I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, the thought of my sister and her friends being in the same place as Sirius Black honestly scared me. Even though, I knew Uncle Remus was there, that's nothing wrong to make sure Lexi, Harry, Ron and Hermione are safe.
Running outside castle grounds and nearing the Whimping willow, I could make out silhouettes reflected by the dim moonlight in the dark night. Clutching my wand tightly, I was not able to expect what I may face coming face to face to the current highly sought after murderer.
My heart hammered against my chest rapidly from the vigorous running I had not done after my last Quidditch practice but soon the fast beating turned to be the result of rising fear inside me.
Running closer, I could spot Harry helping a limping Ron to sit on a boulder with Sirius Black. My eyes widened.
Sirius Black.
The man I have been seeing wanted numerous times on the Daily Prophet. Right here in front of me, I could feel the fear within increasing. No signs of the murderer trying to kill Harry and weirdly conversing with him? What on earth is going on?
"Harry!" I shouted his name as I pointed my wand towards Sirius Black. "Get away from him!" I exclaimed with false bravado.
"Sam, what are you doing here?" Harry's face read confusion. I ignored it while I focused my wand on Black.
"Don't harm Harry!" I heard of Sirius Black's plan to come after Harry to kill him, finishing You know Who's task. It was repeated on every article on the Daily Prophet. Expecting a response, I was puzzled to see the mass murderer just standing in front of him, staring at me.
"Sis?" Lexi came from behind as she proceeded to take her place on the other side of Sirius Black.
"Lexi! What are you doing standing behind him? He's a flipping murderer!" I cried, everything was just so odd. Why are they standing calmly beside a murderer?
"No, Sam. It's all a misunderstanding. He's innocent!" Lexi responded. Is she for real?
"Innocent? He bewitched you, didn't he? Why are you two willingly standing beside him?" I retorted.
"No, we are not bewitched. Sirius is innocent, he's been framed! He's not a murderer." Harry added.
What the heck is going? Could my sister and Harry be saying the truth? Are they really not mind controlled? I lowered my wand slightly but still pointing towards Sirius Black as I saw him still staring at me strangely, with sympathetic eyes.
"Anna?" He spoke for the first time.
Anna?
Sirius Black knows my mum….?
"I'm not Anna." I answered shakily.
"Anna…" He repeated before coming forward towards me when I threw the first spell I could think of.
"Expelliarmus!"
He was thrown back a couple of feet, seconds after Harry rushed to help him up.
"Sam, what are you doing here?"
Uncle Remus came into view with a rat like man who I took seconds to realize he might be Peter Pettigrew, along with climbing out of a hole beneath the Whimping Willow.
"I wanted to find Lexi, I had a bad feeling about today and I got into your office and saw the map….I saw his name on the map, Lexi's here. I can't let my sister remain unsafe. I can't let Hermione, Ron and Harry unsafe." I answered as Sirius Black stepped forward again and now towards Uncle Remus.
"She looks just like Anna." I could hear him say to Uncle Remus.
"She's not Anna, Sirius. She's Samantha, Anna's second daughter." Uncle Remus explained. Sirius Black turned back to me with a sad longing look on his face.
"Sam, everything might seem very very confusing right now. But trust me, Sirius is no what you think he is."
"It's true, Sam." Hermione supported his statement. I was unsure what to believe but how can you not believe Hermione's words ….
"Yeah, that man, Peter Pettigrew he's the bad guy." Ron who apparently injured his leg and rested on the ground pointed to the rat like man beside.
I gave a doubtful look, how can he possib;y be the ones who betrayed Harry's parents and behind Muggle killings? Peter Pettigrew was nervously shaking, similarly to a rat were his features suddenly spoke up.
"Ron, I have been a good rat, you won't bear to let the dementors have me, will you?" He almost kneeled to a startled Ron before pleading to Hermione.
"I was one of your mother's friends. She was kind to me, she stood up for me once back in school." He suddenly latched himself onto my arm and Lexi's where I was compelled to shake him off, Uncle Remus rushed to our aid and managed to pry him off.
"Don't go near Anna's daughters, you should be ashamed to betray Lily and James!" Uncle Remus retorted as he pulled Peter Pettigrew to a side.
"Can someone tell me what is going on?" I asked.
"It's kind of long, but to cut short. Sirius is good, Peter is bad and the person to betray Harry's parents to be killed." Lexi started before going into brief details.
So Sirius Black was framed to be a mass murderer for twelve years in Azkaban, Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus, his animal form is a rat and he stayed in hiding as Ron's pet rat Scabbers. Crookshanks knew all along Sacbbers or Pettigrew was bad, hence the hostility and Tiger soon found out too, leading the quartet to the Whimping Willow where everything started to all happened.
"Sam?" I turned to a hesitant Sirius Black who finished conversing with Harry.
"Sorry, about startling you. Lexi told me you looked like your mum, but I didn't know the resemblance is so striking."
"It's fine." I replied curtly, I still was a little guarded.
"It's like seeing her again; she was a really good friend of mine, almost a sister." He added on.
"Oh I see. I get that a lot." I didn't knew what to answer, I mean I just met him thinking he was a murderer and shot a spell at him not knowing he is actually innocent. Awkward…
Sirius Black did unexpected. He was chuckling at my reply.
"I'm pretty sure you get that a lot." I smiled sincerely for the first time at him.
"Say, I heard you are close with Remus." He commented.
"Yeah, he's really nice to me and Lexi." I responded.
"Well he has to. He is your godfather after all. " Sirius added. I cast a confused look.
"Your mother made him your god-father. I was supposed to be Lexi's. But your father was not approving of me, never really was fond of me.." He chuckled again.
"In fact he was never the friendly kind to any of us, Remus was however still on talking terms with him so your dad approved of him."
The moon. The full moon to be precise. It suddenly shone into my vision as I whirled around to see everyone staring at it as well. Sirius immediately took steps forward and positioned himself in front of my sister and her friends. I followed his lead but was pushed back into the crowd.
"Professor Lupin." I could hear Hermione's whisper.
I glanced at Uncle Remus nervously, unsure what was going on but saw my favourite professor starting to shake uncontrollably.
"He did not take his potion tonight! He's going to lose control!" Hermione spoke again, now in a more terrified tone.
I cast a confused glance to Lexi beside me. For the first time, I saw sure fear in my fearless sister.
"Uncle Remus is a werewolf." She stated.
"What-"
"Get away kids, get away now!" Sirius started to rush us.
It all happened too fast. A tearing noise in robes was heard and I was flabbergasted at the sight in front of me. Uncle Remus was slowly and painfully transforming into his werewolf form as Peter Pettigrew transformed into his Scabbers and took a chance to escape.
A panicking Ron was letting out nervous noises as he grabbed onto his injured leg and got knocked out by Pettigrew. Harry tried to throw a spell and run after him not before being held back by Hermione.
My attention was soon taken away again by what laid in front of me. Uncle Remus was changed from head to toe right in front of me.
No longer was the sweet, kind professor and an uncle figure to me but a dangerous creature depicted in my textbook stood in front of me.
"Professor Lupin?" Hermione murmured before a howl was let out by the werewolf in front of us.
He started to snarl as he looked like he was ready to pounce on us. In a matter of seconds, Sirius transformed into his animagus form, a large sized black dog and defended all five of us. The display was absolutely nerve wrecking. Snarling, growing, fighting all in one.
Sirius was thrown aside as Uncle Remus in his werewolf form flung him. He was advancing towards us panic stricken children. I had to do something.
"UNCLE REMUS!" I shouted. It apparently made him stop in his tracks.
"It's me, Sam!" I spoke again. I stared right into his eyes, hoping to find Uncle Remus within.
"Uncle Remus, it's me, Sam." I spoke thrice with a more calm voice. Please let him know it's me. It might make him control his own human mind.
It looked like Uncle Remus deep down inside the dark creature understood me as he tilted his head up to face me, looking at me with beady eyes. I took up some courage to walk forward towards him much to the objection of Lexi as she held me back by my wrist.
I purposely ignored it. It sounds crazy but I think I can help Uncle Remus. I don't know how but I just want my professor back.
A sudden turn of behavior as the werewolf in front of me snarled even fiercer and tried to attack me when a great howl came from the Forbidden Forrest. I screamed and ducked at first instinct and was fearing of what is to come. Tiger came out from behind and rushed to my aid, hissing at the werewolf, ready to take a fighting stance.
Werewolves do not attack animals, I recalled from my textbook.
I could hear Sirius came to my rescue as he jumped onto the werewolf and wrestled with it. Their fight soon took place far from us.
Sirius was planning to get Uncle Remus in werewolf form as far from us to protect us.
All four of us- Harry, Hermione, Lexi and I turned to an unconscious Ron on the ground.
"Ron? Ron?" Lexi shook the ginger's shoulders.
"He's just unconscious." I examined Ron's sleeping like face. "We need to take him up to the castle and get someone." I instructed, taking up the role of the eldest in the situation right now.
The three younger kids just nodded in front of me. Lexi started lifting Ron up with Harry's help not before a loud crying sound from the darkness was heard. The cry of a dog- Sirius!
"Sirius!" Harry yelled, momentarily letting go of his hold on Ron and rushed to where Sirius seemed to be.
Hermione followed Harry close behind. It was too risky for them to run off and face a fully formed werewolf on their own.
"Lexi, I need you to stay here and take care of Ron! I have to make sure Harry and Hermione are all right." I told her quickly, not waiting for her reply.
It was too dark; the three of us did know where to run, only following where a sound from Sirius might be coming from. I could feel a gush of cold air blowing past me and felt that it was getting relatively colder.
As Harry, Hermione and I rushed to the lake, instant relief washed over the three of us as we located Sirius back in human form lying on the bank beside the lake. However, the relief I felt was short lived as I looked up to the sky and saw dozens of Dementors wavering over Sirius.
I never saw so many of them in one place, and was mind blown. But there was no time for shock as I could see Sirius moaning in pain as the Dementors start sucking out the life of him.
"The patronus charm, Hermione, Sam! We must conjure it to save Sirius!" Harry yelled out as he started shouting out the spell.
"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"
I followed suit but was not confident in my ability. Think of something happy, happy! I urged myself and thought about the winning the Quidditch Cup with my team.
"Expecto Patronum!" I stretched my arm out and aimed my wand to the Dementors over Sirius. A bright jet of light shot out of my wand, it was a non-corporeal patronus.
Better than nothing. It chased the Dementors hovering above Sirius away. But I could not be relieved as moments later it seemed like there were reinforcements. A swarm of Dementors came and several came straight for me and Hermione. I held Hermione's hand and pointed my wand, trying to conjure another patronus.
It seemed hopeless there was too many of them, I shielded Hermione behind me as I felt a high level of panic in me. I was getting dizzy and close to tears as the fear rose. I felt something shaking in me, looking down to my hoodie; I saw a bright fiery red glow.
A sudden warmth took over my body as I felt an energy source getting stronger and took out to see my mum's ring shining brightly. I could still hear Harry's yell as I soon fall into unconscious, last remembering a bright red glow covering my vision.
I could hear hush whispers. I know I am asleep. I am fully conscious now except for the fact my eyelids felt heavy. I can feel that I was trying my hardest to open my eyes, gosh I feel so drained. I slightly tilted my head to one side, slowly opening my eyes.
I could see Lexi to my right sitting up on the bed. She was conversing in hush tones with someone across her.
I shifted my body under the covers as I opened my eyes, blinking them several times to adjust to the light in the surrounding.
"What's going on?" I mumbled incoherently as I struggled to sit up.
"Sis, you're awake. We're in the hospital wing. Snape brought us." Lexi stated as she turned to face me. I mumbled what seemed like yes and combed my bedhead with my fingers.
"How's Ron?" I looked to see Ron fast asleep on the bed next to Lexi, popping out snores every now and then.
"He will live, has been given a sleeping draught hours ago." Lexi turned to see a snoring Ron.
"What about you?" I asked my little sister, observing she seemed fine as whole.
"Totally fine, just a few scratches ." She looked at her arm.
"Are you feeling alright? You been sleeping for ten hours." She continued.
I just nodded. "I feel awfully drained."
"Well, that's no surprise. After the Dementor's attack." She responded.
"We were lucky to make it out alive." Hermione said from across Lexi.
"Or even how all of your souls managed to stay intact." Lexi said
"It was somehow thanks to you, Sam." Harry said from opposite me.
"Huh?"
"Your necklace, it glowed this bright red shield that protected us- all four of us from further soul-sucking from the Dementors temporarily." He explained.
I immediately reached to take out my necklace. The ruby on the ring that is strung on the necklace seemed to sparkled for a moment and felt strangely warm when I pressed a finger on it.
"Sirius!" My mind was jolted awake.
"What happened to him?"
"He's fine now." Harry who was on a bed right across me answered. "Hermione and I managed to save him after he was being sent back to Azkaban after the Dementors' attack."
"How?"
"Long story. We were just telling it to Lexi."
"Would you mind filling me in first?" I was honestly curious about whatever happened during my deep sleep. I am glad Sirius is safe. He's an innocent man.
Harry seemed to be excited to tell me the story and so was Hermione as they both sat at the edge of their bed to tell their recount. I took my pillow from the head of the bed and hugged it against me as I listened in.
"After your necklace glowed to shield us, it died down once you lose conscious." Harry started.
"And Harry saved us!" Hermione cut in. "He cast a corporeal patronus and driven off all the Dementors."
"Brilliant Harry! That's must been quite a feat." I commended.
"It was nothing much." Harry tried to be modest.
"It was not, it was amazing." Hermione protested.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"He was brought back to the castle along with all of us by Snape. Snape refused to believe us when we told him Sirius was innocent." Harry carried on.
"Expected." I commented.
"He didn't know the truth we all heard and saw, he was unconscious throughout the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack." Hermione added.
"Plus, Snape bears a grudge against Sirius ever since their schooling years." Lexi spoke up. "Sirius told me."
"Peter Pettigrew escaped, our only proof was gone. It was obvious we cannot convince Snape." Hermione continued.
"So how did you end up saving Sirius?" I questioned.
"Well Professor Dumbledore gave an idea." She said as she glanced at Harry while fiddling with something in her hands.
"What is it?" Lexi was about to answer me when…
"Well…it's hard to believe if we told you." She interrupted.
"But it worked for us and we managed to help Sirius break out from Azkaban tower at the very end." Harry concluded.
"Professor Dumbledore also got all Dementors removed from Hogwarts grounds." Hermione added one last sentence.
"Well that's good." I heaved a sigh. I knew Harry and Hermione didn't tell everything but I was not going to pursue them for the entire story. Sirius Black saved us from Uncle Remus, it goes to show he's not a bad person and has been wrongly framed for such a long time.
Many revelations came from last night, the truth was revealed to Sirius being innocent, Peter Pettigrew was the true criminal and Uncle Remus is a werewolf…
"What about Uncle Remus?" I asked. I almost forgot the fact that Uncle Remus turned out to be a werewolf.
"He is still in the Forbidden Forest, he has not changed back." Hermione answered.
"I still cannot believe…." I muttered.
"Me neither but I cannot believe that he managed to hide this fact from everyone for almost the entire school year." Lexi spoke again.
"Well Snape tried to expose him even in not an open way, remember the werewolf essay he has been making us write? Snape knew all along." Hermione explained.
"He is such a great teacher but who knew he is actually a dangerous creature within." Lexi said looking down.
"He did not choose to be that way, Lexi. No person will want to go through such painful experience." I spoke back.
"I still believe in him- that's he is still good. I mean Dumbledore trusts him to teach us." Harry added.
"Me too, Harry." I gave a slight smile to him which he returned.
"We better go to bed soon. Madam Pomfrey is going to be up and check on us." Hermione said.
"She will not be happy to see us all talking instead of resting." Lexi last spoke before all three of them went to sleep.
I placed my pillow back on the head of bed ad I sunk my head in it. I was fully awake, no longer tired. Everything happened so fast, I was happy for Sirius Black to escape. But….Uncle Remus, my thoughts went back to that image of him transforming. The sound of his painful cry. The shock still did not wear off.
I fell asleep again for two more hours before waking up to Madam Pomfrey checking up on me first. My younger friends and sister were sound asleep, obviously dead beat from the heck of an nerve-wrecking adventure yesterday.
"Do you feel any dizziness, headaches?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"Nope, just exhaustion but I slept well."
"There's nothing wrong with you except for some bruises. I fixed them for you." She tapped her wand on the blue-black bruises on my knee and arm, causing the bruises to fade away.
"You can go wash up before returning to your dormitory or for brunch." She instructed before attending to waking Ron groaning in pain.
I took my wand on the bed-side table before getting off the hospital bed and walked towards the toilet in the Hospital Wing, freshening up with the given toiletries. After stepping out of the toilet, in all honesty. I had no idea what to do next.
I could return to the dormitory to change my clothes or get something to eat. I wondered if the girls noticed I was gone all night.
As I exited the Hospital Wing, I could hear Ron's refusal to take another dosage of medicine.
As I was about to take a first step, I could hear thundering footsteps down the staircase. The person was obviously in a rush. I continued my way up the staircase, looking down tired when I heard my name being called.
"Sam!" My head jerked up to see Fred in his sleep wear, hair messy yet he looked incredibly handsome.
"Fred?" I could barely say much before he engulfed me in a hug and I shuffled back at the moment his weight was on my body.
Fred pulled back from the hug as he had pressed his lips on mine. Shock coursed through my entire body. He had both hands cupping my face. I wrapped my hands around his neck as I leaned in. It felt magical, no kidding. My heart was racing with excitement.
He rubbed his thumb against my cheeks as he deepened the kiss. I followed his lead, he tasted like peppermint. He placed his hands on my waist as he pulled me closer, getting intimate. I was enjoying every moment and didn't want to stop. He pulled away, and I was disappointed when he stopped.
We both stared each other, breathless.
"I am glad you are safe." An awkward silence followed after Fred spoke that sentence. What did that kiss meant?
"Well yea-" I couldn't finish my sentence from the aftermath of the kiss, I was dazed.
"I heard you are in the hospital wing, rumours had it that Black was on Hogwarts ground and you were involved with Lexi, Harry, Ron, Hermione…it's all spreading like wildfire throughout the entire school." He first spoke again.
"Really?" It was more of a statement.
"Then why are you here? And why are you in sleep wear?" I asked almost laughing.
"Don't laugh. I came finding you after Lee told me the news while I was brushing my teeth." Fred scoffed.
"You don't said." I grinned as I took my thumb to wipe a smudge of dried toothpaste at the corner of his mouth.
"So what happened?" He asked as we walked towards a random bench in the hallway and sat down.
"Really really long story." I said as I tried to comb his hair with my fingers, making it less messy.
"Well…all I can say is Sirius Black is innocent." I started recounting of last night.
"Bloody hell. All that happened in one night? Why did you put yourself in such a dangerous situation?" He said astonished.
"I didn't knew, all I know that Lexi had to be safe, Harry, Hermione and Ron too." I answered.
"Your gut feeling had to be way too accurate." Fred raised an eyebrow.
"It amazes me sometimes."
"You amaze me too. You actually tried to confront a werewolf? That's bloody crazy of you!"
"It's not something most people think I would do, huh."
"Yeah, but I think you would." His answer surprised me, I looked up to face him. "I know you will do anything for the people you love and care about."
"But you are too caring for your own good." He bluntly stated.
"Hey, it's not a bad thing." I protested.
"Well better bring you back to the common room." His tone turned less serious at the change of topic. "Those three roommates of yours are worried sick, when they told us you weren't back even in the morning."
"Lee tried convincing them it took you an entire night to find your cat."
"Typical Lee, coming up with nonsensical reasons. And yet he is the best speaker out of all of us." I tried to play casual. But it was hard, especially after the kiss.
"Yeah, he sure is." He sounded casual. How can it be easy for him to be that way? I tried walking faster back to the common room, trying to hide my unhappiness.
Fred was quick to notice my sudden change in behavior and slowed me down by holding my wrist.
"What's the matter, Sam?"
"Nothing." Apparently he was not convinced of my answer as he did not let go.
"You were alright awhile ago." He turned me to face him directly.
"What did it meant to you?" I spoke up.
"What?" Fred cast a confused look.
"Don't act dumb, the kiss at the staircase." I answered in an obvious pissed tone.
"Why are you angry? You responded back too." He retorted back in the same tone.
"Friends don't just kiss on the lips, Fred." I said firmly.
"I wa- I was just relieved to see you. It was just in the moment." He stuttered. "I am sorry if I made you upset, it was not my intention." He said sincerely.
"No don't be." Maybe I took it the wrong way. The kiss was just an outburst of emotion for him.
"Let's head back to the common room. It's embarrassing for you to walk around in your pajamas in the school." I joked to ease the atmosphere.
"Well, I wouldn't be if it weren't for you, Jones. Besides I know the girls in this school don't mind me in my sleep wear." He smirked.
"Tch." I scoffed at his ego. He nonchalantly rested his arm on my shoulder as we headed back to the common room. At that point in time, it felt like my world was crashing down on me.