DISCLAIMER
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.

16 September

Another class for fifth year Defence Against the Dark Arts had just finished and Emily was whispering furiously in Elizabeth's ear as they exited the room: "Ask him, for Merlin's sake, Liz," she hissed. "What's the worst thing that can happen? That he says you're wrong and just imagining things?"

"What if he thinks I'm weird?"

"You are weird," Emily hissed. "Now, get!"

Before Elizabeth could react, her best friend literally pushed her back inside the classroom, where professor Lupin was sorting through the papers littering his desk. From the doorway, Emily gave her a meaningful look, and then shut the door, leaving Elizabeth alone with the Defence professor who looked up from his work at the sound.

"Elizabeth," he said, and Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the way his eyes seemed stuck, like he was partly in a trance, as he stared at her face. "Did you have a question about the lesson?"

"Umm..." Elizabeth weighed back and forth on her heels, inwardly cursing her best friend. "No. I was just...this is going to sound kind of odd, but I've sort of noticed you staring. At me. During class. Not that you're not allowed to stare at your students, it's just that you seem to pay more attention to me than everyone else," she quickly added. Seeing the professors rather alarmed look, she held up her hands, backtracking: "Not that I think you're a creep, or anything," she hurriedly clarified, her face red. "I'm sorry. This is coming out all wrong..."

Remus felt his own face rapidly reddening as he realised what kind of impression his staring had caused - completely understandable. "No, no, I understand." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I apologise if I've made you uncomfortable, Elizabeth. It won't happen again."

"Well, it's fine, if it does," Elizabeth said, abruptly wincing as the professor let an eyebrow rise. "Again, that came outwrong. I just meant that the staring in itself doesn't bother me that much, it's more that I don't know the reason behind it." She bit her lip. "So...is there a reason, or am I just imagining things? I've been told by my parents that I let my imagination run away with me sometimes. Which is not the proper way for a pureblood to behave, apparently." She laughed awkwardly.

"...I'm your brother," Remus blurted out, and inwardly cursed himself as he saw Elizabeth's shocked look of disbelief. That was hardly putting it to her gently. But her mentioning her parents - the Baddocks - and that she saw herself as a pureblood made it slip out. "Merlin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to just come out like that. I wasn't even sure whether or not to tell you..."

Elizabeth's lips trembled, and the world began to spin as she realised from Professor Lupin's earnest expression that he was telling the truth - or at least the truth as he saw it. Surely he must have made a mistake. "Y-you're wrong," she stuttered. "I already have a brother. A younger brother. And I'm fairly certain my parents would have told me if they'd disowned an older one... So I'm sorry, but I'm not the person you think I am."

"...Your name is Elizabeth Diana Baddock," Remus interrupted, knowing he owed it to Elizabeth to explain things now when he'd told her the truth so suddenly. "But you were born Elizabeth Diana Lupin. Your father - your biological father, Jonathan Lupin, not Marcus Baddock - was my father too, but he died before you were born. And our mother...Dana Lupin...she was a muggle, and she died soon after giving birth to you."

Elizabeth was shaking her head in denial. "My mother is Alaina Baddock."

"I had just graduated Hogwarts when you were born, and even though I wanted to, the Ministry wouldn't allow me to raise you. The Baddocks adopted you when you were six weeks old." Remus looked down, opening his desk drawer and pulling out a photograph which he held out for Elizabeth to take. She didn't move, just stared at it. In the photo, she saw a younger professor Lupin in the company of two adults, a male and a female - his parents - standing in front of a lit Christmas tree. The man, laugh-lines on his face, had his arms around a smiling woman with strawberry-blonde hair.

In them, Elizabeth could see some of her own features staring back, and the truth began to dawn. The photo, coupled with professor Lupin's obvious conviction, made the evidence pretty damning. With trembling fingers, she accepted the photograph. She had always wondered why she looked nothing like her parents or younger sibling... "I realise this must be a shock to you," professor Lupin - her brother - said.

Elizabeth felt tears start to blur her sight, and the picture fluttered to the ground as she lowered her arms.

"...Elizabeth?" He sounded so concerned. Elizabeth spun around, racing towards the door, slamming it open as she rushed out into the corridor, not looking where she was going, her heart thundering a mile a minute.

"Liz, what's wrong?" she heard Emily ask. "What happened in there?" Elizabeth didn't answer. "Did he do something to you?" She just kept running and didn't stop, until she was outside and felt fresh air hit her face, where she came to an abrupt stop as she crashed into something - someone - solid.

"Elizabeth?"

Finally, Elizabeth looked up, straight into the concerned eyes of Cedric Diggory. "Everything's wrong, Ced," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so confused."

Cedric wrapped an arm around her and slowly led her towards a bench to sit. "Tell me what happened."

Elizabeth let out a trembling laugh. "I'm not even sure myself. I...my entire life is a lie. I'm not a pureblood. I'm not a Baddock. My parents are not my parents." She shook her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, insane as it sounds, Professor Lupin is my brother," Elizabeth said with a quivering voice. "According to him, my mother - our mother - was a muggle who died giving birth to me... I guess our father must have been a wizard, but I honestly didn't think to ask." Cedric's grip around her shoulders tightened. "I don't know what to do. How could my parents - or the people I thought were my parents - lie to me? I'm fifteen years old. I should have been told years ago."

"I'm sure there's an explanation," Cedric said soothingly.

Elizabeth laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, I'm sure there is." Her voice was bitter. "They always have an explanation for everything. They're always right."

"I understand that you're upset with your parents right now, but you have to consider another thing too," Cedric soothed.

"What?"

"Why didn't Professor Lupin raise you, and why hasn't he tried to contact you before?" Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. "I know things aren't always easy with your parents, Liz, and they might have lied to you, but they are your parents, even if that's not biologically. They are the people who raised you. You owe it to them to let them try to explain things," Cedric prompted. "Write to them."

Elizabeth sighed, looking out over the courtyard. "I suppose I'll have to."

"Healer Lupin?" A volunteer at the hospital stuck in her head through the open doorway to the room where Buffy was currently working on a patient who had been bitten by several Doxies.

"Yes?" Buffy answered, without looking up, carefully applying a numbing salve over the painful-looking wounds.

"Your husband is here to see you."

Buffy froze. What was Remus doing here when he should be at Hogwarts, presumably teaching a class, since it wasn't even lunch yet? Something must have happened, but she hadn't sensed anything through their connection. But then again, they had gotten better at controlling and hiding - and manipulating - the emotions that travelled across their bond over the years. She threw the patient what she hoped was a comforting smile, even though her mind was racing with worry. "I'll be right back. What's your name?" she asked the volunteer.

"I'm Corrie."

"Well, Corrie, could you continue to apply the salve for me? He's already gotten the antidote for the Doxy-venom but that won't stop the bites from hurting."

Corrie nodded and Buffy gave her a grateful look as she pulled off her hospital gloves, threw them in the nearest wastebasket, and hurried outside into the waiting area, where she immediately caught sight of her husband. Remus was bent forward, his head in his hands, still dressed in his teaching robes.

"Remus, what's wrong? Did something happen to Sarah?"

Remus shook his head. "Can we go somewhere?" He glanced around at the other people in the waiting-room meaningfully: none of them were even trying to pretend they weren't listening.

Buffy nodded. "Of course." Buffy led him to small room, where the staff took their mini-breaks, and quickly prepared him a cup of tea while Remus sank down in one of the chairs. "What happened to make you leave Hogwarts like this? It's not even noon."

"I told Elizabeth we were related," Remus admitted, looking down at the steam rising from the cup miserably. "She cornered me after class because I'd been staring at her - I didn't even realise - and I just blurted it out, like an idiot." He let out a weak laugh. "I had decided I wasn't even going to tell her, but then she was there, asking what was going on, and it just slipped out, like she'd asked about the weather or what was for dinner." He shook his head. "The way I answered was so thoughtless of me - so incredibly insensitive."

"How did she react?" Buffy asked quietly.

Remus shrugged. "Like anyone would have, I suppose. She was understandably confused, and upset. She raced out of the room before I could stop her. When I couldn't find her, I put up a sign on my door that said my next class was cancelled, and then I went to Hogsmeade and apparated here." He threw her a miserable look. "I should have broken it to her gently, when she asked, but instead, I messed it up. What if she never talks to me again?"

"She will," Buffy told him comfortingly. "She knows she has a brother now - she'll be too curious to stay away."

"Maybe she should," Remus said bitterly. "Like they promised, the Baddocks didn't tell her about me - they never wanted us to meet, and I doubt they'll change their minds."

"But something has changed - Elizabeth knows the truth now. She'll probably insist."

"She told me she already has a brother," Remus said hoarsely, shaking his head. "Someone she grew up with, who probably looks up to her. She never knew my - our - parents. What does she need me for?"

"Don't sell yourself short," Buffy scolded, placing her hands upon his shoulders, squeezing them. "You, Remus John Lupin, are an amazing man and have a lot to offer." She leaned forwards and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Just give Elizabeth some time. You just overwhelmed her. She'll approach you again. I guarantee it."

Remus sighed. "And I guarantee she will write the Baddocks about this. They'll be furious, Buffy. I wasn't supposed to have any contact with her - "

" - It's not your fault that Dumbledore hired you, and Elizabeth confronted you, not the other way around," Buffy interrupted.

"Do you really think the Baddocks will care?" Remus asked tiredly. "They'll see it as interference, and they know I'm a werewolf. In a battle for Elizabeth, I don't stand a chance. I've already lost once, remember?"

"But this time around, Elizabeth is old enough to have a say of her own," Buffy said firmly. "And she'll want to get to know you, you'll see. Now, finish that tea and then get your cute butt back to Scotland. You've got classes to teach and I've got patients to see."

A smile began to play around Remus' lips. "Bossy," he muttered.

Buffy scoffed. "Like you would have me any other way. Anyway, we can talk more this weekend - I'll come up to Hogsmeade on Sunday and you can tell me more about Elizabeth and fill me in on Sarah and Harry. I've already exchanged more letters with him than our daughter! Give her a scolding from me when you see her."

Remus chuckled. "Alright."

Buffy left her place behind Remus and instead sat down in the chair across from him, grabbing his hands in hers. "Don't worry so much, okay? Everything will work out. I promise."

19 September

"You wanted to see me, Dumbledore?" Remus asked as he stepped into the Headmaster's office.

"Ah, Remus, please sit. How are your lessons going?"

"They're going fine."

"Excellent. Now, the reason I wanted to see you was because I got a rather disconcerting visit yesterday." Dumbledore threw a look at Remus over his half-moon spectacles. "From the parents of Elizabeth Baddock."

Remus stiffened. "I see."

The Headmaster crossed his hands serenely. "Would you like a sherbet lemon?"

"No, thank you," Remus said. "What did they say?"

"Oh, quite a lot, not all of it worth repeating." Dumbledore said. "It seems that young Elizabeth wrote to them. In her letter, she sounded quite upset and was demanding answers from them. Apparently, her Defence professor had revealed a familiar connection to her which she was completely unaware of. Needless to say, she wanted to know why she had not been told before." His eyes were devoid of any twinkle as he continued: "Mr and Mrs Baddock were quite furious with me for hiring you, since I am well aware of your connection to their daughter, as well as your...condition."

"And?" Remus asked tersely.

"And I managed to calm them down somewhat. However, you will not be allowed to approach Elizabeth again, and are expected to keep your distance - except in a professional capacity. You are to be her professor, nothing more, nothing less. If she approaches you again, you are not to tell her anything, unless it's to do with class."

Remus looked down at his hands. "I understand."

Dumbledore sighed. "I am sorry for this, Remus. But they are Elizabeth's parents - you signed her away, so there's nothing you can do to fight them on this."

"Can I go?" Remus requested, his tone of voice short. "I'm supposed to meet Buffy in Hogsmeade soon."

The Headmaster nodded. "Of course."

Without a word, Remus stood, and left the office.

"Hi, love!" Buffy beamed at Remus as he came walking down the path leading from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, and gave him a hug, before she grabbed his hand in his. "Now, what has you so morose? I can see you smiling but your emotions are telling me something else."

Remus sighed as they began to walk down the beginning of High Street, towards Hogsmeade station. "Dumbledore summoned me to his office," he said. "The Baddocks paid him a visit."

Buffy sighed. "Oh, no. What did they say?"

"What I knew they'd say," Remus said mirthlessly. "To stay away from their daughter."

"Well, are you?" Buffy asked.

"I don't really have a choice, Buffy," Remus said. "They're her guardians. I'm a nobody."

Buffy frowned. "You are not a nobody!" She exclaimed.

"In their eyes, yes, I am," Remus said.

"So you're just going to give up?" Buffy questioned.

"No!" Remus exclaimed. "Yes! I don't know. I want to get to know Elizabeth but I'm realistic enough to realise that can't happen." They crossed the railroad. "Maybe once she turns seventeen and comes of age, I can try again, but for right now, I have to consider myself temporarily defeated. I'd rather not get the Ministry involved, especially not with people like Dolores Umbridge in positions of power, and if I push, that's what the Baddocks will do. And I've got too much to lose to risk it." He threw her a miserable look.

Buffy sighed, realising Remus was right - they did have too much to lose. If the Ministry got involved, there was no telling what would happen. They might pass more restrictive laws, order Remus to keep away from all children, including Sarah, his own daughter... if the Baddocks pushed, Buffy knew they could even get Remus imprisoned. He was a werewolf - to the Ministry, he wasn't human. "I guess you're right. At least we've finally managed to reconnect with Harry," she said, trying to steer the conversation towards happier subjects. She smiled at him brightly.

Remus smiled ruefully. "You mean you have, through your meeting in Diagon Alley and then your letters."

Buffy frowned and came to an abrupt stop in front of the Three Broomsticks. "You mean Harry hasn't approached you?"

"Outside of class, you mean? No. But that's alright. I'm his professor, and therefore, it might feel a bit awkward for him."

"He'll come around," Buffy said. "Just give him a little bit more time. And if he doesn't, there's nothing that says you can't approach him."

Remus chuckled. "I suppose not. At least he's hanging out with Sarah."

"Oh, I almost feel bad for Harry." Buffy smirked. "If he's not corrupted yet, he will be soon," Buffy smirked. "What do you say, husband of mine: want to talk more about our rebellious daughter and honorary Godson over a cup of Madame Rosmerta's hot chocolate?"

Remus grinned, leaning forward to capture Buffy's lips in a kiss. "Nothing would delight me more." Buffy grinned, and walked backwards into the inn, dragging Remus by the hand.

The door closed, and a few seconds of silence went by, and then, a scraggly looking dog with dirty black fur slowly left the alleyway beside the bar where it had been searching through the trashcans for scraps. Its nose flared, breathing in the familiar scent of the two humans that had stood there just seconds ago.

Remus and Buffy.

A tiny whine left the dog's throat, its head hanging low, as thoughts whirled around its mind, a lot more complex than that of an ordinary dog. Sirius didn't know what to do. His two old friends were less than feet away. And from the sounds of things, Remus worked at Hogwarts, he and Remus had gotten married and had a daughter...and could spend time with Harry. Until now, it really hadn't hit Sirius how much he'd missed. He'd been in Azkaban, but the world had kept turning. Life had gone on for everyone else.

Longing rose in his chest, and for a moment, he entertained the thought of approaching Remus for help. Moony - the person who knew him best - worked at Hogwarts... Sirius wasn't a fool. He knew what a large obstacle it would be to get past him. Having Remus on his side would be such an advantage...it would be...it would be...impossible.

The dog's eyes hardened. No. He would not drag Remus, and by extension Buffy, into the mess he had created. They had their own lives to live, their own family. He would not put them into danger. And in any case, if Sirius tried to approach Remus, it was more likely the werewolf would curse him first and ask questions later... That is, if he didn't kill him outright. In Remus' eyes, Sirius was a traitor - a traitor to the pack. And Buffy... Sirius remembered her visit to the cell at the Ministry. He had had a chance to clear things up then, but instead, he had only certified his guilt. With that in mind, she wouldn't even give him a chance to open his mouth.

The dog slinked away, decided now. He would do this - fix things - on his own. Only then could he reunite with his friends.

20 September

'Darling Elizabeth,

Your letter was quite distressing for us to read, for many reasons. We did not appreciate the accusations you flung in our direction. And you are to stay away from Remus Lupin outside of class. He is at Hogwarts to teach, nothing else, and he had no right to burden you with what he told you. There are things you do not know, and we are astonished Dumbledore would hire him. After all, there is a reason you are with us and not with him. Believe us, Elizabeth, when we tell you that you a far better off than you could have been, if we had not taken you in. We will talk more about this at Yule.

Love,

Your mother and father,

Alaina and Marcus Baddock.'

Elizabeth reread the letter from her parents several times, her mouth flapping open and closing like a fish. Finally, she crumbled the letter in her hand and set it on fire with her wand. Emily gave her a concerned look.

"I take it your parents didn't give you the answers you wanted." After she had stormed away from the Defence classroom, and her talk with Cedric, Elizabeth had told Emily everything. Needless to say, the brunette Ravenclaw had been shocked.

"They didn't give me any answers at all," Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. "Just more questions." She snorted. "From the letter, it's quite obvious that Professor Lupin was telling me the truth, though my parents didn't straight out admit it, and yet, they are ordering me to stay away from him, can you believe it?"

"What else did they say?"

"Nothing. Just that we'll talk about this during Yule, and that's months away. And they're trying to make Professor Lupin sound dangerous."

Emily's eyebrows rose. "Dangerous? How?"

"I don't know!" Elizabeth let out a noise of frustration. "They just write that they can't believe the Headmaster would hire him and that I'm better off without him in my life."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Emily frowned.

Elizabeth clenched her jaw. "If my parents won't give me any answers, I guess I'll have to ask the only other person involved in this - my brother."

23 September

"Hey, Liz, are you coming?" Another Defence lesson had just ended and the class was heading out. Everyone except Elizabeth, who was making no move to leave.

"You go ahead."

Emily looked from Elizabeth, who was still standing by her desk, to Professor Lupin, who had sat down behind his and seemed to be correcting papers, paying neither of them any attention. "Alright..." she said hesitantly. "I guess I'll wait outside." She left the room and Elizabeth took a deep breath as she packed up her bag and then slowly approached the teacher's desk.

"Uh...Professor Lupin?"

"Did you have a question about the lesson, Miss Baddock?"

Elizabeth flinched. In huge contrast to before, Professor Lupin had completely ignored her during class today. And now he called her Miss Baddock, when he'd always called all his students by their first name before. And he wasn't even looking up from his work.

"N-no, not about the lesson. I...I was actually hoping you could tell me a little bit more about your - our - parents. And maybe about you too." Professor Lupin finally looked up, and Elizabeth smiled at him hopefully.

Finally, he spoke: "I don't think that would such a good idea," he said quietly, his face expressionless. "You should go. Your friend is waiting, and the next class is about to start."

Elizabeth's smile abruptly slipped of her face. Professor Lupin was looking away again. Dejected, she slowly left the classroom, throwing him a disappointed, and somewhat angry, glance over her shoulder as she left.

One the door closed behind her, Remus slumped back in his chair and threw away his quill, tears of frustration due to the sheer unfairness of it all burning behind his closed eyelids.

5 October

"I'd like a word with you, Lupin," Snape said, entering Remus' office and closing the door behind him with a snap.

Remus peered up at him over the rim of his cup of tea. "Really?" He asked mildly, taking a small sip before he set the cup down.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Really," he repeated dryly. "It's about your daughter."

"Is Sarah having trouble in her classes?" Remus asked with a slight frown.

"No," Snape said shortly. "However, she is making a nuisance of herself in Slytherin house."

"How so?" Remus wondered out loud, though knowing what he did about his daughter's personality, it was all too easy for him to make an educated guess: Sarah did not like bullies, she was fiercely loyalty to friends and family and could be rather loud and outspoken about her opinions, even when they were unwelcome. Remus had no trouble at all seeing why Snape was of the opinion she was making a nuisance of herself. Sarah clashing with certain people in Slytherin house had been all but inevitable.

"I have had several of my students come to me with...concerns," Snape said through gritted teeth.

"You mean complaints?" Remus asked.

"No, actually," Snape sneered. "That's not to say I have not had complaints: Draco has been on my case since the beginning of term to, and I quote, do something about that stuck-up, snotty first year, but it is actually my prefects who have been to see me."

Remus frowned. Draco Malfoy complaining to Snape about Sarah had been expected, even if Remus felt that the boy describing someone else as stuck-up and snotty was the worst case of the pot calling the kettle black he'd ever heard of, but that the Slytherin prefects had been to see him was somewhat worrying. "Yes?"

"They are...concerned about her," Snape continued to explain. "There have already been some rather loud confrontations between her and Draco; last time wands were drawn, and only timely intervention from Daphne Greengrass kept spells from being fired. Needless to say, there will come a time when your daughter might find herself cornered somewhere, with no one around to help her. In order to prevent that, it would be in her best interest to keep her head down and to start acting like the Slytherin she is supposed to be. You should also tell her to stop hanging around Potter: while I can certainly see why your daughter befriending him delights you, it is only aggravating the situation."

"I will talk to her," Remus said, crossing his arms. "But I will not tell her to stop being friends with Harry: that's her choice. If anything, I will be encouraging it - the animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin has gone on far too long and it's not gotten any better over the years, quite the opposite. In my opinion, someone crossing over the house-boundaries is long overdue, and that that someone happens to be my daughter doesn't surprise me in the slightest. If her actions can bridge the gap only a fraction, and make people stop judging each other from what house they're sorted into, it's a good thing."

"Funny words, coming from you, Lupin, considering you and your friends were not exactly bridging the gap while you were in school," Snape smirked.

Remus sighed. "Are we going to continue squabble over what happened at Hogwarts while were teenagers, Severus? It's getting rather tiring. But, as you brought it up, considering your own friendship with Lily managed to survive house boundaries for several years, you ought to be a fan of inter-house cooperation."

"Do not speak to me of Lily Evans," Snape hissed.

'Potter,' Remus couldn't help but correct in his mind, but said nothing aloud, knowing better than to aggravate Snape.

"If anything my friendship with Lily is what's warning you now," Snape said, his nostrils flaring. "If you recall, that eventually ended and should serve as a cautionary tale. Friendship between Gryffindors and Slytherins do not work out in the long run."

"I think Sarah's situation can hardly be compared to yours. For one, I doubt she will ever start calling Harry mudblood," Remus said, and for a moment he thought Snape was about to curse him. It had been wrong of him, to bring that up, he admitted to himself, but it had slipped out before he could stop it. "Moving on," he quickly added as an idea slowly rose in his mind, "how about a little wager?"

"Do not be ridiculous, Lupin!" Snape hissed, his body still trembling from held-back rage. "I do not make bets."

"Why not? Afraid you'll lose?" Remus challenged with a glint in his eye.

"I do not lose, Lupin," Snape snapped. "What sort of wager?"

"You say you do not believe Gryffindors and Slytherins can work together, well, I believe they can. Your Potions class are a standing example in that Gryffindors and Slytherins do not seem to be able to cooperate, and where better to test it? Your third years have a Potions project coming up, don't they? One they have to conduct with a partner?"

"Yes," Snape admitted, eyes narrowed.

"Well, why not force that partner to be with the opposing house?"

"You want me to risk my students' grades on a bet?" Snape hissed.

"Not risk it, improve it," Remus said mildly. "If the threat of a failing grade can't get them to cooperate, I doubt anything will."

"It will never work," Snape said.

"Then you've already won, haven't you?" Remus asked, amused.

"Fine," Snape snarled. "When you lose - and you will lose - I will make certain to come up with something...appropriately humiliating for you to do as payment."

"How mature of you," Remus said dryly.

"Oh, please," Snape huffed, "like you won't do the same if you win - which you won't."

"We'll see," Remus said under his breath as Snape swept out of his office.

14 October

Beside the Quidditch stands, a large black dog was curled up, its eyes watching the rainy sky. High above, seven people flew around, and one voice could be heard shouting at the other players:

"Watch that formation! Careful when you turn, Alicia! More precision with the bats, Weasleys!"

The dog however, was only interested in one particular player: the Seeker. Hovering above the other players was a slightly smaller figure, and the dog was entranced by the skill he showed as he manoeuvred the broom expertly, despite the harsh, windy weather. "Alright up there, Harry?" he heard someone shout.

"Just a bit wet, Ollie!"

The dog shivered and walked out from beneath the stands as he heard Harry answer.

"A bit?" A female shrieked. "We're drowning out here!"

"Yeah!" Another boy could be heard agreeing. "It's insane to practice in this weather! Do you want us to get ill?"

"I want us to win the Cup!" The first voice shouted. "Stop complaining! We have to be able to play in all sorts of weather! Now, try to score some goals!"

"The wind is too strong! It's blowing the Quaffle off course!" Another girl yelled. "It's blowing us off course! Please, Oliver, let's call it a day! We'll make up for it tomorrow!"

"Harry's not complaining and he's the youngest of you lot!" Oliver yelled. "Now throw the damn Quaffle! Ow!"

"Oops. I thought you were the goal, Oliver," the first female yelled. If it had been human, the dog would have sniggered. "Poor visibility ahead, that's all."

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Oliver - obviously the captain - grumbled. "Let's call it a day."

The dog hurriedly crept back underneath the stands as the Gryffindor Quidditch team landed, their red and gold-robes muddy and wet with rain. The dog focused on the smallest of the players, his glasses splattered with water and his body shivering. Harry. He looked so much like James... And, as far as he was able to tell in this weather, at least just as good on a broom.

"You alright Harry?" A red-head asked.

"I'm fine, George." Harry said, shivering slightly. "But my fingers are freezing."

"That's not all that's freezing," an identical red-head grumbled. "I can't feel my butt anymore."

The tallest of the players threw an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Good fighting spirit today, Harry. If only the rest of the team could follow your example, we'd win the cup for sure."

The two red-heads and the three girls - the Chasers - turned to glare at him.

"Just shut up, Oliver." The girl's teeth clattered. "You can pretend that you're not bothered by this weather all you like, but I for one am not buying it."

Oliver sniffed. "Ever heard of warming charms, Katie?"

As one, his team stiffened while their captain began to smirk. "Apply some next time. That might save your butt, Fred. Now, hit the showers!" Oliver clapped Harry on the back and then hurried on ahead.

"And he couldn't have reminded us of that, oh, say, three practices ago?" one of the girls said in annoyance. "Next time we play, Fred, hit him with a bludger for me, will you?"

"No problem, Angie."

The team slowly disappeared out of sight and earshot, heading towards the locker rooms, and the dog left the stands once again, its tongue lolling out in amusement. Breaking into a sprint, it left the Quidditch stands and made its way towards and into the Forbidden Forest. After resting up for a night in the Shrieking Shack, he'd left Hogsmeade to roam the Scottish highlands. He knew the Hogwarts staff and the Dementors would be on a high alert during the first few weeks of term, which would make sneaking past them difficult. But constant vigilance was difficult to keep up, and Sirius was counting on people becoming slightly more lax with security as the year went on. However, he'd headed back towards the castle sooner than he'd planned after a muggle had spotted him.(1) He'd sneaked past the Dementors by using the passage from the Shrieking Shack to the Womping willow, and after that he'd hidden in the Forbidden Forest, where few people dared to enter

However, once the dog got to the hollowed out tree where it had made its temporal home, he found someone already sitting there, using the hollow as cover against the rain. The dog froze as he took in the visitor: it was easily the ugliest cat he'd ever seen, with a bottle-brush tail and squashed flat face. But it also had extremely intelligent eyes. The cat blinked slowly, and then left the tree, instead choosing to circle the dog, which now felt slightly wary. Was it possible the cat could somehow sense he wasn't a real dog?

After circling three times, the cat sat back on its haunches and began to hiss at him. The dog glanced around warily, and then, it blurred. In its place now stood a man. The cat let out another hiss, the thick, ginger fur standing on end.

"Hey there," Sirius said with a hoarse voice, holding out a trembling hand. "Hey." The cat hissed again. "It's alright. I promise. Do you belong to one of the students?"

The cat extended its claws and Sirius backed up slightly. "So you don't trust me. That's fine. You don't have to... But maybe you can help me anyway. I think you are a very intelligent cat, aren't you?" If a cat could look suspicious, that would be the expression on its face right now. "I thought so. You understand me, don't you?" The cat mewled threateningly. "I mean no harm to you or your human. Or any human in the castle. I'm looking for a rat. It lives in the castle, as a pet to one of the Weasley children, so probably in Gryffindor. A red-head." The cat seemed to perk up and Sirius smiled. "I hope you've seen it. It's not a real rat, see? It's like me - an Animagus. It should be missing one of its toes - " The cat hissed again. "So you have seen it. Anyway, that rat is really a man named Peter Pettigrew and he's dangerous. Can you help me?"

The cat seemed to stare at him for several seconds, and then, it pranced away, disappearing out of sight, heading towards the entrance of the forest and, presumably the castle. Sirius' shoulders slumped and he let out a deep sigh. "Of course you can't. You're a cat. What could you possibly do?" He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Azkaban must have muddled my brains more than I thought."

Wet and shivering, Sirius transformed back into his Animagus-form. Now Padfoot again, he settled down into the hollow of the tree, closed his eyes, and went to sleep, trying to ignore his rumbling belly.

16 October

Harry carefully looked from Hermione to Ron, feeling very much like the awkward third wheel. Last night, after he'd gotten back from another Quidditch practice - which had gone very well, once Oliver had loosened up some after Fred hit him with a bludger - Crookshanks had attacked Ron's rat, Scabbers, resulting in a spectacular row.(2)

Ron was understandably upset, especially since Scabbers was clearly ill: additional stress wasn't doing the rat any favours, but Hermione also had a point: cats chased rats, end of story. But now, Ron wasn't talking to Hermione, and Harry hated being stuck in the middle.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the Puffapods they were working on and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," Ron said angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor.

"Careful, Weasley, careful!" Professor Sprout exclaimed as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes. Harry barely held back a sigh and bent down to pick the rapidly blooming beans up when neither Ron nor Hermione made any move: both of them seemed content to glare at each other.

"Need some help?"

Harry looked up, surprised to find himself eye to eye with Susan Bones. Last year, when everyone had thought Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, after a conjured snake in Lockhart's duelling club had attacked one of Susan's house-mates, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Harry had overheard her and a few other Hufflepuffs had been discussing whether or Harry had set the snake on Justin deliberately when Harry had interrupted. That meeting hadn't ended that well,1 which was why Harry was surprised to see her helping him now. "Yes, sure. Thanks."

"I actually just wanted to apologise for last year," Susan said awkwardly. "That whole heir of Slytherin business. Hannah was the only one who tried to stick up for you but I should have as well. My aunt is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry, and I should have known better than to believe the crap Ernie was sprouting. He can be a bit...well, you heard him."

Harry smiled slightly. "It's alright."

"No, it isn't," Susan said quietly, handing him the last blooming bean. "Only Justin apologised at the end of last term, but we all should have. But anyway, thanks for not holding a grudge." She glanced up at Ron and Hermione who were still glaring daggers at each other. "Everything alright with you three?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah. It's just a spat over their pets. They'll get over it." He looked over at Ron who was whispering something furiously at Hermione, whose eyes narrowed, and she whispered something back, just as furious. His shoulders slumped. "I hope. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long year."

Unfortunately for Harry, it seemed neither Ron nor Hermione were about to get over it anytime soon. Right before their next lesson, Transfiguration, Lavender was crying over the death of her pet-rabbit, which apparently had been 'foretold' by Professor Trelawney. Hermione, in an attempt to be comforting, only came across as insensitive, which gave Ron the chance to cut in with another acidic comment: "Don't mind Hermione, Lavender. She doesn't think other people's pets matter very much."

Both of them refused to speak to each other at all during the class, and Harry, seated between them, felt very much stuck between a rock and a hard place. Harry wasn't a seer, but something told him he was about to become very familiar with that feeling as the year went on.

Published: 29/05 -14

Trivia

(1). Seamus Finnigan mentions that Sirius has been spotted by a Muggle in chapter 7 of Prisoner of Azkaban, "The Boggart in the Wardrobe." The staff also talks about this sighting during their meeting in Road of Loyalty chapter 6.

(2). This is Crookshank's first 'attack' on Scabbers since the train (in canon - in this story, Sarah caught him before he could do anything), after hearing Ron say Scabbers is in his bag... (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter eight)

(3). This occured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, chapter eleven.