Chapter 11: Hogsmeade
The girls were out of the Hospital Wing and back to complaining about classes by the start of next week. And complain they did, since Lupin was back at his post instead of greasy old Snape, and most of the class expressed their displeasure at having been assigned homework on a subject they had yet to study.
"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"
"We don't know anything about werewolves —"
"— two rolls of parchment!"
Lupin, of course, assured them that they didn't have to hand over the essays, which disappointed Hermione, who'd dutifully written hers ahead of time.
Heidi took to closely observing Lupin for the rest of the class, noting the dark circles under his eyes, the frail moves and sickly look. The professor had definitely had a couple of rough days, but that still wasn't proof enough that he was a werewolf! She still needed to check and see if he'd pull the same stunt on the next full moon, just to be safe.
After class ended, the quartet slowly began packing their stuff as they patiently waited for all the students to pile out, before heading over to Lupin's desk.
"Professor, we'd like to have a word with you," Hermione stated, drawing Lupin's attention.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Lupin said, while spinning around to look into their determined faces.
"We'd like to know how you managed to fend off the Dementor on the train," Diana asked boldly. "And, if it were possible for you to teach us how to defend ourselves against them?"
"I'm guessing this has something to do with your latest encounter with them?" Lupin asked cautiously. The quartet remained silent for a long moment, each of them seemingly lost in their own thoughts and unwilling to share them with anyone else. Lupin sadly lowered his eyes to the ground, ready to apologize for his indiscretion, when Heidi began murmuring in a low, hallow voice drawing the occupants of the room's attention to her.
"I've never heard my mother's voice before," she said, a small bitter smile marring her face as her haunted eyes continued staring up into space. "My biological mother, I mean. She had such a pretty voice, yet, the only thing I can remember of her are her screams as she begged Voldemort not to kill me and my sister..." the brunet trailed off, as a thick silence settled across the inhabitants of the room. Diana, Neville and Lupin's eyes were stuck on Heidi, each wearing grim and sorrowful expressions while Hermione's gaze was glued to the floor, her face blank. And suddenly Heidi's eyes lifted from the ground to bore into Lupin's sad ones with a fierce determination. "I don't want them coming near me again! So, if you know a spell that keeps them away, I'm begging you to teach it to me!"
A variety of feelings crossed Lupin's expression as those emerald orbs continued boring unyieldingly into his gray one: Nostalgia, sadness, sorrow, pity, shame and finally, resignation. The old man slowly nodded his head as he murmured a soft: "Alright," as a response.
The kids were out of Lupin's office as soon as he'd picked a date when their Anti-Dementor lessons would begin, and Hermione waited up until they were half way from the Great Hall before she finally snapped.
"That was cheep!" She pulled on Heidi's hand and spun the brunet around to face her. "When you said you had a way of convincing Professor Lupin to help us, I thought it would be something low, but this was beyond what I had come to expect of you!" Hermione made sure to glare at the brunet with as much resentment and displeasure as she could muster. She'd known since first year that her friend wasn't above playing on other peoples' emotions or spinning a situation to her advantage, and she might have forgiven her for most of them, since they didn't cross a certain line. But this time, Hermione felt that her friend had crossed the line, and she was not willing to let her go unscratched. "You had no right to use your dead parents' name like that!"
"Hermione, she wasn't bluffing back then!" Diana snapped looking outraged.
"Like I'd believe she'd waste such a perfect excuse to blackmail Lupin into teaching us a spell we're probably not supposed to know!" Hermione snapped right back at the red-haired. Diana stared in utter shock at the girl, while Neville shock his head disapprovingly at her.
"For fuck's sakes Hermione, how evil do you think I am?" Heidi hissed through gritted teeth. Hermione turned her disapproving look at her old friend, but when her gaze landed on those emerald orbs and they saw the loathing and betrayal in them, which was directed at her, that's when Hermione started having second thought about her reasoning.
"When those Dementors came near me the first thing I heard was him, calling my name, like he did when I first saw him in first year," Heidi started recounting while glaring at her old friend as if daring her to dismiss the words she was saying as a lie. "He told me I was alone," her voice took on a hallow, sarcastic tone as her eyes fell on the floor and a bitter smile crossed her lips. "And that no one would save me from him like they couldn't save her." The smile slipped off her face as her gaze became distant and her eyes started watering slightly. "Then the screaming came. I've never heard her voice before, but I knew who she was! I knew because she kept screaming my name, and that of my sister's -" the brunet broke off, crouching down on her knees as her hands rushed to cover her face and for a horrible moment, Hermione was stuck staring at a scene she never thought she'd see in her wildest dreams happening: Heidi, her uptight, stubborn and, sometimes, a little too emotionally detached friend, crying. The brunet was furiously shaking her head as she stubbornly wiped at her eyes and slapped her face a couple of time all the while taking big gasps of air and exhaling slowly as she shrugged Neville's hand from her shoulder.
"I'm sorry!" Hermione was quick to fall to her knees beside her and apologize repeatedly, feeling nothing less than miserable at the moment. This was her fault! She couldn't believe how stupidly dis-considered she'd been. "I am so sorry! I don't know what went through my mind! I honestly didn't mean to-"
Heidi's hands took a firm grip of Hermione's shoulders, and she pulled her forward, bringing her face just inches away from her own.
"Yes, I used my mother's memory to convince Lupin to teach me how to fend off the Dementors," Heidi confessed, something wiled and disturbing flooded her eyes as her lips twitched into a sinister smile. "But I only said it because it was the truth!" her gaze turned to pure loathing as she carried on, her voice growing in intensity with every word that come out of her mouth. "I hate that feeling! I hate felling week! And I will crush anything that makes me feel that way again! Do you understand me?" Heidi hissed in a smooth menacing voice as she roughly dug her nails into her terrified friend's shoulders. Hermione nodded mutely, scared to utter a single word as she cowered before her friend's angry glare.
"Heidi, that's enough!" Diana snapped as she yanked Hermione from Heidi's grip. "You're scaring her! You're scaring me," the red-haired added in a small voice.
"I know the feeling," Neville told Heidi as he crouched down beside her. Hermione and Diana were standing a few strides away, Hermione having still not recovered from her shock. Heidi turned her hate-filled glare on Neville, and while the blond did flinch visibly, he refused to back down.
"When the Dementors… I first saw the Dementors, on the Hogwarts express, and the first think I hear was a scream. I didn't know whose it was, but it belonged to a woman. And there was another one, laughing in the background. I haven't been able to block it out of my mind ever since. They always keep coming back, the two voices; one screaming and the other laughing hysterically, mirthfully, like she was enjoying the sound of the other woman's screams... I don't know when I started associating it with my mom's, or maybe I knew it was hers all along and didn't want to admit it to myself, but I've been trying to block it out, but they never go away. And sometimes they wake me up at night." Neville looked pained as he finished his sentence, his small, glittering eyes landing on Heidi's sad emerald ones. A small smile crept on his lips as he continued: "But then I remember you girls, and Ginny. I remember that I'm not alone, and it helps me sleep better." His hand landed softly on Heidi's shaking one, as his smile widened. "We'll get through this," he said reassuringly. "We'll get through this together."
Heidi nodded mutely as her features softened and her head came to rest against Neville's shoulder. "I'm feeling a little sick," she said, whining like a little brat.
Neville laughed humorously and asked: "Do you want me to drag you to the Great Hall?"
"The Hospital Wing would be better," Heidi murmured softly and closed her eyes.
"The Hospital Wing?" Neville asked concerned.
"Heidi, are you alright?" Diana and Hermione came to stand beside Neville and the red-haired softly placed her hand on her sister's forehead. "She's burning up!" Diana cried worried.
"Let's take her to Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione advised and Neville nodded mutely as he hoisted the brunet up on his back, and the trio hurriedly made their way to the Hospital Wing.
Madam Pomfrey wasn't pleased.
She declared them all a pile of walking disaster and sent the healthier three down to lunch before they fell off their feet due to malnourishment. And when Heidi woke up, she was subjected to another one of the nurse's long rants about her condition.
"Apparently our treatment is working," the nurse began. "Which isn't exactly good news for you miss Potter, since that means that the withdrawal symptoms will start hitting you soon."
"Symptoms?" Heidi asked worriedly. "You mean there'll be more?"
"Yes, you've had it easy up until now, only a few muscle pains here and there, and your eyesight became blurry when you overexert yourself, but that was the easy part. Wait till the anxiety streaks kick in. Add to that a few weeks of swelling, tremors, insomnia and vomiting and you'll be all prepped up for recovery. You're really lucky there's only a week left till winter break so we can say that you caught a slight flue if you aren't feeling up to going to classes by the time school start."
"Am…the anxiety streaks might have already started," Heidi admitted in a small, cautious voice.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Madam Pomfrey asked sharply, staring the girl down.
"Well, I did go all psycho on Hermione today," Heidi admitted, while giving the nurse a wary look. "But it was totally her fault for calling me a liar!" she defended, though it did nothing to placate the already upset nurse.
"And here I was thinking you can make it through the semester without drawing attention to yourself," the nurse sighed in dismay.
"But I can!" Heidi was quick to reassure. "I've taken all my end of term exams and the only things left for this week are just a few classes where Hermione and the others will have my back, and the result for the test! There's nothing major going on this week, it'll slip by unnoticed and I'll be on your head 24/7 come winter's break!" Heidi flashed the nurse a much too confident smile, which didn't help to alleviate Pomfrey's worry one bit.
-OOOOOOO-
It was a horrible week! But Heidi somehow managed to pull through it. Though she honestly thought she might have died and gone to hell when the results to the exams for the end of semester came around. She'd gotten 8 straight Os, but an Exceeds Expectation for Charms and Arithmancy was just intolerable! She was secretly glad that Hermione'd gotten an Acceptable in Divination (which had devastated the poor girl), but then again, the brunet had and unnerving number of 11 straight Os compared to her (which made her top of the class, no questions asked).
Neville and Diana were very much pleased with the fact that they'd ended the semester without failing any subject (though Neville came dangerously close to failing Potions), and were quite pleased with their academic status. Diana had 3 Os in DADA, Charms and Care of MC; 3 Es for Transfiguration, Herbology, Astronomy and 2 As for Potion and History. Neville had 1 O from Herbology, 3 As for Potions, Divination and History of Magic, and 4 Es for Astronomy, Transfiguration, DADA and Charms.
"I still can't believe that I've outscored you in Charms!" Diana giggled excited. One of her life long dreams was to get one over on her too perfect sister (which she loved dearly, but still…). "It must have taken the mother of all misfortunes cursing you to get an E in anything?"
"Diana, you've always outscored us in Charms," Hermione reminded while shooting the red-haired a disapproving look. "You've even outscored me! We might have the same grade in out catalogue sheets, but you've scored 124 points while I only have 104."
"I did?" Diana asked while beaming delighted at her friends and snuggling over to take a closer look at her test results. "Oh my gosh! I did outscore you!"
"Yep, Charms is your subject," Hermione agreed as she flashed her over-excited friend a polite smile, before turning her head to study her other friend who'd yet to give a snarky comeback to her uber-hipped sister. Heidi had a bitter scowl on her face as she continued to gaze at the exam sheet in her hands, probably thinking that if she'd glare hard enough the two Es would be intimidated into turning to Os. It worried Hermione somewhat that Heidi was taking these results so personal. Frankly, if you asked her, the brunet had done remarkably well considering the state she was in; but, at the same time, Hermione couldn't help but think that this was a valuable lesson that Heidi needed to learn. She should really stop being such a sore looser! Though, looking at her own result sheets and seeing the dreadful A among the list of straight Os made Hermione's heart twitch painfully, so she couldn't actually blame her friend for feeling so down; not when she wasn't that much better of herself.
"Girls," Neville called out to them drawing their attention. "I have an announcement to make," the boy said beaming with joy. The three girls stopped in their tracks and looked expectantly at Neville. The boy fumbled on his feet and lowered his eyes to the ground looking extremely embarrassed, but all the while, the proud smile that he'd been wearing all day since they got their results never left his face as he proceeded to tell them that: "Professor Sprout has agreed to take me on as her personal apprentice!" Hermione and Heidi beamed at him while Diana looked very much confused, so Neville tried to explain. "Well, it means that…am…"
"It means," Hermione turned to Diana and patiently began explaining, "that when he finishes Hogwarts aside for his NEWTS for Herbology he'll take an extra tougher exam which will give him a much higher qualification then the rest of us in the subject! It's practically the equivalent of a Muggle's Doctorate Degree! And if he aces it, he'll be qualified to go on and do research in the field, not to mention the fact that he'll get a teaching certificate at the end. Oh, Neville, I'm so proud of you!" Hermione beamed and hugged the boy, who turned red in the matter of seconds.
"Thank you," Neville responded shyly as Heidi hugged him as well. Diana was quick to congratulate him.
"Then how bout we celebrate by going down to Hagrid's and finding a way pass those troublesome Dementors! Neville deserves to be taken on a trip to Hogsmeade!" the two know-it-alls were quick to agree, and Neville couldn't have looked happier. Though, apparently he could, because, in the next moment, Ginny Weasley rounded the corner and flashed the group a wide grin, which made Neville stumble slightly on his feet and flash her a brilliant smile.
"Neville!" she greeted enthusiastically and waved good-spiritedly at the girls. "Could I talk to you for a second?"
The girls hurriedly made a quick getaway.
"Oh, my, I think I forgot to return a book to the library," Hermione said and linked arms with Diana and Heidi.
"Hermione, that is soooo irresponsible of you," Diana chastised.
"Yes, you must return it immediately," Heidi agreed. "We'll tag along to make sure you don't lose yourself in this monstrous castle."
"Or in that monstrous book," Diana added. "We'll see you later Neville!" The three waved and were off sprinting for the Marble stairway.
Neville barely managed to splutter a fable "Yeah, see you," to his departing friends, as his gaze was still glued to Ginny's bright brown eyes, her wide heart-full grin, her cute little nose and flaming red hair-
"Neville!" Ginny suddenly snapped at him, giving him a peculiar look.
"Yes?" Neville asked coming out of his daze.
"You were spacing out," Ginny remarked and raised her brow questioning him silently.
Neville flushed and struggled to find a plausible excuse for his predicament (aside from the obvious).
"Well, I… am… I managed to get my apprenticeship with professor Sprout!" he told her excited.
"You did?" Ginny asked thrilled. "Oh, my god Neville, I'm so proud of you!" and she hugged him. And Neville's heart stopped beating right then and there.
He suddenly felt lighthearted, like he was going to fall off his feet and the only thing sustaining him was Ginny's arms wrapped around his shoulders, her weight pressing firmly against his, and, god how badly he wanted to return the hug. But, unfortunately, before he could snap out of his stupor, she suddenly pulled away, leaving him there, stuck in a moment of missed opportunity with his hands outstretched towards something that was already out of his reach.
Ginny smiled.
"I really hope this works out for you," she said honestly.
"Thank you," Neville responded slightly out-winded as he felt his heart prompted back into motion and his hands landed silently by his side. "I hope Quidditch works out for you. Not because of the money!" he was quick to assure. "But, because…well, it's want you want. Right?"
"Yeah," she nodded her head lightly as her smile wavered somewhat. "Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. You know the Quidditch match with Hufflepuff was rescheduled?" Neville nodded prompting her to continue. "Well, they've rescheduled it for the first week after winter break's over, and, am… Well, Wood's finally willing to accept me as part of the team."
"He ruddy well should!" Neville said sounding indignant. "After all the spectacular dodges and that brilliant goal, he'd be a fool not to take you serious!"
"Yeah, well, he said I'd make a great Chaser," Ginny said while rolling her eyes. "As if I didn't know that! But the slot for Chasers' already full and I'm the best Seeker they could find, which oddly enough isn't a compliment." She made an annoyed face (which Neville had learned to associate with Wood in the few months he'd spent with her), and then shrugged the matter off.
"But anyway, Wood's gonna be training me till I drop dead from exhaustion in the next couple of weeks, and, well, I'll admit I'm kind of intimidated by that," she flinched suddenly not looking like her usual confident self. "So…I was hoping that…well, that is if you don't mind…maybe, you could… well…"
"Yes?" Neville asked curiously.
"Ugh," Ginny gave a frustrated sigh and took a large intake of breath before setting her firry gaze on Neville and speaking: "Could you-" then she changed her mind again and finally spoke in a soft, pleading voice. "Would you come and watch me practice? I mean, not that I'm scared of Wood and stuff." She tried to assure looking anything but confident. "Well, maybe just a little. But-"
"Of course!" Neville said at once. He gently took her hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly. "Even if it's the worse thunderstorm outside, I'll still be in the stands cheering for you at the top of my lungs!"
Ginny's features softened into a smile as her hand closed softly around his and she whispered an honest "Thank you" to the boy.
-OOOOOOO-
On the very last Friday before term, it was announced that there would be another Hogsmeade weekend much to everyone's delight except for the quartet.
"It's not fair!" Diana whined that afternoon as the quartet and Luna were down by Hagrid's Hut and enjoying a, what was until now, pleasant chat with the Giant. "Black is not after us, so they have no legit reason to keep us out of Hogsmeade!"
"That might be so," Hermione agreed wholeheartedly. "But Dumbledore doesn't know that!" she tried to make her stubborn red-haired friend understand for what seemed like the thousand time.
"Who cares what Dumbledore thinks!" the red-haired whined as a chorus response of "I do," came from the assembled crowd. "We can get pass the Dementors without his help if we manage to find some way out of the school by using the Marauders Map!" she exclaimed and looked desperate at the piece of parchment which was neatly spread on Hagrid's wooden floor.
"Ya kno' Diana," Hagrid began as he leaned over slightly from his chair to get a better glimpse at her. "Dumbledor'll understand if you go to him and explain the matter with Black. I'm sure he'll lend a helping hand. Maybe he'll even help yas with tracking down Pettigrew-"
"Forget it Hagrid," Heidi promptly interrupted him. "It's because we saw Pettigrew on the Map that we can be sure Sirius is innocent. Without proof, even if he does believe us, Dumbledore will be powerless to help us. He might even feel obligated to hand Black over to the authorities."
"Heidi has a point there," Sirius said as he morphed back into his human form. "Dumbledore has no reason to trust me."
"I've got no reason ter trust ya!" Hagrid was quick to assert earning himself a glare from Diana and a frustrated sigh from the other members of the quartet. Luna still looked very much unfazed as she continued to chew on one of Hagrid's rock cookies.
"And yet, you still chose to keep me under your wing, safe from the Dementors that are out for my bones. I am very grateful to you," Sirius said honestly.
"I'm only doin' it for the girls' sakes," Hagrid assured.
"You have my thanks nonetheless," Sirius said. Hagrid glared at him once and turned his eyes away, opting to ignore his very existence, something he'd been doing quite a lot lately (mainly, since he'd found out that Fluffy was in fact Sirius Black).
Diana gave Hagrid a disapproving glance and turned towards Black to whisper: "How do you endure that everyday?"
"I usually keep my conversations with him short and to the point," Sirius said. "And if I get lonely, I bark at Fang and the two of us go hunting for trouble. And," Sirius leaned in to whisper conspiratorially in Diana's ear. "There's a secret passageway into Hogsmeade that will lead you right underneath the Dementors' noses."
Diana's head peaked up with interest as a mischievous glee lit her eyes. "Tell me more!" she pressed.
"How bout I take you kids there tomorrow?" Sirius suggested flashing her a shark like grin.
Diana nodded, grinning like a child on Christmas day.
"What are you's two whispering about?" Hagrid called from his seat over at the table, and fixed the two with a suspicious glare.
"Nothing," Sirius and Diana responded in unison and tried to look like two innocent little angels, but managed a scary impersonation of Fred and George when they were cooking up a new prank with dire consequences.
On the way back from Hagrid's hut, Diana informed her sister, Hermione, Neville and Luna of Sirius's promise to help them get into Hogsmeade tomorrow, which delighted the kids.
"What do you say Luna," Diana asked looking expectant at the girl. "What to come with us?"
Luna's head turned lightly towards her, and with the same indifferent smile on her face she said: "I'm not a third year."
"True," Diana nodded. "But we're not allowed to go either."
"I suppose so," Luna nodded and remained silent for a moment.
"Diana, we'll get Luna in a lot of trouble if we get caught," Hermione warned, glaring at them disapprovingly.
"Oh, don't be like that Hermione! It'll be fun!" Neville assured. "There's so much to see in Hogsmead! So many amazing shops, fun houses and urban legends! I hear the Shrieking Shack is quite menacing and The Three Broomsticks have the best butter bear in the world, and Zonkos is filled with amazing things!" he gushed as an excited expression surfaced on his face.
"And maybe we'll manage to build a map of Hogsmeade similar to the Marauders' Map," Heidi whispered beguilingly in the brunet's ear.
"You know that argument's already won me over, it's so unfair of you to rub it in!" Hermione said while giving her friend a disapproving glare.
"Aw! I didn't mean to upset you," Heidi assured as she grabbed a hold of Hermione's arm and gave the brunet a light peak on the cheek.
"You so did," Hermione accused.
"That does sound nice," Luna said monotonously, smiling lightly.
"So, you'll go?" Diana asked.
"Yes. I'd very much like to."
"Wonderful!" Diana squealed as she threw herself at the blond and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug. "I can't wait till tomorrow!" the red-haired said excited.
-OOOOOOO-
Waiting for tomorrow turned out to be a harder task then expected what with the kids being unable to close an eye during the night due to their excitement. The five kids awoke early that morning and made their way down to the Dining Hall around seven sharp. There were only three teachers present and a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Luna sat down with the quartet at the Gryffindor's table and the five began eating slowly.
"So," Diana started speaking as she took a piece of bread and began spreading jam all over it. "B. said that Hagrid will be heading out to Hogsmeade himself around 10."
"Yes," Heidi nodded. "The teachers usually wait an hour till they head out themselves. And it's the last day of term, so we can expect Hogsmeade to be crowded with them."
"We have to be carful that we're not seen," Hermione said.
"It will be difficult for anyone to spot us in the crowd," Luna said.
"Though we are a large group," Neville added.
"You might be," Heidi agreed. "I'm going off to meat Diggory and Hermione's arranged herself a date with Ron," the brunet informed them.
Diana gave her sister a peculiar glance. "I've made up with Diggory?"
"Not yet I haven't," Heidi told them.
"Well, I hope it works out," Diana said. "Which reminds me," the red-haired turned to give her sister a quizzed look. "Why did we sign the forms to spend Christmas here?" The two know-it-alls tensed immediately at the question. "I know that Neville is staying for Ginny, but the rest of us? Why can't we go home like Luna? I mean, it's not like Neville won't benefit from our absence. It would be the perfect excuse to hang out with Ginny all day!" she turned to wink mischievously at Neville, and the poor boy turned redder then an apple.
"It's not like you'd be inconveniencing me either," Neville assured them.
"We're staying for the Hogsmeade Map," Heidi said matter-of-factly.
"Yes," Hermione agreed.
"Minimal amount of teachers, no classes, no exams or homework to worry about," Heidi began listing. "Maybe we can even try sneaking into the Restricted Section and search for some of those books we need for our FCNP project!"
Diana's head shot up at hearing that. "Oh, my god Neville, I'm so sorry, I forgot all about your parents! I'm a horrible friend!"
"No, it's alright!" Neville was quick to assure. "We've all been busy with school, but we'll have enough time to research come winter break."
Luna quirked an eyebrow at the FCNP project, but decided it best not to probe, thinking it was a delicate subject, as Neville was incredibly eager to change the topic.
Despite being among the first at breakfast, they were among the last to leave at half past nine, and the five wasted another hour standing on the stairway with Mister Filch and letting themselves be guided from one place to another up until they saw Hagrid's dot leave the castle grounds.
"That's our cue!" Heidi said.
"Your cue for what?" Filch asked looking suspicious.
"We're going to visit Fluffy!" Diana said excited. Filch looked anything but pleased, so Diana had to waste another ten minutes complaining to him about the injustice of not being able to go to Hogsmeade, and how her godfather was innocent and-
"You can go," Filch finally said resigned. "Go on, bugger off, before I change my mind!"
And the kids were off!
They met Fluffy at the entrance to the Great Hall, and carefully made their way to the third floor corridor while double checking the Map to make sure they wouldn't run into any trouble. Fluffy stopped in front of the statue of the one-eyed witch, and patiently waited for Diana to make her way towards him.
"Is this it?" The red-haired asked while peering curiously at the statue. Fluffy nodded and wagged its tail impatiently. "Okay," Diana gave a light nod of understanding and quickly pulled out her wand, tapped it against the witch's hump and whispered the words Sirius had told her a few minutes ago: "Dissendium."
At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. The kids shared triumphant grins as Fluffy jumped head first into the hole, followed by Neville, Luna, Diana, Hermione and finally Heidi. The group slid a considerable few feet down before finally landing on cold earth. Fluffy finally changed back into human form.
"Anyone got a light?" Sirius asked and in the next moment, he was hit with five pairs of beaming light coming from the wands of each of the kids.
"Wow," Neville muttered as he gazed enthralled at the narrow passageway which appeared to lead on a few miles.
"Shall we go, then?" Sirius asked as he started to make his way down the tunnel, with Diana following dutifully behind him. The rest of the kids snapped out of their stupor and followed suit.
It took them ages, a few unpleasant turns and a few stumbles on the uneven ground but they finally reached the foot of some worn stone steps. Sirius assured them that it wouldn't be long now, but after the two-hundred step, the kids were beginning to think he was pulling their leg, up until they heard a loud bang and Sirius' moan of pain.
"You alright?" asked Diana as Sirius grabbed a hold of her and stopped her from heading any further.
"Yes, and I'm proud to say we've reached our destination," Sirius announced grinning while massaging his sour head. "You'll have to be carful how you exit, since this passageway leads right underneath Honeydukes, and you don't want to be seen by the owner coming out of his cellar."
"No worries there," Heidi assured. "I've brought the cloak."
"You think all five of us can hide under that?" Diana asked skeptically.
Heidi glared at her. "We'll take it in turns," she informed her sister. "You, Luna and Fluffy can go first. Fluffy will guide you out, and then he'll come back with the cloak. Then it'll be Hermione and Neville's turn and then Fluffy and I will come last."
Diana looked extremely embarrassed as she took the cloak from her sister and pulled it over Luna, Fluffy (who'd regressed back to his dog form) and her own head. The two girls silently opened the trap door and, with the help of Fluffy, made their way out of the cellar, pass the counter and straight out the door of the crowded place. They snuck around the back and waited for the rest of their comrades to make their way out, and after Heidi and Fluffy finally emerged, the kids started giggling excitedly as Fluffy wags its tail merrily.
"We're here!" Neville cheered and Hermione was quick to cover his mouth and try to shush him.
"Yes, we're here," she grinned energized and the kids alongside Fluffy made their way out on the street.
For a full hour, the five did nothing but wonder around, looking amazed at the packed streets, buzzing with noise and excitement as students and adults hurried about, entering what looked like a never-ending assemble of shops which were all cloaked in a healthy dose of fluff, courtesy of the snow which had started pouring down since this morning. The kids felt like they were inside a Christmas card and Diana wondered if the north pool looked something like this.
"The people at the north pool live in igloos," Hermione said. "Though I do think there are a few towns around there as well."
"The place does look like it might be Santa Claus's hometown though," Diana said giggling, and the other kids nodded their agreement. "So, where to?" the red-haired asked.
"Oh no! Ron!" Hermione exclaimed looking worried. "I told him I'd meet him at The Three Broomsticks! Wherever that is…"
Fluffy barked to grab her attention and pointed towards a street that turned left.
"And I said I'd meet Cedric at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. We passed by it along the way."
"And why didn't you stop there?" Neville asked.
"Cedric wasn't there yet, and I'm not gonna sit around and wait for him like a lost puppy!" Heidi said huffy indignantly.
"Merlin help the bastard who gets on your bad side sis," Diana said and shuck her head.
"Well, we can drop off Hermione at the Three Broom Sticks, since Fluffy knows the way, and then we can make our way around the town and visit all the shops," Neville suggested.
"And I'll be leaving you here," Heidi said. "We'll regroup at Honeydukes in a couple of hours."
"Sounds good," Diana agreed.
"Is there any place you'd like to go Luna?" Neville asked.
Luna thought about it for a second and finally said: "I'd like to see the owls."
"Then the Post Office it is!" Neville exclaimed, and after waving good bye to Heidi, the four kids, guided by Fluffy, made their way down the road and took a left turn and were out of sight.
"Finally," Heidi thought and ran off down the street at a brisk pace. She was late, but she wasn't quite sure for what. And now that she thought about it, she didn't quite remember talking to Diggoy at all in the last few weeks (she'd been dead set on avoiding him), let alone agreeing to go on a date with him. How odd…
And she suddenly felt dizzy. Her eyes began to feel so heavy, and, despite the flaks of snow which were gently landing on her face she suddenly felt warm and sleepy. She closed her eyes. Would it really upset anyone if she lay here to rest for a couple of minutes?
-OOOOOOO-
The kids dropped off Hermione at the Three Broomsticks, and, as per Luna's request, they retraced their steps back towards Honeydukes, since the Post Office was somewhere down the road.
Hermione was left to impatiently wait for Ron, who, despite having visited Hogsmeade before, and despite having a full three hours head start, had failed to arrive.
Maybe he decided to visit a shop along the way? Hermione thought and checked her watch. It was nearly 12 a clock. He was late. No, actually, she was late! Maybe Ron had grown tired of waiting for her in this blizzard and had gone inside? She peaked through the window of the pub and tried to see if she could spot Ron anywhere inside, but the place was packed, so it was impossible to discern more then a few nearby faces.
"Granger? Is that you?" a familiar voice called out to her, unfortunately for Hermione, it wasn't Ron's voice. It was Draco Malfoy's. She didn't have to turn around and see his face, she knew it was him.
"It is you!" Draco jeered delighted as Hermione felt a chill run up her spine, like a Dementor had just snuck up on her. "Well, well, this is a surprise," the blond said. "Especially since, last I've heard, you're not allowed to visit Hogsmeade. Are your little friends hiding somewhere around here as well?"
Hermione panicked, hearing that the little devil knew of her infringement, and decide to deal with this in the stealthiest manner she could think of: Ignore him, turn around and walk away at a brisk pace straight towards the first road that turned out of sight.
For all the good that did her, since Malfoy caught up with her in an instant, slipped his right arm around her shoulder and guided her back towards the center of the street.
"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" the blond whispered tauntingly in her ear, making Hermione jump slightly. "You've barely just got here! It'd be a shame to waste the effort you put in to get past those Dementors if you leave now."
"Let go of me!" Hermione cried, and Draco's arm around her neck tightened.
"Calm down! You don't want to attract unwanted attention to yourself, right?" Draco hissed threateningly in her ear. "Oh, look, there's McGonagall!" the blond gleefully pointed out to a group of people which were walking down the streets a few steps away from them.
Hermione's felt like a giant truck had run her over and failed to kill her, so she was left lying there to endure the pain as her life slowly drained away from her. McGonagall was walking down the right side of the road which meant she was in full view of her head of house. The elder witch was immerse in a deep conversation with someone who Hermione recognized as the Minister of Magic, Professor Flitwich and Hagrid of all people, so she probably had failed to notice her, but if she turned her head even for a second, there was no way she'd miss her.
"Do you want me to call them over?" Draco asked cruelly. Hermione didn't answer, her eyes glared at her Head of House, and wildly scanner the place for a quick getaway, until they finally landed on Draco Malfoy's smug face.
"You're really that scared of that woman?" Draco said looking very much amused, but Hermione couldn't quite process what he was saying. Her head kept wandering back and forth from her Head of House to Malfoy's.
"Let me go," Hermione pleaded looking desperate at the Malfoy heir. McGonagall was getting close and she had to leave! She couldn't let herself be seen!
Draco's smile widened. "Merlin Granger, for a Gryffindor you're a real scardy cat aren't you?"
"Malfoy, let me go!" Hermione said again, trying to shake his hand off her shoulder, but the blonde's grip on her tightened.
"Will you relax," Draco said, the smile slipping of his face. But Hermione couldn't relax, because McGonagall had almost reached them, and apparently she'd lost interest in the conversation, since she'd turned her head around and her eyes were scanning the crowd.
"Malfoy, please let me go!" Hermione pleaded and tried to run pass him, but Draco spun her around, so that her back was facing McGonagall and pulled her into his embrace, hiding her head between his shoulder blade.
"Will you relax!" he whispered firmly in her ear. "If you run away now you'll only attract attention to yourself! She'll spot you in an instant!"
Hermione instinctively put her hands around the boy's shoulders and tried to even her breathing, but her breath hitched in her trout as she realized who exactly it was the she was hugging and she was just about to pull way when she heard McGonagall's voice from somewhere right beside her. She choked, burying her head into Draco's shoulders and tightening her hold on him. Her heart beat wildly as she closely listened to the sound of McGonagall's voice fading in the crowd as she complain about Dementors patrolling Hogsmeade after dark, till the woman became lost in the stream of undistinguished voices. She tentatively lifted her head up to see McGonagall and her group enter the Three Broomsticks, and sighed in relief. She was safe.
"I didn't know you were so clingy," Draco whispered breathless in her ear. Hermione turned to face him and immediately, her face flushed red as she saw just how close to the boy she was standing. She tried to pull away, but Draco's grip on her tightened. "Leaving without paying your due? Because that's twice I've spared you from expulsion now and I've yet to receive a reward for my trouble."
Hermione glared at him confused for a while, and then she remembered the time he'd caught her sneaking in the dungeons. "You had nothing on me that time!" Hermione said confidently. "In fact, I was the one who could have accused you of kidnapping," she said firmly.
"Are we forgetting about Goyle?" Malfoy chided, giving her a disapproving look.
"You'd have to prove that one first," Hermione bit back sharply.
"Well, I doubt I have to prove anything this time," Malfoy told her, and Hermione instantly tensed. "Or if I do, I could just drag you to the Three Broomsticks and show you to McGonagall. I'm sure she'll believe me when I tell her that you snuck in Hogsmeade illegally."
Okay, this was a big mess she was in, and Hermione's brain failed to concoct a coherent plan on how to get out of it. Draco had her trapped, he had a firm grip on her hands, McGonagall was nearby, and her wand was in the inner pocked of her coat. This was not looking good for her. And she knew that Malfoy was evil enough to turn her in - Wait…
"Why did you protect me?" Hermione asked labeling the blond with a confused look.
"Excuse me?" Draco asked, seemingly not having understood her.
"Earlier," Hermione explained. "You hid me from McGonagall when you could have just as easily turned me in. Why did you do that?"
Draco stared at her, a completely black expression marring his features. That was a legit question. Why hadn't he turned her in? Why had he protected her?
"I…"
He failed to formulate an answer to that question. Even in his own mind there was no plausible reason he could think of. The only coherent thought he could come up with as he gazed upon those russet orbs, those pink flushed cheeks and those cherry red lips was: Why shouldn't I? And indeed, why should he turn her in? Why couldn't he protect her?
Hermione felt her face light up as Draco's intense gaze stared unyielding at her. The gleam in his eyes reminiscent of the look he'd given her in the Slytherin common room made her feel slightly lighthearted and she staggered, leaning into him for support.
Draco automatically pulled his arms around her. There was a voice in the back of his mind which kept scratching at him and telling him there was a good reason why he shouldn't protect the girl, but for the life of him she couldn't remember what it was. His thoughts blanked as he let his head lean gently forward, feeling her warm breathing land softly on his skin.
Hermione's cheeks flushed even harder when his nose gently landed on hers, his warm breath tickling her face. Was he going to-
"Get your hands off her!" A voice hissed menacingly as a wand dug painfully into Draco's back.
Draco stiffened as Hermione hastily pulled away from him and stared horrified at Ron Weasley, who was glaring bloody murder at the back of Draco's head.
"Ronal, it's not what you think," Hermione was quick to say.
"You mean this bloody twat was not molesting you up until now?" Ron asked looking furious.
"Oh…Okay, it is what you think," Hermione conceded. "But it's not something worth a lifetime in Azkaban for!" she hasted in saying as she saw Ron dig his wand further in Malfoy's back, a curs at the tip of his tongue.
"Oh, bugger off, will you Weasley," Draco said and calmly distanced himself from Ron, but the other boy stubbornly trailed his wand at him. "Your girlfriend and I were having a pleasant conversation up until you interrupted us," Malfoy said cheekily, to spite him.
"I bet you were," Ron hissed and looked about ready to curse the blond into oblivion, but Hermione hurriedly stepped between them.
"Ron, he's not worth it!" she said and grabbed his wand arm.
"I most definitely am!" Draco said spitefully. "But I wonder if Granger is worth making a scene for? What with McGonagall being so close and all. I wonder what she'd do if she found her here?" Draco asked leveling them both with a cruel smile.
Both Ron and Hermione tensed as they stared worriedly into Draco's cold eyes.
"You wouldn't dare," Ron said.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Draco asked mockingly.
"Ron, let's get out of here!" Hermione implored as she grabbed a hold of his hand and dragged him towards the direction she thought Honesydukes was.
"So, you're not even gonna stay and fight for your girlfriends honor? You're pathetic Weasley," Malfoy said as he shot Ron a disapproving look.
"Ron, please!" Hermione's grip on Ron's hand tightened as she felt the other struggle to escape her grasp, and most likely lung himself at the blond. "McGonagall will expel me if she finds out I'm here," she hissed desperately in his ear. "Is that what you want?"
Ron took one look at her desperate face and his struggle ceased. He shuck his head lightly and put his arm around her.
"Come one," Hermione said as she too wrapped her arms around him and began guiding him away from the blond. She spun her head around once to see Draco glaring at her as if she was the lowest of scum, and swiftly averted her eyes from him and quickened her pace. For some reason his hate-filled gaze bothered her more than it should.
-OOOOOOO-
"It's nice to see you again my old friend," Heidi said as she leisurely made her way down the snow filled road towards a bench at the end of a pub where William Norbert, renowned for being one of the most gifted Medi-Wizards to have ever lived, the current patron of Saint Mungo's and respectful pureblood, was standing silently. He wore a black trench coat, with black woolly trousers and a black Flock Hat on top.
"Is this what you call a disguise? You're such an easy to pick target amidst all this white, my friend that I truly find myself wondering how you managed to come out of the war unscratched?" Heidi said, as she sat herself on the bench beside the man.
"Those were different times, My Lord," the man responded as he took off his hat and bowed his head respectfully.
"Ah, yes, the good old days," Heidi lamented. "Do you miss them? Or do you feel like you're better of now?"
"With all the filth coming into my hospital and expecting to be treated with the same respect as my own kind?" William asked sounding utterly disgusted. "No, my Lord, I still crave for the old days when, at the very least, I could purge the world of such scum through your guidance. I eagerly await your return to power and have faithfully fulfilled your demands these past few months."
"Oh, have you?" Heidi asked as she leveled the man with a hard glare. "Then, tell me, old friend, why have you failed to inform me of your progress in these past few months like I've instructed you to?" Her hand came to rest on his left arm, her fingers tracing it lightly, making the man hiss in pain as his skin boiled beneath his sleeves. "Don't toy with me William, old friend!" she hissed menacingly in his ear. "You're living quite the life, you've made a name for yourself, you're rich and respectful. Are you telling me that none of that has made your resolve for our cause wane in the slightest?"
"It has not, my Lord," William assured, and there was something about his voice and the fact that he was staring her straight in the eyes as he said so that made Heidi believe him. "I've failed to contact you, because, unfortunately, the old man is keeping tabs on your mail. Pardon me! I meant the girl's mail," William corrected himself. "An old friend - and still very much loyal servant of yours - who is part of the Board of Governors told me that the old man has requested that every mail in or out of the school be monitored. And I'm expecting the old man has taken it upon himself to personally check the mail of the Potter twins."
"And the Board of Governors allowed that?" Heidi asked looking slightly stiff.
"Well, with the threat of Black looming over their heads…"
"That old goat!" Heidi cursed.
"I beg your pardon my Lord, but my men have failed to locate Black as of yet, although they have managed to capture an old friend of ours," William informed her.
"You can cease your hunt for Black," Heidi told him. "He's no threat to me."
"Most certainly my Lord," William bowed his head obediently.
"Now, tell me about this friend of ours?"
"Yes, well. It happened one Tuesday, as I-"
"Don't attempt to flatter me with one of your fancy tales William, old friend," Heidi said sharply. "I've little time to waste on such nonsense!"
"Of course my Lord," William was quick to agree as he felt the skin on his left forearm burn hot, signaling his Lord's impatience. "Peter Pettigrew," William managed to say through gritted teeth, as he struggled to withhold a scream. And, like wonder, the pain from his arm suddenly vanished. "They caught Peter Pettigrew," the man said after he composed himself. "They'd installed some booby traps specifically for animagi, on a mere whim, since I told them to be fully prepared to capture Black, and instead of Black, they stumbled across Peter Pettigrew. The little vermin told us quite an interesting story, my Lord, he apparently knew about you, though, I do not know why, he mentioned the other Potter twin, the red-haired, not Madam Heidi."
"Oh, did he now?" Heidi asked looked very much intrigued. "I should like to see the memory," the brunet demanded.
"I beg your pardon?" William asked, not sure what was requested of him.
Heidi pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. "It will hurt less if you don't struggle," she said, a wicked gleam playing in her eyes.
"Oh," William managed, leveling her wand with a wary glare.
"You don't mind? Do you, old friend?" Heidi asked sweetly, though the sharp look on the young girl's face, and the cruel spark in those blood stained eyes assured William that the Dark Lord was feeling slightly vindictive with his incompetence seeing as, in the next second his Lord hissed "Legilimence," without any regard for his answer. The man spazzed, as he felt a presence in his mind, violently searching through his memories and tried his best to keep calm and not fight off the attack. Soon, his Lord had found what he came for and the presence retreated from his mind.
"Interesting," William heard his Lord murmur as he tried to regain his composure. The headache shouldn't last long, and he'd been wise enough to bring a couple of potions with him, having expected something of the sorts, if not something much crueler. But it seemed that the last thirteen years spent in retirement has softened the Dark Lord, so much so that he was starting to question whether his Lord was as competent a leader as he once was.
"What of the other matters I've assigned you?" his Lord demanded, forcing William out of his reverie.
"Yes, my Lord. I've located your wand. Dumbledore was quick to hand it off to the ministry, where it was catalogued as evidence in the Murder case of the Potters, and locked in the safe of crimes where you are believed to be the main perpetrator of. The case has been closed for year, and I'm certain most people have even forgotten it's there. It won't be a problem retrieving it," William assured in a calm diplomatic tone.
"You shall leave it where it is until I say otherwise," Heidi ordered.
"Of course my Lord," William was quick to assure. "As for the last matter which you've assigned me…" Heidi impatiently nodded for him to continue. "My dearest son and I traveled to Albania and worked our way through half the land already, searching for clues of this important Dark artifact that you lost. And we struck gold! As soon as we reached Kruje, we began picking up rumors of an ominous presence wondering the woods of Tirana Forest. My son and I have already started our search through the forest, and I can assure you, My Lord, I'm certain we have the right place. The wildlife is scattered far and in between, and most animal fear to approach a part of the woods near the lake. I estimate it shouldn't take us more then a few weeks to locate the artifact you so desire."
"I'm pleased to hear that, my friend," Heidi said smiling cruelly. "The moment you find the artifact I require, you are to contact me immediately!"
"Yes, of course," William nodded obediently.
"If that is all you have to report, I shall be taking my leave then," Heidi said as she rose to her feet. William hastily rose to his feet and bowed respectfully, and then patiently waited for his Lord to take a few steps before turning to make his way back to the main street.
"And William old friend," his Lord said, which caused William to swiftly turn around. "I didn't Crucio you because I doubted you'd have been able to withhold your screams as admirably as you have done in the past. Don't think it was kindness that swayed my hand from punishing you! And don't expect forgiveness if next we meet, you fail to deliver what I ask of you!"
The cruelness in those eyes, and the unmistakable threat in those words served to assure William that time had failed to soften his Lord's cold heart, and that he was a fool for thinking so to begin with. William respectfully bowed down on one kneed and then quickly made his getaway, eager to not tempt his Lord to change his mind and spare him the "kindness" he'd shown up until now.
-OOOOOOO-
"And those little ones on the left?" Luna asked looking enthusiastic.
"Those, are Burrowing Owl. They're the fastest ones around here, and are only used for Ministry emergencies, last I checked. They're not available to the general public unless you pay a solid fee for it," Neville said bashfully. For once in his life he felt immensely grateful to his uncle Algie for drilling in his head every boring detail about the Owls in the Post Office, since not even Diana, notorious animal lover that she was, knew much about the different species of owl which were buzzing around and flying chaotically al over the place.
Not that it mattered, since Diana had left quite a while ago with Black, apparently she had something important to talk to him, or that's the excuse she'd told him, while Luna and he had been abandoned in the vast, crowded and feather ridden emporium of owls, so he'd been left to entertain Luna all by himself. Not that he minded, since Luna was effectively distracted by all the different specimens of owls buzzing around, and for the first time in her life, the girl looked truly happy, or, better said, actually interested or impressed with something.
"They remind me of a Blibbering Humdinger," Luna said while turning to smile lightly at Neville.
"A what now?" Neville asked confused.
"A Blibbering Humdinger," Luna reiterated. "It's like a little winged fairy, except it's wings look just like those of an owl. Do you think we might find one here if we searched hard enough."
"We might," Neville said while trying to keep a straight face. The smile on Luna's face was so adorable that the boy truly didn't want to ruin this moment for her, even if he doubted that a whatever Hum-thing existed. "But I do think we've wasted enough time in one place as it is, Hogsmeade's got a lot more places we can visit, and the longer we stay in one place-"
"The easier it will be for our pursuers to catch us," Luna finished.
"Exactly," Neville nodded. "We'll return here on our next Hogsmeade weekend," the boy assured. "Or even next year, when we, hopefully, won't have to break any more laws to visit the place."
"So, you'll be done with your illicit affairs?" Luna asked curiously.
"Knowing my group, it's safe to say that: no, I won't be done, not by a long shot," Neville told her jokingly. "In fact, I think we got off pretty cheep this year. Nothing that would warrant our immediate expulsion, I don't think they'd expel us even if they catch us now."
"Probably not," Luna agreed. "Though we might get suspended."
"Been there, done that. And frankly, the only terrifying thing about it was spending the summer break with Granny, rather then the actual suspension itself," Neville said remembering last year, and shivering slightly.
Luna perked a curious brow at him as the two kids started making their way to the exit of the Post Office.
"Well, you remember the story about the Basilisk last year?" Neville asked, while trying to think of a way to explain the trail of events that led to their suspension. Luna nodded and patiently waited for Neville to elaborate, but the boy suddenly froze.
This was one of the stories Neville had not been comfortable sharing with anyone, not even his Granny. He'd been unable to talk to anyone about it, and if it hadn't been for Heidi explaining it to his Granny, he was sure the elder woman wouldn't have been able to pull a word out of his mouth. There were too many horrors in the tale, too many close calls for the boy's liking.
A soft hand on his wrist brought the boy out of his revelry, and before he'd known it, he found himself outside of the majestic columns of the Post Office, and onto the cold, snow covered streets of Hogsmeade, wandering about aimlessly with Luna by his side.
"You don't have to tell me," Luna said. "If it bothers you. You don't have to tell me."
Neville was slightly stunned by Luna's understanding nature. While he couldn't exactly call his friends vultures, the girls had quite the flare for meddling in one's private affairs, especially Heidi, when the girl felt it benefited her to know certain stuff, but Luna, she felt completely unobtrusive. And Neville was suddenly reminded that the girl was ostracized by her own house, she was probably too scared to impose on other people, fearing that he and the girls would be annoyed with her meddling. Just like he did the first time the girls had accepted him into his group.
"I'll tell you," Neville said suddenly looking determined at her. Just like the girls had opened their arms and hearts onto him, he thought it was about time he did the same. Granted, Diana had been the one to first pull Luna into the group, but she had so much on her plate right now that she wasn't giving Luna the attention she'd given him in second year, so Neville decided it fell onto him to help Luna feel like she truly belonged in the group.
"You really don't have to-" Luna said looking extremely uncomfortable. Her discomfort assured Neville that he was right, and that Luna truly was wary of what she said around them, probably fearing that she'd upset them. Something Neville had every intention in disproving.
"But I want to!" he assured her, hoping that his message came across, hoping that she understood that he truly wanted to be her friend, that he trusted her. "So, I will! I'll tell you, one of these days, when the wounds have sealed off somewhat."
The puzzled expression on Luna's face was alien to him. He'd gotten so used to seeing the indifferent look on her face that he'd somewhat mistaken her for a doll. He felt terrible for it, and he promised himself he'd never make that mistake again.
Luna smiled tentatively, warily, probably still unsure of what to make of his statement.
"I'm not trying to con you," he told her. "I just want to be friends."
"We can be friends even without you sharing your deepest, darkest secrets," Luna told him.
"I know," Neville assured. "But I want you to trust me. I want you to know that you can."
"I trust you!" Luna replied hastily, panic creeping into her voice. Then, as if suddenly noticing her slip, she lower her head to the ground and mumbled a feeble: "I think I do…"
"Well, I trust you," Neville assured. Luna's eyes suddenly snapped to him, confusion flooding her figure.
"You hardly know me," she said. "Isn't that a little…rash?"
"Maybe," Neville said after considering it for a second. "But it doesn't matter," he waved the issue off; "because I want to trust you! So I'll tell you."
He quite literary enjoyed the bewildered look on Luna's face, and even more so the shy, but genuine smile that spread on her visage as her cheeks became rosy and she lowered her head to the ground again. It only stayed there for a few moments, then her gaze lifted up to his again, a mixture of emotions marring her features, making her look so human, fragile and innocent, that it made Neville desperately want to protect the frail being in front of him.
"Then, I'll be waiting," Luna said at long last; "for when you're ready." And Neville smiled.
-OOOOOOO-
Diana was getting increasingly frustrated with seeing teachers everywhere she went, so she decided to head on over to the infamous Shrieking Shack so she could enjoy a quiet conversation with Sirius. There were just so many things that she wanted to know, about her parents, their friends, their life, the times they lived in. So many questions that had been bothering her ever since she found out that the Dursleys weren't her biological parents.
She loved Vernon and Petunia dearly, and she couldn't quite imagine what life without them and Dudley would be like… or, at the very least, she couldn't, because she never knew there was an alternative. But now she knew, had known for quite some time now, and it left her wondering… had her real parents loved her? Would she have been just as happy with them as she had been with Vernon and Petunia? Would the Potters and the Dursleys be close? Would she be as close to Dudley as she was now, or would they be living in the wizarding world, completely unaware of their Muggle relatives? Would she have been a better witch had she lived with her parents? Would she have had more boyfriends had she not had Dudley looming over her shoulder and always getting in the way? Or would she even care?
"Did they love me?" That was the first question that Diana asked Sirius once they finally arrived at the Shrieking Shack, an old little battered house that seemed like it was about to fall apart. Diana found the depressing scenery a prefect reflection of the way she was feeling inside. So many questions which had her very much confused. She needed answers, wanted them desperately.
"My parents, I mean" Diana clarified when Sirius gave her a baffled look. "Did they love me?"
"Oh, Lilly-flower, of course they did!" Sirius said reassuringly and gently placed his hands on her shoulder, looking her straight in the eye. "They loved you, and your sister, more than life itself! They gave their lives to protect you, because they loved you so much! Don't ever doubt that!"
Sirius seemed sincere, yet, she couldn't help but think that he might have give the exact same answer if the truth was another. Was he lying to her, or was he telling the truth? How could she know? She wasn't good at reading people; that was more Heidi's thing. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"Hey, hey, look at me Lilly-flower," Sirius was whispering soothingly as his hands wrapped around her face and her head was gently lifted upwards to look at him.
Diana was suddenly left wondering when she'd looked away.
"It's alright. Look at me! Your parents loved you!" Sirius said reassuringly as a gently hand brushed against her damp cheeks slowly wiping away a stray tear.
Was she crying?
"Do you hear me? They loved you!" Sirius stated once more with conviction. "There is noting in this world they loved more then you and your sister, and I'm sure they'd give anything to be here with you right now, but they can't!" The gaunt and warn expression on Sirius's face suddenly lost the youthful glimpse it had acquired in the past few months, and for a moment, he looked every bit like the man who'd spent twelve years of his life in the dreadful wizarding prison, a sad, broken and crumbling man. "I'm so sorry pup, but they can't! Because I couldn't protect them! I'm so sorry pup!"
Sirius crouched down on his knees; head bowed and shouldered sagged, his hands still digging into the soft material of her wool jacket. It made him look pitiable, which in turns made Diana forget about her own pain and make her concentrate on making him feel better instead.
"I don't think they'd like it very much if they saw us sad," she said taking a big breath and exhaling slowly. "So how bout we commemorate them instead?" Sirius looked up and nodded slowly, trying very hard to keep himself from reverting back to a pitiful mess. "How bout you tell me a story, from the happier times?"
Sirius laughed humorously, a bright spark suddenly lighting up his eyes. "Oh, I have plenty of those! Your father and I made quite a reputation for ourselves around the school in our student days. We were infamous pranksters-"
"Get down!" Diana suddenly shrieked, and before Sirius knew what was happening, the girl had pulled her wand out of her pocket and knocked him sideways and clear out of the way of a stunner which collided with the ground he'd been standing a few moments ago.
Sirius was quick to scramble to his feet and wildly look around, until his eyesight landed on two identical pairs of red-heads, who were eying him with increase dread but, also, firm determination.
"Don't think we'll let you lay a hand on her!" One of the twins said, face set.
"Yeah! Don't worry Diana; we're here to save you!" The other responded in-kind, as Diana looked anxiously between the two's raised wands and Sirius's defensive stance.
Her sister would have her head for this one, she was sure of it!
-OOOOOOO-
AN: I'm looking for a beta-reader (or more, depends on how many are wiling to help me with this little project), to help me correct the spelling mistakes throughout the story (this includes first and second year), because every time I write a new chapter, I usually revisit some of the old ones in order to reacquaint myself with the story, and I've been noticing a lot of spelling mistakes which really bugs me, so if anyone is willing to help in that department I will be very grateful. Whoever thinks himself up for the job, PM me and we'll take care of the details then. Thanks in advance to whoever is willing to help!
