AN: So this is the last chapter I'm going to do for a little while. Having re read some of the earlier chapters I've realised they are in dire need of some editing. After that I'm going to do one or two chapters of my other fic. For now here is the next chapter. Oh, and Merry Christmas.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! Just so we're clear.

Chapter 10, Black

Over the Christmas holidays Frances told her family all about her year so far. She told them about her first Quidditch experience and Harry's spectacular fall from which he had thankfully recovered. Of course she neglected to mention anything about Sirius Black knowing that it would only give her parents cause to worry, instead she focused on everything she had enjoyed so far this year; her extra classes, practicing spells with her house mates, that kind of thing. Alfie was beyond excited hearing all of the stories, he would be starting Hogwarts in September and more than anything he couldn't wait to meet all of Frances' friends. He was more than a little sad as he waved goodbye from the front door as the car pulled out, taking his sister back to London and on to Hogwarts.

Back at school it didn't take long for Frances to get stuck into her regular routine. Fully aware that she was probably the only one, a not caring in the slightest, she immersed herself in studies, loving all of her classes and trying really hard to do well. The only other person she knew who felt remotely the same as her when it came to schoolwork was Hermione, but these days she had been acting a little strange. She seemed distracted and was becoming increasingly short tempered. Frances found herself wondering about it one Wednesday morning as she sat alone at her desk with her massive Ancient Runes textbook open in front of her.

The students usually worked in pairs for this subject but Frances' usual partner was missing, which was rather disconcerting. It was very unlike Hermione Granger to be late for class, and even more so for her not to attend at all. It was understandable that she may be a little tired these days, Hermione usually started studying for the end of year exams right after Christmas, but it seemed there was more to it than that. She had even gotten a question wrong in her Arithmancy test. Something was up, and given the events of the last two years Frances felt that as a friend it was important that she find out what. She resolved to ask Harry the next time she saw him.

A sharp voice and a hand waving in front of her face broke Frances from her thoughts.

"Earth calling Frances!" It was saying. She jumped and turned round quickly to find Hermione sitting beside her looking slightly exasperated. "I don't know what planet you escaped to but we're supposed to be working," she was saying.

Ignoring her comment Frances instead asked "when did you get here?"

"About five minutes ago," was her reply.

"Oh," was all Frances said, I guess I must have been daydreaming longer than I thought.

"Well?" Hermione was saying impatiently.

"Well what?"

"We're you even listening to Professor Babbling?"

"Erm..."

"Really Frances you aught to pay more attention or you'll never pass your end of year exams!"

Frances was taken aback by Hermione's sharp tone. "Sorry," she said. Bowing her head and pulling the large book towards her she started to flick through the pages. They didn't talk for the rest of the lesson.

After two hours of being snapped at for no apparent reason Frances was more than happy to sit down at the Hufflepuff table for lunch. Hermione had been worse during their Arithmancy class and she suspected it was because of the question she had got wrong in the last test.

"You'll never guess what happened during divination!" Cassandra said excitedly as she sat down.

"You predicted you were going to pass all your exams this year?"

"Nope, your friend Hermione caused a right scene when she stormed out of the class! She knocked her crystal ball onto the floor and everything!"

It took a few moments for Frances to process this information. "But Hermione has been sitting next to me for the last two hours," she finally said.

"Well that doesn't make any sense."

"No, it doesn't."

After lunch Frances left her friends to take her Ancient Runes textbook back down to the common room; there was no point in lugging it all the way down to the dungeons for Potions. As she passed the Great Hall she bumped into Harry and Ron.

"Hey Frances! How are you?" Harry asked.

She was about to tell them she was fine when she remembered that her morning hadn't actually been fine. "Is something the matter with Hermione?" She asked suddenly.

"Well now that you mention it she has been a little testy lately," said Ron, rubbing the back of his neck like he was feeling guilty for talking about his friend behind her back. Frances almost didn't notice.

"Why? Is something going on?" She asked suspiciously.

"No!" Harry said looking scandalised. "We're not always up to something you know."

Frances just laughed and soon the boys joined in, until Ron abruptly stopped, looking over Frances' shoulder and looking terrified. Fearing the worst she whipped round to find Hermione striding towards them, looking about ready to explode.

"Why are you all just standing about!?" She asked angrily. Before anyone could answer she added, "Never mind, class starts in five minutes, come on!" She turned around sharply and started to march off again when Frances was struck by an idea.

"Wait!" She called.

"What?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"I erm, was wondering if you could help me with that Aritmancy assignment later."

A moments confusion flickered across the brunette's face before it softened. "Of course," she said, "6 o'clock in the library?"

"Sure, see you there," Frances said smiling before running off to class.

After dinner Frances made her way up to the library. She spread her homework out onto the large desk in front of her; parchment, quills, ink, workbooks and reference charts, and got started while she waited for Hermione to join her. Ten minutes later her study partner finally arrived, red faced and breathless.

"Are you alright?" Asked Frances.

"I'm fine," Hermione answered breathlessly. "Started without me did you?"

"Well I have a lot to get through," she replied. The truth was she wanted to get as much of the actual work out of the way so that she would have more time to talk with her friend and try to work out what was going on

"So the equation is dependant on time?" Frances asked.

"Yes, it doesn't matter what the variable is," Hermione explained. "If the diminutive is equal or more to the time the spell is cast then the result will always be a positive."

"I think I get it. I didn't realise time was such an important factor."

"You're telling me," Hermione said, rubbing her forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired."

"I know what you mean, there aren't enough hours in the day."

Hermione gave a small humourless laugh. "There are plenty of hours, if you know where to find the time."

As the year dragged on Frances found herself getting more and more weary. It wasn't just the school work, it was everything from the weather to the sour mood in the common room heightened by the still looming threat of Sirius Black. By the time the last of the exams came around she should have been feeling relieved, she really should, but for some reason she couldn't explain she just didn't. Despite that fact that it was now spring it was horribly dark outside and as she made her way to the Great Hall she found herself wishing that it would hurry up and be summer already.

After the exam was over Cassandra persuaded Frances and the others to spend the rest of their free time outside as the weather was finally clearing up a little. They took their lunch out to the stone circle to eat and were chatting away happily when Cassandra stopped abruptly.

"What's the matter?" Asked Hannah.

Cassandra lifted her hand and pointed over to the edge of the forest where a group of trees was clearly visible. Sitting amongst the trees was what appeared to be a large black dog. It stood completely still, blending into the shadows, and for a moment it seemed to look right at them. All the colour had drained from Cassandra's face.

"It's just a dog," supplied Frances.

Cassandra just shook her head. "It's not a dog," she whispered. "Its an omen."

At her words the girls started to look cautiously around them, after all when it came to signs and omens Cassandra was usually right. With each passing moment they felt the atmosphere changing around them. The dog was still watching with large yellow eyes from its spot at the edge of the forest, and not too far from where he stood Frances could see and feel the black hooded figures of the dementors. The chill ran right up her spine and she quickly found herself suggesting they return to the castle. Mumbling to themselves her friends agreed and they were soon hurrying across the almost deserted grounds to safety.

As they neared the small courtyard however, Frances suddenly stopped. There was a familiar yet unfamiliar noise drifting through the chill air and her instincts were screaming at her to avoid this potentially dangerous situation and take the long way round. Unfortunately her friends had already gone on ahead. Running to catch up she rounded the corner and started as she came face to face with a rather frightening figure.

The man was clad entirely in black; from the studded mask that hid his face to the heavy leather boots that seemed to anchor him to the spot. His beady eyes never left his axe, which he had propped up on a bench to sharpen, the metal gleaming in the fading sunlight. The eery scratching of metal on stone is the only sound to be heard in the courtyard and Frances finds herself rooted to the spot, staring with wide blue eyes at the scene and hardly daring to breathe. Then Cassandra is beside her and pulling gently at her sleeve.

"Come on!" she hisses, and Frances finds herself being pulled inside.

The clatter that drifts out from the Great Hall as they make their way down to the dorms is incredibly comforting after the eery noises from outside. Eager to get as far away as possible from the cold and the strangeness of the last half hour the girls pick up their pace, hardly watching where they are going. It is inevitable then, that as they round the corner, Frances crashes straight into somebody sending them crashing to the floor.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, panicking slightly.

"It's no problem." Said the familiar voice.

Harry gets to his feet and smooths down his robes and attempts to flatten his hair. "It was my fault," he said, "we were in a rush." He gestures to Ron and Hermione who are standing close by, looking a mixture of concerned, anxious and frightened all at the one time. "Actually we really aught to go," he said, and with a hurried smile he waves goodbye and rushes off, his friends close behind him.

"What was that all about?" Susan asked once the Gryffindors were out of earshot. Frances just shrugged, with those three, it could have been anything.

A few minutes later they are passing the kitchens, just a short corridor away from the safety of the Hufflepuff common room when Frances stops again.

"Crap!" She shouts.

"What is it?" Cassandra asked worriedly.

"I've left my Ancient Runes book in the library!"

If it had been anywhere else, the classroom or the Hall or even the bathroom she would have just left it, no one was going to try and steal a book that size, but if Madam Pince found it on the table she would not hesitate to put it 'back where it belongs' and she would never get it back. "I won't be long," she promised and she hurried off back up the corridor.

She took the stairs two at a time, speeding along the corridor and up the second flight until she burst through the door leading out to the atrium. It was still fairly crowded and she tried to squeeze through without knocking anyone over this time. Just as she was about to jump onto a moving staircase she spotted Hermione and Harry descending the staircase opposite her. Confused, she tried to work out how they had got there, considering that only moments before they had ran full speed out of the front door. The staircase they were on could only be accessed from the hospital wing, the entrance to which was on the opposite side of the castle, and four floors above. Unless they had somehow managed to apparate within the castle she had absolutely no idea how they had got there. She was still trying to work it out in her head as she lay in bed later that evening.

Given that the exams were now over, and the unsettling weirdness of the previous day (because it had been a particularly strange day, from the black dog that had watched them from the edge of the forest and the intimidating presence of the executioner to the fact that Frances was convinced that Harry and Hermione had been in two places at to one time) was now behind them, the four Hufflepuffs threw themselves into the farewell feast with vigour.

For some inexplicable reason the tension that had surrounded the castle since the start of the year had somehow evaporated, and everyone, most notable the teachers, had relaxed considerably. Cassandra said it was something to do with the full moon, and for once Frances was inclined to believe her. Still, regardless of what exactly had caused the change in atmosphere, everyone seemed to be in high spirits, and all very much looking forward to the summer ahead.

Once everyone was full to bursting with delicious food and more than just a little sleepy Professor Dumbledore stood to address his weary students.

"Well," he began, his voice soft and gentle yet loud enough to carry throughout the hall. "It had certainly been another exciting year here at Hogwarts!" He had a gleam in his eyes and Frances thought she saw them twitch in the direction of the Gryffindor table. "But as always, we have remained strong, we have put our heads together, and we have come out of it smarter, and brighter witches and wizards." He pauses to gaze around the room, still smiling. "It is also my greatest pleasure to announce that next year we will not be playing host to our er, enchanting, black cloaked guests." It took the students a few moments to register what he was telling them.

"You mean the dementors are going back to Azkaban?!" Came a loud voice from the Gryffindor table.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "It seems we are not in need of them anymore."

Utterly baffled by this Frances wonders what on earth could have happened for them to stop the search for Sirius Black, especially after the break in earlier in the year, but if the calm expression on the headmaster's face as he now prattled on about something nonsensical was anything to go by, she knew in her gut that he would never deliberately put any one of his students in danger. Whatever had happened to the crazed, escaped convict, he was no longer a threat to them. I'll have to ask Harry about it, she thinks to herself.