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Disclaimer-Most character and plotlines belong to JK Rowling, not me no matter how many times I manage to get sick.

Chapter 7 Fight or Flight

Fight or flight is an instinct that all creatures have. It is a response to stress in order to prepare the animal for either a fight or to flee the scene. In this instance the 'animal' was young Vesper Black and she chose the latter response.

She ran.

Vesper turned and sprinted at the sound of her father's name. She vaguely heard someone call her name, but she didn't look back. Vesper had hoped that there was some part of her father that was good but tonight proved her different. The man she called father had broken into one of the safest places in Britain and could have potentially killed her best friend had his timing not been off.

Vesper continued to run down different corridors, up and down flights of stairs not really knowing nor caring where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. Everyone kept staring at her, eying her with suspicion until it all became too much. Somewhere in the distance she heard all the other students heading towards the Great Hall, she presumed.

She wondered where she should go. All Vesper wanted was to be alone, somewhere she could think and calm down. The Room of Requirement came to mind but it was on the seventh floor, too close to Dumbledore's office. Maybe she could hide in one of the old passageways. But could she risk getting caught by one of the teachers? Vesper finally just decided on wandering the halls all night.

It had been hours since the Fat Lady's portrait had been discovered. Hours that Vesper had run. Hours that she had been wandering the abandoned halls and avoiding detection.

Vesper stopped to pause and rest her feet. She stopped at a small alcove notched under a large window with a spectacular view of the grounds. The sky was clear and the full moon raised. Vesper wondered how Remus was. It must be just as hard on him as it is with me, Vesper thought. After all, Remus was friends with him and spent time with him. Why did he have to do this? thought Vesper, angrily. He's ruined everything! My life, Harry's life…his actions follows me everywhere I go. He may be in Azkaban, but I have to face what he did and the damage he's done every day in Harry's face! And with that, Vesper began to weep. Years of bottled up anger and resentment and hurt were poured into her tears.

The sound of footsteps soon came to Vesper's ears and she made quick to quiet herself. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she peered to see two long shadows coming up the connecting corridor. Making sure not to be seen, Vesper crept down the hall. She ducked behind a suit of armor just as the two figures passed.

It was Snape and Dumbledore.

Vesper snuck behind them, far enough to not be seen but close enough to hear their conversation.

"I'm telling you, Albus, the only way Black would have gotten in would be through inside help."

"Severus, need I remind you of what moon is out tonight," Dumbledore questioned. "And Remus was present at the feast. There is no possible way for him to have let Black into the castle."

"And what of the younger Black?" Snape threw back. Vesper could almost hear the sneer as he said her name.

"Also present throughout the entire feast, though I will admit to being most concerned about her reaction-"

"They are plotting something!" Snape interrupted. "I've seen them together. You know what Lupin is capable of and Black is just like her father-"

"Severus, calm down. I stand by what I said. I do not believe that anyone in this castle, professor or student, let Sirius Black into the castle."

The voice gradually grew fainter and Vesper peeked her head around the suit of armor she was hiding behind to make sure they were really gone. They were. So Snape thought that she and Remus let Black into the castle? Vesper smirked, figures. But at least Dumbledore believed she's innocent. Vesper could only hope that the rest of the student body believed the same thing.

Vesper lived in a sea of constant whispers for the next several days. The castle buzzed about with rumors about how Black managed to get in. Surprisingly murmurs of Vesper's involvement quickly died down. However she wasn't free from constant reminders. Harry told her that McGonagall didn't want him practicing Quidditch anymore. Vesper was about to curse the old bat when Harry quickly said that a teacher would supervise the team practicing from now on.

Vesper was growing concerned about the upcoming match. Weather conditions were horrible at best and there weren't any signs of it letting up for Saturday. To make things even worse, the team wouldn't be playing Slytherin as expected. Oliver had been furious at the announcement as they had to change tactics completely. Vesper really wanted to march up to Malfoy and really do something to his arm to cry about, but Hermione had warned her of such behavior.

The day before the match was especially tense. Oliver kept popping up in between classes giving Harry and her advice. After the fourth time, Vesper was ready to put a silencing charm on him. She saw her escape when Wood was too busy talking to Harry and dashed off towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. Vesper didn't know what was worse: Snape in Potions, or Snape in DADA. The greasy git had somehow wormed his way into filling in for Remus. Vesper made it through the door just as the lesson was beginning.

"Five points from Gryffindor for lateness, Black," Snape sneered.

Vesper didn't even bother to retaliate. Vesper walked to her seat next to Hermione.

"Now that Miss Black has graced us with her presence," Snape began, glaring at Vesper, who glared right back. "I see that Professor Lupin left no record on where this class is. Most unprofessional, if I was running this class-"

The door burst open as Harry came dashing into the classroom. Vesper was grateful for the distraction. If Snape didn't shut his trap soon, Vesper would do something she later regretted.

"I'm sorry I was late, Professor Lupin, I-"

"Professor Lupin is not here," said Snape. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Now sit down, Potter, or it will be fifty. Now as I was saying before Potter interrupted…"

And so it continued on and on with Snape criticizing Remus. Vesper thought that there was no way she could possibly get any more livid until Snape grabbed a book and thumbed through it until he announced that they would be studying-

"Werewolves," Snape said, his eyes on Vesper, almost begging her to say something. But it was not Vesper who spoke up, it was Hermione.

"But, sir," she said. "We aren't due to start nocturnal creatures for weeks!"

"Miss Granger," said Snape, "I thought that I was the instructor of this class. Now turn to page 394!"

Reluctantly, the class pulled out their books.

"Now who can tell me the difference between a true wolf and a werewolf?" Snape asked, while ignoring Hermione's hand.

Vesper was silently fuming beside her best friend. How dare he purposefully try to unveil Remus' secret? It was nearly impossible for Remus to find work and here Snape was, trying to sabotage it!

"Miss Black," Snape's voice brought her out of her silent rampage. "Would you care to answer?"

Through clenched teeth, Vesper replied with a terse, "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know."

Snape grew a twisted grin. "How disappointing."

"Please, sir," Hermione called out. "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several ways. The snout-"

"I do believe I did not ask you, Miss Granger," Snape said, coldly. "Five points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

"You asked a question and she answered it!" Ron shouted. "Why ask if you didn't want the answer?"

"Detention, Weasley," Snape said at once. "Now, I want an essay on the ways you recognize and kill werewolf, to be handed in on Monday. Class is dismissed. Stay behind for your detention, Weasley."

Vesper quickly packed her things, unsure if she could refrain from hexing Snape if she was in his presence any longer. She walked in between Harry and Hermione on the way back to the common room.

"Wonder what was up with Snape?" Harry wondered out loud. "He hasn't been like this before with any other teacher."

"I don't know," said Hermione. "I just hope that Professor Lupin gets better soon."

Ron ran up to them panting madly. "Do you know what that-"

"Ron!"

"-is making me do for detention? I've got to scrub the bedpans in the hospital wing without magic!"

"How will he survive?" Vesper whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione just laughed, causing the boys to give them confused looks.

Vesper let out a huge yawn as she made her way towards the Great Hall for some breakfast. She chanced a glance at the enchanted ceiling. Heavy downpours of rain were battering the roof, the howling of the wind still audible from inside the castle.

"Great conditions, huh?" Vesper said.

Turning around and seeing Vesper, Harry rolled his eyes. "The best."

Vesper took a seat and began to nibble on some toast. Her teammates tried to get her to eat something more, but her stomach was in knots. Finally giving up, Vesper rose from the table and dashed to the locker rooms to get changed. Vesper grabbed her broom and headed out to the pitch. She mounted it with some difficulty. The mud was like a vacuum and made it hard for Vesper to pull her foot from the ground.

Vesper barely heard the starting whistle and make quick to grab the Quaffle. Katie got to it first. The high winds were slowing Vesper down and she tried frantically to move faster. Katie passed her the ball and Vesper made her shot for the left hoop, throwing it hard and slightly to the right so that by the time it reached the hoop, it would be smack in the middle. She watched in satisfaction as the ball soared through the goal post.

The game continued in the same fashion. The rain was steadily increasing, obscuring her vision. She had nearly mistaken a Bludger for the Quaffle before Angelina pointed out her mistake. Vesper had no idea how close Harry was to catching the Snitch, but she prayed he would find it soon. Her fingers were stiff and cold. All she wanted was for the game to stop.

Luck was on Vesper's side as Wood called for her to return to the ground.

"We're up by fifty," Wood told them. "But we can't keep playing in this weather."

Harry held up his glasses. "I can't see a thing with these, on or off. There's no way I'll be able to catch the Snitch."

Then, Hermione appeared next to Harry. "I had an idea. Give me your glasses, Harry." She grabbed them and said, 'Impervius!'

"Now they'll repel water," Hermione explained.

"Excellent!" said Wood. "Now let's get out there and play!"

Vesper mounted her broom and shot up into the air with a new found determination. They were playing Hufflepuff for crying out loud! Ignoring the growing numbness in her fingers, Vesper continued to throw and catch the Quaffle with as much precision as possible.

As a flash of lightning lit the sky, Vesper had time to catch a glance of Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Seeker, flying as fast as his broom could carry him. He had seen the Snitch!

A blur of red and gold zoomed by her and she could only assume it was Harry.

"Vesper!"

Vesper looked up at the sound of her name. It was Angelina who called her. "Come on!" her teammate urged. "Maneuver number six!"

But Vesper had barely begun to fly into position when a familiar sense of cold and dread came over her. The entire audience had fallen silent with the arrival of the dementors. Then there was a scream, and Vesper watched on in horror as Harry fell from his broom.

Every member of the team was in the hospital wing-minus Wood-along with Ron and Hermione, waiting for Harry to open his eyes. They were all soaking wet and the team was covered in mud from head to toe. Vesper sat next to Harry's bed, ever vigilant for a sign that he would awaken.

Harry didn't awake for nearly an hour after he had been brought to the hospital wing.

"What happened?" he asked, a little confused.

"The dementors came to the pitch, and you fell off your broom," answered Hermione.

"No," Harry said impatiently. "I mean what happened to the match? Who won?"

Vesper rolled her eyes. "You fall from a height that rivals the Astronomy Tower, leaving us all thinking you were dead, and all you care about is the match."

"You would too," Harry pointed out. "So what happened?"

All the team members shared an uneasy look. It was finally George who broke the silence.

"We lost."

"Diggory got the Snitch," Fred continued. "Right after you had fallen. Wanted a rematch, but he caught it fair and square. Wood won't let him."

"And my broom?" pressed Harry.

"Well," Hermione started.

"It got blown into the Whomping Willow," Ron said, sheepishly. "And well you know how it doesn't like to be hit and…"

Ron reached behind him and pulled out a blanket hold the remaining ruins of Harry's broom.

A.N-Well, there you have it. Again I am so sorry as to how long this took to get out. I was sick for nearly 3 weeks and then I got sick AGAIN!

I am really disappointed with the lack of reviews I'm getting. I have over 100 views for just 1 chapter and at least 10 people who've subscribed to this story. I know how annoying this it BUT I AM NOT UPDATING THIS STORY UNTIL I HAVE 15 REVIEWS! THAT MEANS 6 PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE 10 SECONDS FROM THEIR DAY TO SAY SOMETHING NICE IN A REVIEW. PLEASE! I AM LITERALLY ON MY KNEES BEGGING HERE!!!!!

So just to recap-until there are 15 reviews altogether, I will not update. So please, REVIEW!

Love Lora