couldn't get Hagrid fired, he was trying to have Buckbeak killed.
Shortly after that, we learned about Boggarts in DADA. First was Neville whose Boggart turned into Snape but he efficiently managed to change it to be dressed in his grandmother's clothing. Needless to say, Snape was not pleased when he heard the story.
Professor Lupin amazingly managed to avoid making Harry get a chance at it. I figured he knew that it would probably turn into Lord Voldemort.
For some reason Professor Lupin also made sure that I did not get a chance at it. I don't know why he was worried about me. Well, I wouldn't till much later.
And then there was Hogsmeade.
We were finally allowed to go this year and it was amazing! The shops were simply marvellous, as we soon found out, and the sights were breath taking. I think I fell in love with Hogsmeade that day.
Probably the most interesting thing in the village was the Shrieking Shack. It appeared haunted and scary to those who were simple minded, but I thought it was rather enchanting.
I noticed as we were standing there that Harry was being peculiarly quiet. When questioned about it, he merely shrugged and shook his head slowly while backing away. I knew then that there was something about the Shrieking Shack, something he was not saying…
We each went back to the school with something on our minds. Personally I wanted to know as much about the Shrieking Shack as possible.
Classes went on throughout the year with nothing really extraordinary happening. Well, except for Professor Lupin's periodic absences where Snape had to fill in as teacher. I owe my discovery to Snape. You see, I probably wouldn't have put the pieces together quite so quickly if it were not for him.
Professor Lupin, Declan's father, was a werewolf.
I didn't really think much of it. He was a nice man after all and clearly loved his son dearly, his wife too for that matter. And so I kept my discovery to myself, hoping that either Declan or he would trust me enough to tell me.
That would not happen as I soon found out.
Back to my story, nothing extraordinary happened until final exams. It was then that something shocking happened to me, something I would discuss with no one.
You see, I passed all the other exams easily. It was in Professor Lupin's trunk containing the Boggart that my first bout of doubt began to set in.
There was Lily and James, dead by Lord Voldemort's wand. There was also another man, he resembled the picture of Sirius only younger, and he was dead as well. And then there was Sirius and the woman. She turned to me and said, "You must not let it change back."
I couldn't help it, I ran. Tears were gushing from my eyes as I stumbled from the trunk. Almost instantly everyone was gathered around me.
Professor Lupin placed his hands on my shoulders. "Hermione, what happened?"
I looked into his amber eyes for a moment and saw something flicker there. It was in that moment that I chose to lie. "It was Professor McGonagall, she told me that I failed everything."
He was relieved, I could tell. But why was he relieved? Did he know something?
Of course he did, everyone had known some secret about me. You see, my friend, I know now that they were hiding something from me, something big. It was natural for me to want to know, but they would not tell me.
The days passed and it was finally time for Buckbeak's execution. Ron had earlier misplaced his rat and was currently blaming me for the umpteenth time, of my poor little Crookshanks killing the foul rodent as we walked to Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid was pleased to see us, but ushered us out before the others could get down there. Oh yeah, Hagrid had also found Scabbers to which I demanded an apology from Ron.
Anyways, we were outside under the invisibility cloak when we heard two things. First, we heard the axe strike and Hagrid bawling. Then, we heard a growl.
There, standing directly behind us, was a large, black dog.
Harry seemed not to be phased by it, but Ron and I, well, we were shaking. It started advancing slowly, its eyes trained on Ron.
Suddenly, Scabbers bit Ron's finger and took off, the black dog following. I'm sure you heard rumours of the rest, who hasn't? All I can really say is that we discovered that 'Scabbers' was really Peter Pettigrew and the large black dog was Sirius Black.
Peter escaped that night, though.
You see, Professor Lupin showed up to help. Unfortunately, it just happened to be a full moon that night. So, right when we were readying to return to the castle to hand Peter Pettigrew over to the dementors, the moon came out.
A lot of stuff happened after that. Honestly, all I can remember is waking up in the Hospital Wing and seeing Harry and Ron lying there. Ron was nursing what appeared to be a broken limb while Harry just lay there.
When Harry finally did come around, Dumbledore entered looking grave. He gave the general story on what all had happened, and then he told us.
The dementors had administered the kiss…on Sirius.
I felt, for some unexplainable reason, like someone had just torn my heart mercilessly into tiny pieces. I was shocked beyond belief; it just had to be a lie I knew. But it wasn't.
And so Harry and I went back in time.
The details are tedious so I'll just give you the basics. We first saved Buckbeak from the executioner's block and hid, waiting for the opportune moment. We watched everything happen and then, when the dementors were surrounding Sirius and Harry, we acted.
Harry performed the Patronous, achieving a corporal patronous that took the shape of a stag. We successfully saved Sirius, but Peter was lost.
It wouldn't be till four days later that I would officially meet Sirius. It seemed as if all the adults were somewhat hesitant to introduce us, but they were left without much of a choice since the others continuously mentioned me.
Those eyes…I'll never forget them.
He just stared at me as if he was staring at a ghost. I felt it then- a small pull in my stomach that made me feel as if I knew him. Something flashed in my mind- an image of him standing by a black bike.
I shook the picture from my mind at the same time that he seemed to snap out of his trance. Stepping forward, he took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione. I do believe I owe you a thank you for saving my life. I am forever in your debt."
He was everything I had ever imagined and yet he was completely different at the same time. I was fascinated by him and I would spend the next few years trying to figure him out.
He left Hogwarts the next day, James with him. Remus resigned after a certain Potions Master 'accidentally' let it slip about his lycanthropy. Lily stayed a day or two at the school, fussing over us and going to secret meetings with Dumbledore.
And so another year had past at Hogwarts. Peter Pettigrew was on the run and we figured he'd probably be off hiding somewhere as a rat. It was still unknown how he had escaped, but we were more concerned about catching him.
We all went our separate ways from the train. My parents were waiting just beyond the barrier for me.
I turned one last time to watch as Harry joined his folks. Then, he turned to me and waved. I waved back.
I couldn't wait for the summer to be over.
A/N: Free advertising: Go to www(dot)grangerenchanted(dot)com(slash)enchant for very interesting fanfic stories! I'm posting some on there that I don't have on here cause they're a little too naughty. Also, remember that mistakes show that I am human. I know, I know, I can't be right ALL the time (grins).
Thanks for reading and sticking with me. I appreciate all of you! You're wonderful!
Much Love,
MiZZ AmAyA
