Ollie and her friends, Heather and Jon, were scanning the day's Daily Prophet.

'I can't believe there has been a break-in in the Ministry of Magic!' Heather remark as she read the article on the front page. 'How on earth did they get into the head Auror's office undetected, isn't it meant to be one of the most secure places in the ministry?' she asked.

'Maybe it's the same people who broke into Gringotts last month?' Jon suggested, as he shoved a forkful of baked beans into his mouth, dripping tomato sauce all over the paper.

'Watch it!' Heather said, moving the paper from beneath Jon's mouth. 'Isn't that your fourth helping of beans this morning?' she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

'Yep.'

'Urgh! And to think we have to go around Hogsmeade with him today!' Heather remarked, nudging Ollie, who was staring into space.

'Right' she said sleepily. 'What did you just say?'

'I said I can't believe we are going around Hogsmeade with this disgusting person!' Heather repeated slowly gesturing to Jon who was now munching through his third piece of toast.

'What?' he said, noticing the two girls staring at him, 'I'm a growing boy' he muttered, before returning to his toast.

'Actually guys, I've got something to confess' Ollie said looking up from her own uneaten piece of toast. 'I don't think I'll be able to go to Hogsmeade with you today, I haven't got a permission slip signed'

'How come?' Heather asked.

'McGonagall must've forgotten to give me one to get signed'

'Well get Professor Lupin to write one' she suggested

'Heather, do you want to keep me alive?' Ollie replied 'It's a full moon tonight which means he's in a foul mood'

'How about Professor Tonks?' Heather asked, knowing how close Ollie was to the two Professors.

'Tonks is probably more dangerous than her husband at the moment' Ollie remarked, remembering their Defence lesson two days ago and how the normally bubbly, happy teacher had been grumpy and had assigned the class an essay two foot longer than usual.

Why don't you try McGonagall?' Jon suggested.

'It wouldn't work Jonny!' Ollie said exasperatedly 'You said it had to be signed by a parent or guardian, of which she is neither. I guess I'm stuck in the castle.'

'We'll stay with you' Heather offered. 'I don't want you to be left by yourself in the castle and I don't want to be left alone with him' she said pointing at Jon who had finally stopped eating.

'No, you go and had a good time' Ollie argued 'You said you wanted to get some chocolate for your Aunt. Besides I need to catch up on some homework' she said yawning.

'You need to catch up on sleep, more like' Jon said with a smirk.


'Ollie wake up, wake up!'

Ollie opened her eyes and found herself staring at the angry face of Teddy Lupin, his hair flashing between his normal blue and an angry red. She was lying on her potions textbook, her unfinished essay, abandoned beside her.

'If you're going to snore, at least do it in the privacy of your own dormitory' he said grumpily.

'Hey I don't snore!' Ollie replied indignantly.

'Yes you do' Teddy replied 'I think all the people who are currently sitting in the common would agree'

'I'm sorry Teddy' she replied apologetically, picking up her discarded homework and folding out the creases 'I was trying to do my stupid potions essay and the exhaustion of last night's quidditch practise must have caught up with me'

'Well try and stay awake for the feast tonight!' Teddy replied

'Feast?' Ollie asked, wondering what was so special about tonight's dinner.

'You know, the Halloween feast?'

'Halloween?'

'Well duh, why else was Hagrid dragging huge pumpkins into the Great Hall at breakfast?'

'Oh right' Ollie said before standing up.

'Where are you going?' Teddy called out after her, as he watched Ollie clamber through the portrait hole. 'The dormitories are the other way! Ollie you'll fall asleep in your pumpkin pie! Ollie you can't go anywhere now, the people will be coming back from Hogsmeade soon. Ollie!'

Ollie ignored what Teddy was saying as she raced through the school. She felt so stupid, how could she have forgotten the date? She made her way out of the school, wrapping her cloak around her to protect herself form the rain as she crossed the school grounds, walking briskly around the lake, towards the war memorial. The blinding white marble phoenix was standing out like a shining beacon in the gloom.

'Brown, McQueen, Timmins, Wood...' Tonks said as she crossed off each person's name off her register as they came into the school from Hogsmeade.

'Professor, do you know where Ollie is?' Heather asked the teacher.

'Isn't she with you?' Tonks asked tiredly, she was not in the mood to deal with a disappearing Potter today.

'Professor, you know she didn't come into Hogmeade with us today, she did not have a permission slip. I said she should see you but...' Heather's rambling was cut off by the pink haired Auror.

'And has no one see her since this morning?'

'No, Teddy saw her in the common room just over an hour ago, but she left and no one has seen her since. He also muttered something about Professor Lupin and a map.'

'Is everything ok here?' came another voice, joining them in the entrance hall. Tonks and Heather turned around to see the Headmistress standing next to them.

'I can't find Ollie professor' Heather said 'And I would hate for her to miss her first Halloween feast at Hogwarts.'

'Tonks lifted her head sharply. It was Halloween today, how could she have forgotten.

'I know where Ollie is Minerva' she said realisation dawning on her 'she's at the war memorial'

'Why would she be there?' Heather asked confused as to how Tonks had made that assumption.

'It's Halloween' she answered, as if that explained it.

'Miss Brown, why don't you head up to your common room, I'm sure Miss Potter will be alright'. After Heather had walked along the corridor, McGonagal turned to Tonks. 'Nymphadora why don't you go and be with your husband?' she suggested.

'But Minerva, shouldn't I go and get Ollie?'

'I'll get her my dear' McGonagall replied. 'I need to work up an appetite for the feast and besides, the weather is nothing that a drying charm won't cure. With that the Headmistress strode across the grounds towards the war memorial.

Ollie was standing in front of the memorial, her eyes drawn to three names engraved into the white marble.

'Um... hi, I'm Ollie' she finally whispered. 'I'm the one Dad talks about when he visits your graves in Godric's Hollow. I'm here this year because Dad's away somewhere. He's probably doing something which is really dangerous and stupid, but probably for the good of the wizarding world.' She watched as a cat jumped up onto to the white marble, curling up underneath on of the phoenix's outstretched wings, sheltering from the rain.

'I hope you did not take any offence from the Defence Against the Dark Arts incident' she said suddenly, her eyes staring at one particular name in the marble, the words spilling out of her mouth. 'I don't really fear you, not in the way people are scared of spiders. It's just I'm afraid your angry or disappointed that I don't really think of you as my Dad. Dad's my dad, you're just my father, if you understand. I think Dad found it weird at first being called Daddy. It started as Oncle 'Arry, I could only speak French back then, which soon became Dada and the rest is history' Ollie explained, thinking back to the sunny days of her childhood.

'The thing is I know hardly anything about you. Dad can only tell me so much, even though you were his godfather, he only really knew you for two years before you died. Uncle Remus does not really like being asked about the past. I don't think he likes the fact that all his childhood friends are dead and he hates remembering that he is the only one left. I wish I could ask you all sorts of questions that Dad and Uncle Remus don't know the answer to. Stupid things like: what was your favourite colour or what position you played in quidditch or most importantly who my mother was? I used to hear tales of how you were a great womaniser from Nandromeda, she was so surprised that I was born, but on the back of the pendent you gave my mother, you said you loved her. Who was she?' A tear began fall down Ollie's cheek. She wiped it away crossly, she was not going to cry, she was not a baby.

'I think should be going now, before anyone wonders where I am. Teddy says there is a feast later to celebrate Halloween, but to be honest I don't feel like celebrating.' Ollie then gripped her wand tightly beneath her robes; she could sense someone was nearby. She pulled it out and flicked it like she had seen her Dad do so many times. Nothing happened. 'Come on flowers' she muttered, she flicked her wrist again, closing her eyes. She felt something enter her hands; she opened her eyes in amazement. Clutched in her hands was a bouquet of white lilies. She placed them at the base of the monument.

'Sirius Black was a beater on the house team in his last year and his favourite colour was Gryffindor red, just to annoy his parents.' A voice said coming from next to Ollie. Ollie jumped and pointed her wand at person who had appeared next to her.

'Miss Potter, while I must say your father has taught you well, I really do not appreciate a wand pointed a my face'

'Sorry Professor McGonagall' the sheepish Ollie replied, hastily stuffing her wand back into her robes. 'Did you hear everything?' Ollie asked.

'Yes' the headmistress replied. 'It's nice to know that I'm not going mad. You look like so much like your real father, heart shaped face, black curly hair, apart from your eyes. His were grey, yours are a stunning violet.

'But how?' Ollie asked 'I was all alone and then you appeared...' she paused realisation dawning on her 'you were that cat, weren't you?' she asked

'I was' McGonagall said. 'Your friends were worried about where you where, Professor Tonks realised that you might be at the war memorial and I came to get you'

'They're back already?' Ollie asked 'but...'

'Time seems to have a horrible habit of going far too quickly, when we least want it, Miss Potter' McGonagall replied. 'I suggest we head back up to the school now, before we miss the start of the feast and let Miss Brown stop worrying.'

The Headmistress and her pupil began to walk, fairly briskly through the rain, heading towards the castle.

'You act really convincingly as a cat, Professor' Ollie commented as they walked, the sun setting over the lake. 'When Dad transforms into his animagus, a stag, he still acts like Dad'

'You're father's an animagus?'

'Yeah, he managed to do it with so help from Aunt Luna and Mademoiselle Lefey, when he was teaching at Beaubatons.'

'And I don't wish to pry Ollie' McGonagall said choosing her next words carefully 'but is your father happy? As a teacher you're not meant to have favourites but I always tried to look out for Harry, are he and your Aunt Luna together?' she asked finally getting the words out of her mouth.

'No!' Ollie replied laughing 'No! They are like brother and sister, I think they tried dating once when I was really little but they found it too weird. I think Dad still loves someone he knew when he was at school, but he never talks about his past, I know nothing really about his school friends, he has no pictures, well if he has got pictures they are really well hidden and Luna refuses to tell me anything'

'Good, good' the headmistress replied, glad to have finished that awkward topic of conversation. 'I think we're just in time for the start of the feast' she said changing topic.

'Professor do I have to go the feast?' Ollie asked 'can't I just have dinner with Kreacher, Ribbons and the rest of the house elves in the kitchen?'

'Miss Potter, I think you will feel better if you are with your friends' the Headmistress replied as she gestured for Ollie to join the mass of people entering the hall.

Ollie slipped into the great hall and sat down quickly next to Heather, who gave her smile before going off on rant about how worried she and Jon had been, what they had done in Hogsmeade and how embarrassing it had been to be around Jon. Ollie just smiled, her bad feelings vanishing. The Headmistress was right, it felt so was good to be surrounded by her friends.

'Jon can I have a pumpkin pie, before you finish them off?'