Harry was bombarded with treats Ron and Hermione had bought for him in Hogsmead. Andi acted cross with me since I had gone out when I had told her I was staying at the castle and she wouldn't come down from the rafters of the common room.

I had to go down and help set up for the Halloween feast as punishment for setting off a package of stink bombs I had slipped in Crabbe's, Goyle's, and Malfoy's robes. They deserved it and I didn't care that Snape had given me another detention on my birthday. It was practically a tradition now.

I went to the dungeons to get the boxes full of enchanted pumpkins. Snape was walking out of his office and looked at me. "Good afternoon, professor."

"Good afternoon, Miss Black." I kept walking towards the storage closet. "Stop, for a moment. I need to speak with you."

"Yes, sir?"

"You should take care, running around the way you do with professor Lupin, there's a killer on the loose and I would think that it would not do for you to be out after dark." I nodded politely.

"I'll take care, thank you sir." I grabbed the boxes and he was gone by the time I came out.

The feast was great as usual. The twins wanted to tell everyone and their aunt about me being an animagus but I kept jibbing them in the ribs. Seamus kept making faces at me to get me to smile.

After we had filled ourselves with all the food we possibly could, Seamus held my hand as we were in the big group of kids going back up to the common room. I was smiling and laughing until the crowd stopped moving. There was a murmur that turned into a panic. I squeezed through the crowd and the twins pulled me to them. The Fat Lady was gone, her picture was torn and slashed to ribbons. I closed my eyes and sighed. Percy came up and told everyone to calm down. Dumbledore appeared and it was revealed, via Peeves, that it had been Sirius Black.

Dumbledore told everyone to go to their houses and for the Gryffindors to go to the Great Hall. I didn't even bother moving. The headmaster looked at me,

"Nora, I hear that you have become quite the animagus. I need you to try and sniff out an intruder."

"Professor, I don't think it works that way." He gave me a stern look and I sighed. "Fine." I handed him my backpack and robe, my dress underneath was enchanted. I transformed into my large wolf hound form and started sniffing around the picture.

I ended up having to search the entire castle. I kept getting hints and whiffs of someone new but as soon as I picked them up, they were gone. I finally caught a strong trail and I let my nose lead me up staircases and through secret hallways. I ended up right outside my secret room. I transformed back into a human and drew my wand. I pushed open the door and rushed in, scanning to room. There was someone standing at the window.

"Sirius Black." I said with a rock steady voice.

The skinny, sick looking man turned slowly and I saw that this was not a mad man, this was a sad man. He looked at me in the shaft of moonlight and I saw his eyes widen and a very slow, big smile spread across his face. "Renora." He said softly. I knew in that moment he was my father and that I would never hurt him.

"It's just Nora." I took a step closer to him.

"I am sorry to have us meet like this." I sat down on my piano bench.

"Are you here to hurt Harry? Did you betray the Potters? Please say you didn't. Everyone has been saying so many terrible things about you and I really couldn't say one way or another but I also didn't know you if were my dad or not and it's been so confusing and I want to know why you left me at an orphanage and no one will tell me anything and—" Sirius Black was crushing me in a hug.

I was crying. "I will answer all of your questions." I hugged him tight.

"Okay." We sat on some cushions and he answered all of my questions as well as he could.

"No, I'm not here to hurt Harry, I would never hurt Harry. He's my godson. I didn't betray the Potters, Peter Pettigrew did and that's why I'm in the castle." I went to speak and he held up his hand. "I'm obviously your father, from what I've seen you've inherited your mother's looks and my mischief. Now about the orphanage…"

I pulled a blanket around my shoulders and listened to my past.

"You're mother and I were never formally married. She played hard to get even after we got out of school. It was when we were in the Order of the Phoenix together that we… became closer and then we fell in love which just about broke Remus's heart, he loved her, too. You came along and we were happy. We lived together in Godrick's hollow near Lily and James. When Harry came along, you never saw two babies who enjoyed each other's company more. Everything was fine until Peter Pettigrew gave up our secret. Bellatrix Lestrange, my retched cousin came to our house while Voldemort went to the Potter's. I was out on a quick mission for the Order and your mum was home looking after you." I twisted the ends of my blanket nervously, "Bellatrix came in and tried to kill you. She thought you were an abomination because even though your mother was a pure-blooded witch, and I a pure-blooded wizard, we were too unlike our families. You were so strong, even then. Your mum grabbed you and distracted Bellatrix long enough to get out of the house and was running towards Lily, James, and Harry but she didn't make it. Bellatrix killed her but you were holding on to your mom and the curse passed through your body leaving only a scar on your back." Sirius took a deep breath and wiped away a tear.

"So I should have died?"

He nodded. "To this day I have no idea how you survived. I came back as soon as I felt something wrong. I found you in your mother's arms. Hagrid had dug out Harry and I asked him if I could take him, because I foolishly thought I could take care of you both. He told me that Dumbledore had ordered that he be sent to those vile Dursleys's. I gave Hagrid my motorbike and knew that everyone thought I had been their secret keeper and I would be hunted to the ends of the earth. The funny thing about you, Nora, is that you were never processed through a hospital or the ministry. You were born in such a hectic time that it never really came up." He laughed softly. "You were born behind the bar in a little pub while Remus, the Longbottoms, James, and I all battled Death-eaters. We didn't have time to make it official. You don't have the trace on you because legally, you don't exist, that's why you can do magic outside of school without getting penalized by the ministry."

It was early morning by the time I left, even though I had been awake all night, I wasn't tired. I had told Sirius that he would be safe up in my secret hide away. He was exhausted and hungry so I gave him some of the candy I had stashed away with the promise of real food as soon as I could swing it.

It was early enough that I knew everyone would still be down in the Great Hall having one big Percy Weasley approved sleepover so that's where I headed. The big oak doors were silent as I slipped through. There were a bunch of squishy purple sleeping bags filled with the sleeping forms of my fellow Gryffindors. I saw the twins had set up camp in front of the unlit fireplace and I walked over to them and curled up between the two boys, using my jacket as a blanket. I shut my eyes and smiled. I finally had a father.

Sirius Black was all that the school could talk about after that. It was harder and harder to get away from my friends and go up and visit Sirius. He needed to get out of the castle but I hadn't found a suitable place besides the Shrieking Shack and with winter coming up, I didn't want him in that cold shanty.

We talked about a lot of stuff. I told him about the twins' and my pranks. I thought he would alert the entire school with his laughter when I told him about putting the dung bomb in Lucius Malfoy's pocket last year. It made me very happy to hear him laugh. He was proud of how much of a mischief maker I had become. He was considerably less enthused when I told him how good I was at potions and how Snape was giving me advanced lessons. I also talked about Harry and how he was a Quidditch star. The team was practicing every night until dark and their first match was coming up soon. I told Sirius that if he could swing it, he could sit in one of the abandoned house boxes so he could watch it. He said that it would be the day he went to the Shrieking Shack. I couldn't argue with him on that because the teachers had been eyeing me suspiciously ever since Halloween.

The day of the Quidditch match arrived with freezing temperatures and pounding rain. Sirius had found a sheltered spot up in one of the seating towers and I went down to wish my friends luck.

"Oliver." I said to the stressed out seventh year. He jumped and slammed shut his play book.

"Nora, you scared me."

"Switch to decaf Wood." I hugged him and he squeezed me tight.

"I just have to win the Quidditch cup, I just have to." I smoothed his hair and smiled.

"You will, Oliver, you will." I kissed him on the cheek as the twins bounded over. I hugged them together and wished them luck. I wanted to enchant Harry's glasses so they would be impervious to the rain but Seamus was looking for me. I pulled my hood up and he ran over to me holding a big scarlet and gold umbrella.

"Ready to go up and watch the game?" I nodded and he grabbed my hand. It was okay that he was holding my hand but it didn't feel the same as when Sawyer held my hand in Diagon Alley or anything close to the way I felt when Fred grabbed my hand.

I was soaked with rain even with the umbrella. Seamus pulled off his jacket and I pulled it on over my cold, wet, Weasley sweater, this one was patterned with Quidditch snitches. I dried myself off and made the jacket impervious to the rain. I did the same for Seamus and Neville who appeared next to me. The game was hard to follow since the rain was so thick. I could barely see the players and Angelina almost flew into the railing. I had yelled at her to pull up and by some miracle she heard me over the din of the rain because there was no way she could have seen the wall in time.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My scars started to ache and burn and I knew the dementors were near. Seamus touched my arm when I whipped around to see where they were. A massive group of the happiness sucking demons. I looked for Harry but I couldn't see him through the rain. Seamus grabbed me when my knees gave out from the phantom pain rolling through my body.

"What's wrong?" He was so worried.

"Harry…"

I fought through the crowd even though the closer I got to the field and swarm of dementors the more I hurt. I reached the muddy ground and I struggled to walk. A dark form was falling from high in the air and I pulled out my wand.

"Arresto Momento!" I yelled and Harry's body slowed. Dumbledore ran out as I fell to my knees and took care of Harry. I fell on my hands and gasped for breath. The mud seeped through my pants and I felt two people lift me up and help me off the field. We stopped outside the locker room I sat on the bench, catching my breath.

The twins squatted down in front of me and both had a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" They asked in sync and I nodded. Remus ran to me and searched his pockets for something.

"Here, eat this." He held out a big chocolate bar and I snapped off a big chunk of it. I told Remus thank you and the twins were reluctant to leave me. I told them that I wanted them to go check on Harry because I would be up to the medical wing in a little while. They refused to leave without me so I was drug up to the castle to be looked over by Madame Pomfrey.

I sat down on a bed and everyone on the Quidditch team swarmed around Harry. The twins sat on either side of me. Oliver hadn't come up here because he was upset that he had lost even though Diggory had caught the snitch fair and square. I sighed. Ced would feel bad about that for a long time. I helped him with his potions homework and he was such a nice person that he would be the one to ask for a rematch.

I snuck out of the hospital wing when Hermione and Ron brought up the bad news about Harry's broom. The trip down to the boy's showers was a cold one but I waited outside for Wood. He either wanted to drown himself or stay in there forever. I knocked on the door and didn't get an answer but I could hear the shower going. I walked in, the showers were hidden so it wasn't like I was looking at naked Oliver. I heard someone mumbling angrily.

"Ollie?" I said softly, using the nickname I only brought out in private for Wood. Oliver stuck his head out from behind the shower wall and his eyes got wide. I turned around.

"Bloody hell Nora! What the hell are you doing in here?!" I heard the screech as he turned off the water and the snap of his towel when he pulled it off the side. He stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around his waist. I covered my eyes.

"I just came to make sure that you weren't going terminally Myrtle and flood the bathrooms." He laughed and I smiled, hands still firmly clasped over my eyes. He walked past me and grabbed his stack of clothes. "When you didn't answer when I knocked I assumed the worst. I came in expecting to see you in tears, sobbing in the shower like some sad teenage girl after a dance goes badly."

He pulled my hands away from my face and held them. He was a head taller than me. My heart was pounding more it should have been. The water from his hair dripped down his neck and I kept my eyes on the growing wet spot on his shirt collar.

"There'll be other Quidditch matches, Ollie, you lost by what? A hundred points? That's not a big deal. You can easily make that up, if Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff by-" Oliver pressed his lips against mine. I froze. He pulled away and we both turned red.

"Sorry." I nodded at his apology and we just looked at each other awkwardly.

I didn't know why I was about to do what I was about to do but I knew I had to do it or else I'd feel bad for not doing it. I put my hands on the sides of his face and smiled.

"You're a much better Quidditch player than kisser, Wood." He rolled his eyes.

"I knew you were going to say something stupid like that. I didn't mean anything by that kiss, I don't know why I did it."

"Maybe to make me shut up about Quidditch."

"Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving." I knew he was covering up that he felt really bad about losing the game and I didn't want to think about the little kiss he just planted on me. I had Seamus, he was a good boy who cared about me.

"And then he went and bloody kissed me!" I paced around my dormitory with Andi on my shoulder talking to Hermione. I rubbed my eyes.

"You went into the boys' showers?" I groaned.

"Do try and keep up dear, he was clothed." For most of the time. "What should I do about the kiss? It didn't mean anything but if I tell the twins, they'll be furious, if anyone else finds out that I kissed a seventh year, they'll think I'm a slag." I sighed and flopped onto my bed, squeezing my pillow to my chest and Andi rubbed her face against mine.

"I think that you shouldn't tell anyone." I looked up.

"Really?" She nodded.

"It seems like it's more trouble than it's worth." I nodded.

"I agree." I got up and went to check on Harry who was still despondent over his broom being smashed when he fell. I walked into the common room and Oliver looked at me from the table. I blushed and he winked at me. I hurried out and to the hospital wing.

Everything was fine for a few weeks, Oliver and I got back to normal, although it still felt a little off kilter between us. Seamus backed off a little but he did dance with me when I brought my record player into the common room to play some music.

Now I was walking to lunch. It was the end of November and Wood's spirits were high since Ravenclaw smashed Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match. The twins and Harry had practice this morning and I was going to hang out with Thatcher in the herbology greenhouses because they were warm. The doors banged open and every head in the Great Hall turned and two red-faced twins came storming towards me. I stood, frozen as they charged me.

"YOU KISSED OLIVER WOOD!" They both yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. I heard snickers rise up throughout the hall. Wood walked through the door looking miserable. I pushed my way past the twins and ran out, bumping into Wood as I left. I gave him a venomous look.

"You told them? Even when you know it would make things horrible?" I hissed and continued past him. The twins ran after me. I tried to shake them but they were persistent. I turned and faced them on one of the moving stairways.

"When did he tell you?" I covered my face with my hands. I wiped the tears off my face and looked at them. When they saw I was crying, the anger in their faces turned to concern and they hugged me.

"He didn't tell us." Fred muttered.

"Not exactly." George said, pulling off his practice robes.

"We may have slipped him some veritus serum we nicked from Snape into his water bottle because he'd been acting all weird lately." Fred said.

"How the hell did I come up?"

"We didn't realize it had worked and while we were in the locker room, George said something about you and then Oliver just spilt the beans. You'd think he'd given up his entire play book by the look on his face when he realized he said it. Gave Harry a right good shock, too."

"You two have to make this right. Everyone's going to think I'm just some slag now and it's because you two couldn't leave well enough alone." They furrowed their brows.

"No one would think that, Nora." I shook my head.

"I'm a third year, my best friends are fifth year boys and Oliver is a seventh year so everyone probably thinks there's something going on between me and at least one of you two and now they think I'm shagging Oliver." I groaned and the twins frowned.

"Sorry." They said together and I shook my head.

"I wish you two would just know when you need to stay out of my business." I walked off to meet Thatcher, he'd listen to me and give me the best advice he could.

I sat down in an armchair and Thatcher pulled out a thermos of tea. I took a cup and sighed as I sipped it. This greenhouse was our haven.

"No one's going to think you're easy, Nora." He said it in such a reassuring manner I almost believed it. It was nice that he knew what was troubling me, too.

"How do you know?" He sipped his tea.

"Because you have enough friends that will stand up for you. Not a whole lot of people care that you kissed him because you don't go around kissing lots of blokes."

"I hope you're right, Thatch."

"I always am." He opened his book and started reading.

Ron and Hermione were staying with Harry for the Christmas holidays and for that I was thankful. The twins said their mum wanted me to come and spend Christmas with them, but I declined. Hagrid needed someone to celebrate with, and by celebrate I mean someone to make sure he didn't bargain for any dangerous creatures down at the pub like when he got Aragog, Fluffy, or Norbit.

I was waiting with the twins to go to Hogsmead and Harry was walking past, I could almost hear the sad Charlie Brown music playing since he was stuck at the castle, I sighed and pulled out the Marauder's map. The twins sighed sadly and nodded.

"Let's do it, then." We all walked up and Harry was surprised.

"Why aren't you at Hogsmead yet?"

"Came to give you a little festive cheer before we leave." I handed Harry the packet of parchment and pulled him into the nearest classroom.

"What's this rubbish?" The twins and I laughed.

"'What's this rubbish?' he says." George smirked, "That right there is the secret to our success!"

"It's a wrench, giving it to you, but Nora's convinced us that your needs are greater than ours."

"How'd you get this?" Harry asked, looking at the little moving feet and names.

"Nicked it from Flich's office, first year."

"They had gone and set off a dung bomb in the hallway-" I started.

"And he went and got mad for some reason." Fred continued feigning innocence.

"Drug us off to his office and we noticed this filing cabinet that said 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'." George's smile grew wide.

"Don't tell me you two-" Harry grinned.

"George dropped another dung bomb and Fred grabbed the map." I shrugged. "I reckon Filch knew roughly what it was but could never work it properly."

"That has taught us more than all the teachers in the school." I pulled out my wand.

"You're just winding me up, aren't you?" We all shook our heads.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I touched the parchment and the familiar names of the marauder's appeared. I know knew all of the names after talking with Sirius about them.

"Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's map." Harry murmured.

Fred and George sighed. "We owe them so much." We showed Harry the secret passages that led right to Hogsmead.

"Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor, it caved in last winter."

"But when you're done, don't forget to wipe it." George warned.

"Or anyone can read it," Fred cautioned.

"Just tap it with your wand and say, 'Mischief Managed'." I did as I said and the map went blank.

We headed down to Hogsmead bundled up in ninety percent of Weasley made clothing. The twins were in high spirits considering they had just given up their favorite toy. Seamus waved to me from where he and Dean were hanging out in front of the post office. I didn't really want to stop because as soon as I slowed down, a group of Slytherin girls stopped and snickered at me, talking to each other behind their hands. I pulled my hat down lower and trudged on.

The twins and I went into Zonko's but didn't buy much other than the basic wet-start fireworks and dung bombs. I told them I would catch up with them when we got back up to school, I was going to check on Harry.

I couldn't find him in Honeyduke's. I checked the post office, still no sign. I walked into The Three Broomsticks and saw Ron and Hermione half hidden behind a Christmas tree. They made eye contact with me and tried to tell me something. I looked around the pub which was full of mostly students and then I saw Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, Madame Rosmerta, and the Minister of Magic himself, Mr. Cornelius Fudge.

I knew something was up and so I walked slowly over to where my friends were sitting and listened to the conversation next to Harry under the table.

"…I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid boomed. "And he abandoned his daughter at some muggle orphanage that didn't tell her nothin' about who she was or where she come from!" I cringed and knew he was talking about me.

"What?" The minister said, shocked.

"I should not have said that." Hagrid said quietly.

"Sirius Black has a daughter?" I needed McGonagall to smooth things over really quickly.

"Minister, I believe our first concern should be keeping Harry Potter safe, I do not think Sirius Black will be looking for the daughter he gave up twelve years ago."

I crawled out from under the table and Hagrid saw me.

"Sirius Black is a dangerous criminal who needs to be stopped. We should take his daughter in for questioning right away. She may know something we do not." Hagrid shook his head violently as I approached the table. Harry grabbed my ankle and I looked down.

"Let me go, Harry James Potter." He did because when I used his full name in that tone, it was better to let me do my own thing. I walked up to the table with a thinly veiled look of contempt on my face.

"Good evening, Minister, I believe you're looking for me?" His eyes grew wide with fright and he couldn't spit out his words.

"How—How did you hear our conversation." I laughed humorlessly.

"You think that just because you're sitting in the middle of a pub that it mutes your conversation?" He turned beet red.

"Well I say!"

"I'm not going to tell you about Sirius Black because you don't really care what I know or what I have to say because you just want to make sure your little slip up gets taken care of. Can't have criminals breaking out of Azkaban now can we? What would the Prophet say about the Ministry then?" I gave him a mocking pout. He appalled that I was saying this as were the teachers. I turned on my heel and marched out. I ran into Seamus on his way into the pub and I grabbed his hand, pulling him with me.

"Want to take a walk with me? I think I just screwed up big and should get out of the general area."

"Yeah, of course. What did you do?"

I pulled him into the woods and then I slowed down. We walked beside a frozen stream. I walked on the ice, enjoying the sound of it cracking and hopping to safety when it was too thin to support me. Seamus held my hand in case I lost my balance.

"I may have actually just told off the Minister of Magic for wanting to take me in for questioning about Sirius Black."

"Bloody hell, Nora. Why'd you do that for?" His cheeks were turning bright red from the cold and I knew mine were too.

"Because I wasn't going to give up information about my dad."

He let out low whistle. "So Sirius Black is your dad, then?" I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Wow." I kept walking with him until I saw the back fence of the Shrieking Shack.

Seamus leaned on the planks and I leaned next to him. Our breath fogged in front of us.

"Did you really snog Wood?"

"He kissed me. It's been a while ago, though. Didn't mean anything." I tried to play it off as I rubbed my hands together to warm them up in my purple mittens.

Seamus took my hands between his own and blew hot air on them, warming them much more efficiently. He didn't let go and my heart hammered. It wasn't even that I wanted a boyfriend. I didn't need a bloke slowing me down when I went out exploring or on a mission for Dumbledore. He leaned closer to me and sighed. His eyes were closed and I didn't know what to do. I gave him a quick peck on the lips that turned into a longer kiss. When we pulled away, we were both red from embarrassment.

"Did you feel anything?" I asked him, frowning. It was an okay kiss, a little on the cold side, but not an altogether bad kiss. I just didn't feel nearly the rush when he kissed me that I had when he had been holding my hands, expectantly.

He shook his head. "Not really, I thought it would feel different." I have him a 'sorry' face and he shrugged. "I guess it'll just be better if we stay just friends." I nodded.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me." I hugged him and his arms were warm around me. "I have to get back up to the castle, I just remembered I have to tell Professor Lupin something." I walked with him up to The Three Broomsticks.

"Bye, Nora." I pulled Seamus's hat down over his eyes and laughed lightly.

"Bye Seamus." I hugged him and whispered. "I hear that Angelina's little sister fancies you, maybe you should offer to buy her a butterbeer." I pointed out the second year who quickly looked away from us.

I ran up to Lupin's office and stopped short. I heard voices inside.

"I know you helped him into the castle, now tell me where is he?" Snape was furious.

"I didn't help Sirius Black, the man who murdered my best friends, into Hogwarts, Severus." I pressed my ear against the door of his office.

"I told Dumbledore you were a risk, Black on the loose and you being so close to his daughter would not mix well." I heard heels clack on flagstones and I hurried for somewhere to hide. The only spot was behind a statue of a pig that would probably not even hide me. I crouched low and held my breath when the door opened. Snape walked away down the opposite way from where I was hiding. I stood up and ran in the office.

"Professor." I said. He looked up lazily from his desk. He looked so tired and sad.

"Shouldn't you be at Hogsmead with the rest of the third years, Nora?" He flipped through a packet of parchment and I sat down.

"Why are you so sad? Werewolf stigma, okay, but the rest of it, is it all because of Harry's parents and my mother? My father isn't a bad man." Lupin's eyes widened.

"How can you say that!?" He slammed his hands on his desk, knocking off stacks of papers. "He betrayed your best friend's parents. James and Lily made them their secret keeper!" I stood up. Sirius had told me to keep it in the strictest confidence that I knew what had actually happened.

"No he didn't! He thought that they should switch, secretly. So Tom Riddle would go after my father and never suspect any different. He was willing to die to protect his friends." My voice was steadier than I thought it would be. "He wasn't ever the secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was." Remus was taken aback.

"But… that's not possible, even Dumbledore didn't know."

"That's the point, no one knew except Sirius, the Potters, and Pettigrew."

"You have been talking to Sirius Black and you haven't come forward with the information?" I sighed.

"I told off the Minister of Magic regarding my dad and he didn't take it very well…" I was expecting a stern talking to but what I got was a loud laugh.

I looked up at the professor and he was clutching his sides with laughter. He sat down and kept laughing. I felt my lips tug up at the corners and chuckled.

"It was really marvelously stupid of me, wasn't it? Oh bloody hell, they're going to be on the lookout for me, aren't they?" Lupin slowed his laughter and sighed, looking up at me.

"Renora, you are both incredibly brave and unbelievably foolish, just like your father." I smiled knowing that I was like my father.