A/N Sorry this chapter took so long. It is my longest chapter by far. Hope you like it. Read and review, please.

Chapter 3

Third Year

Harry opened his eyes trying to recall what had just happened. A tall hooded thing had just entered their compartment, he had heard someone scream, and then this.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny crowded around him.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked.

"Who screamed?" Harry said.

"No one. You went rigid and passed out."

"Did anyone else?"

"Only Alex," Ron replied, pointing behind them.

Lupin handed each of them a piece of chocolate.

"Eat it. It'll help," he said. "The last piece is for Alex when she comes 'round. I'm going to talk to the conductor."

As the compartment door slammed shut, Alex jerked awake. She muttered something that sounded like "Damn dementors" as she sat up. She shivered and saw the chocolate sitting next to her. She picked it up and started to eat it. Lupin walked back into the compartment and saw Alex.

"Good, you're awake."

She took another bite of chocolate and more color returned to her face.

"You know about dementors then," he said with a smile. "The rest of you should eat your chocolate if you want to feel better."

Alex leaned against her seat and rubbed her neck. She spent the rest of the trip staring out the window.

The third year Gryffindors walked to Care of Magical Creatures as the Slytherins walked up. Hagrid took the group to a paddock that had a dozen winged creatures.

"These," Hagrid said, "beau'iful creatures are-"

"Hippogriffs," Alex said in an awed whisper.

"What was that, Alex?"

"Hippogriffs," she said louder.

"Correct. Now who wants ter come closer?"

Alex walked closer.

"Alrigh'. First you have to bow and wait fer him to bow back. This is Buckbeak"

Alex bowed to Buckbeak, who returned the bow instantly. Alex walked up to him and stroked his feathers caringly.

"I reckon he'll let you rider him now," Hagrid said as applause broke out through the class.

"Really?" Alex asked, her eyes brightening.

"Yeh."

She turned back to Buckbeak and climbed on his back. As soon as she was comfortable he launched into the sky. As they landed, Alex began laughing. She slid of the hippogriffs back and stroked his neck.

They split into groups and practiced with the other hippogriffs while Alex watched.

"This is easy," Malfoy said lazily. "I bet your not dangerous are you, you ugly brute?"

The hippogriff reared and clawed Malfoy's arm. Buckbeak tried to attack again, but Alex stepped between him and Malfoy. Buckbeak knocked Alex to the ground. While trying the get at Malfoy, he stepped on Alex's right arm and she screamed in pain. Immediately, the hippogriff stopped and lowered him head to Alex. She grimaced in pain as he nudged her arm. She placed her left arm over his neck and Buckbeak lifted her to her feet.

"I don't blame you," Alex whispered as she stroking his face.

"I swear!" Ron yelled.

"What's going on, Ron?" Alex asked, tiredly.

"Sirius Black was standing over me with a knife!" he replied.

"What?!" Alex said suddenly completely awake. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, he ran because I wasn't Ha- Where are you going?"

She turned and disappeared into the girls' dormitory, returning a few minutes later fully dressed. As Professor McGonagall entered through the portrait hole, Alex slipped out.

Alex sat in the library, looking frustrated, when Hermione walked up.

"What's up?" Hermione asked. "What are you looking at?"

"All I can concentrate on are there words, in this sequence," Alex replied. "I don't understand what they're trying to say."

"Can I take a look?" Hermione sat down beside Alex.

"Sure, but I doubt you'll get anything."

Hermione looked at the paper and read:

Cat, Rat, Dog

Traitor, Murderer, Accomplice, Fake

Full Moon, Danger, Execution

Innocent, Time Past

Escape, Light, Hope

Sirius Black, Innocent

Dementors

The Kiss

"Innocent's in there twice," Hermione said. "That's all I got."

"Yeah, same here."

"Going to kill me, Harry?" Black asked in a whisper.

They were in the Shrieking Shack, and Harry had his wand pointed at Sirius Black. There was a bang and the door swung open, hitting the wall.

"What's going on?" Alex asked coming into the room.

"We've got him," Harry said.

"Have you heard everything he has to say?"

Harry's questioning look said it all.

"Put your wand down and let him explain."

"No, he deserves to die."

"Give it up, Alex," Black said quietly.

"How does he know your name?" Hermione asked.

"I can't let you hurt him," Alex said stepping between Harry and Black and crossing her arms.

Alex and Harry looked at each other for a long time in silence. Lupin walked in and was surprised at the scene in front of him. The surprise only lasted a second, and he disarmed Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lupin asked.

Black pointed at Ron.

"You switch without telling me, didn't you?"

Black nodded. Lupin lowered his wand, walked passed Alex, and helped Black to his feet.

"I TRUSTED YOU!" Hermione screamed. "I COVERED FOR YOU! AND ALL THIS TIME YOU'VE BEEN HIS FRIEND!"

"Hermione, let me explain," Lupin said stepping toward her.

"Don't trust him," she said backing up. "He's a werewolf."

"Hermione, shut up," Alex said, her hair bright red.

"And you," Hermione rounded on Alex. "You've been helping him from the beginning."

"I can't deny that."

"And I can't deny being a werewolf, either," Lupin said. "Now let us explain."

He returned their wands and put his own away.

"Ron, can I see Scabbers?" Alex asked.

"Why?" Ron replied.

"Because his real name is Peter Pettigrew."

"How do you know that?" Black asked.

"Animagi can sense other Animagi. That's why he hates me so much. I knew what he wasn't, a rat."

The rat ran toward the door. Alex transformed into a wolf and stepped on his tail. She transformed back into herself and picked up the rat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her in shook.

"I'll explain later," she said quietly.

She handed the rat to Black.

"So, you're still helping him?" Harry asked.

"I've been helping him all year. I'm not stopping now."

"That's one thing I wanted to hear." Snape pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. "Three for Azkaban tonight and one being a student. Dumbledore was convinced you were a tame werewolf, Lupin."

"You fool," Lupin said.

Snakelike cords shot from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles. Lupin fell to the floor. Black started a Snape, who pointed his wand at Black's face.

"Give me a reason to do it," Snape said, "and I swear I will."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Alex yelled.

Alex knelt by Lupin with her back to Snape. Lupin struggled against the ropes.

"Stop moving," Alex commanded.

She began to untie the ropes.

"What are you doing, Matthews?" Snape asked moving his wand to point at her instead of Black. "Cru-"

"Trying an unforgivable on me, Snape?" Alex asked.

Snape was thrown backward. Alex finished untying Lupin and helped him up. She walked over to Black and looked at the rat.

"Transform, Peter. I won't let them kill you."

The rat began growing in size.

"I knew I could trust you, Alex," Peter said. "You remind me of a girl we went to school with. She was Remus's-"

Alex punched him in the face.

"That's for Lily and James. Sirius, Professor, he's all yours."

"NO!"

"You're a Death Eater, aren't you?"

"NO!"

"Prove it. Let me see your arm."

He stuck out his right arm.

"I can't believe Voldemort let you in."

"You dare to say the Dark Lord's name, you filthy-"

"There's the proof. You wouldn't be reprimanding me like that for saying Voldemort if you weren't a Death Eater."

"Matthews has been helping Black all year," Snape said "I heard her admit it. When I found them all by the lake, I bound and gagged Black and Matthews and brought them all up to the castle."

"The Ministry will be seeking punishment for her as well," the minister said. "She could be expelled, sent to Azkaban, or share in Black's fate."

"It would be nice if you didn't talk about me as if I wasn't here," Alex snapped. "Sirius is telling the truth."

"Why would we listen to you?" Fudge asked. "You're his accomplice."

Dumbledore walked in.

"Severus, Minister, Poppy, I need to speak to my students alone."

He waited for them to leave before continuing.

"Hermione, you know the law. Sirius is in Professor Flitwick's office, seventh floor, thirteenth window to the right of the West Tower. Three turns should be right. Take Alex with you. If you succeed tonight, more than one innocent life will be spared. You must not be seen. It is now five minutes to midnight and I am going to lock you in. Good luck."

"Let's go," Alex said.

"Thank you," Sirius said.

Alex hugged him and he hugged her back.

"What was that for?"

"It's just nice to see you again."

"What do you mean?"

"I swear, I'll explain everything next time we see you."

"You mean if you see me."

"No, when. Now go we don't want to spring you and then have you get caught."

"Be careful, all of you. Alex I hope you don't get into too much trouble for helping me."

"I don't care if I do." They both smiled.

"Peter did say one thing that was true. You do remind me of a girl we went to school with."

"Bye."

They watched him until he disappeared.

Harry, Hermione, and Alex had just gotten back into bed, when they heard yelling in the corridor. Seconds later, the hospital wing doors burst open. Snape, Fudge, and Dumbledore walked in.

"Potter helped him escape!" Snape yelled.

"Harry hasn't left this room," Madam Pomfrey said.

"If not Potter then Matthews. She's been helping him."

"She hasn't left either."

"They're innocent unless you can tell me how they can be in two places at once," Dumbledore said coolly.

"The Daily Prophet is going to have a field day over this," Fudge grumbled. "We had Black in custody, and he got away. If they get wind of that hippogriff, I'll be a laughingstock."

"A hippogriff?" Alex asked. "What about a hippogriff?"

"That hippogriff that attacked Draco Malfoy got away."

Fudge turned and left.

Harry walked into Lupin's office to see him packing and Alex sitting on his desk.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I will accept you," she said.

"I'm afraid you would be the only ones," Lupin replied.

"One thing you have to remember is what some sees with their heart is more important than what they see with their eyes."

He gave her a questioning look.

"You aren't going to tell me what you mean by that, are you?"

"Nope."

Harry walked in and sat by Alex. Lupin looked at Alex.

"You remind me so much of a girl I knew in school. She was my girlfriend, but we got in a fight. The last thing I said to her was that she should have been in Slytherin. She was killed by Death Eaters two weeks later. I've never told anyone that before.

"These are yours, Harry."

He handed Harry the Cloak and the Map.

"You don't have to go, Professor" Harry said.

"The owls will start arriving tomorrow at this time and parents won't want a werewolf teaching their kids. I don't blame them. I could have bitten any of you last night. I'm not your teacher anymore. Call me Remus."

There was a long silence ended by a knock at the door.

"Your carriage is here, Remus," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Lupin replied.

He walked out with his suitcase, followed by Alex and Harry. Lupin put his suitcase in the carriage turned back to the pair.

"Harry, your father would be very proud of you, and I was honored to teach you."

"Good-bye," Harry said and walked away.

"Alex, you have been doing the right thing all year and I'm proud of you. You stood up against the rest of the school and the Ministry. Not many of us can, you and Dumbledore are the only ones I've met. Good-bye, Alex."

Alex hugged him and didn't let go.

"Alex, why are you crying?"

"I'm not," she said quietly.

"You want to."

"Stupid werewolf senses," she muttered and Lupin smiled.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"You're the only father figure I've ever had."

"Well, you can always write to me."

He hugged her.

"Now, I have to go."

He got into the carriage.

"Good-bye, Remus," Alex said quietly.

He spun around.

"What?" she asked.

"You sounded like Janie."

On the trip home, the four of them shared a compartment.

"The Quidditch World Cup is this summer, and dad got tickets," Ron said. "All of you can come."

"That's going to be eventful," Alex said. "Wizards, from all over, are coming to one place."

"Yeah, it's going to be amazing."

The rest of the trip was spent talking about plans for the summer and Sirius's letter. The train pulled to a stop at King's Cross.

"See you later this summer, Harry," Hermione called as she left with her parents.

"Where are you staying?" Harry asked Alex.

She handed him a letter that was addressed to his aunt and uncle.

"They aren't going to like that."

"Do I care?"

They walked up to the Dursleys. Harry handed his uncle the letter.

"Is this another form?"

He opened it and read the letter from Dumbledore.

"She is not staying with us."

"Then," Harry said, "I'll have to write a letter to my godfather, telling him about it."

"You don't have a godfather," Uncle Vernon said.

"Yes, I do. He was my mum and dad's best friend."

"And he's a convicted murderer," Alex said.

"But he broke out of a wizard prison and slipped under the Ministry's nose. He's on the run, now."

"And I helped him." Alex smiled at the look she got. "Not that anyone would believe that if you told them."

"He likes to keep in touch, check if I'm happy."

"She can stay," Uncle Vernon growled.

They loaded Harry and Alex's trunks into the trunk of their car. Alex sat in the middle of the back seat with Harry to her left and Dudley to her right. Dudley continuously glanced at Alex.

"Dudley can't keep him eyes off of me," she said in Parseltongue. "I'm going to scare him."

"I'm watching," Harry replied.

Once Alex was sure Dudley was looking at her, she changed her hair color from black to pink and back again. He jumped and looked out the window. Harry and Alex talked the rest of the ride in Parseltongue, and Dudley never looked at them.