A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. I own the OC character Izzie.

Please enjoy and review!

Chapter 25:

Journey to Discovery

"Iz, did you ever figure out where that diary came from?" Hermione asked.

They four of them heading down to Hagrid's hut.

"What diary?" Harry asked alarmed.

"Not that kind of diary, Harry," Hermione said referring to the one from last year.

"I second that, what diary?" Izzie asked confused.

"The one you found on the floor the morning after your birthday," she said.

"No, I just figured that the twins found a way into the girls' dorms and left me a diary…yeah that doesn't make any sense saying it out loud," Izzie said.

"You think," the boys said at the same time.

"Shut up and knock on the damn door!"

Harry knocked the huge door. Hagrid opened the door with a small smile on his face. Then he took one look at Buckbeak tied to a post he became teary eyed again. He ushered them inside the hut.

"Look at him. Loves the smell the trees when the wind blows," Hagrid said looking outside the window at him.

"I say we set him free," Harry suggested.

"They'll just think that Hagrid did it," Izzie said from her seat near the fireplace.

"She's right. And that would only get Dumbledore in trouble. He's going to be here. Says he wants to be with me when it...when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore," Hagrid said.

"If he were a great man, he would find a way to fix this. It's not fair," Hermione said, "We'll stay with you, Hagrid."

"You will not! Think I want you kids to be seeing something like this! No. Finish your tea and off you go. But before you go, Ron I have something for you," Hagrid went looking for something in a large tea cup, "I know you and Hermione have been fighting over this. I found your rat," he handed Ron the tea cup.

"Scabbers! You're alive!" Ron said opening the lid.

"Oh joy!" Izzie said sarcastically.

Harry couldn't hold in his laughter.

"You should keep a closer eye on your pets, Ron," Hagrid said.

"I think you owe some an apology," Hermione said getting up from her seat.

"Right. Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know," Ron said.

"I meant me," she said.

"Can you two just get a room already," Izzie said annoyed at them.

"I would agree but you two are far too young for that," Hagrid said and then cleared his throat.

"Awkward," Izzie announced to the silent room.

Suddenly Harry screamed, "Ow!"

He was hit by a rock. He looked out the window and when he didn't find anyone standing outside the window, he looked at Izzie.

"Hey, don't look at me," she said with her hands up.

Harry looked outside again and saw Dumbledore and Fudge starting to approach the hut.

"Hagrid…" Harry warned.

"You lot better me off. Get out the back way," Hagrid quickly showed them the back door.

The four of them had plenty of time to hide and get out of the way before Dumbledore and Fudge entered in the hut.

They were hiding behind a pile of overgrown pumpkins, when something caught Hermione's attention in the woods.

"What?" Harry hissed at her.

"Nothing, I thought I just saw…"

"If you are going to say ghost, there's no surprise there. You can't throw a book without hitting one in the castle," Izzie said glaring at Ron.

"And if I remember correctly, it was your bright idea," Ron said.

"Stop it you two," Harry warned, "We have to leave."

They followed Harry as he led the way back up the path. They stopped on top of the hill there were just at earlier with Malfoy and his idiot friends.

On top of the hill stood Ron, Izzie, Hermione and Harry. They all saw the axe take flight. Hermione and Izzie hugged each other. The pair of them had tears in their eyes. Ron and Harry wrapped themselves around the girls to give them comfort.

"I can't believe this is happening," Izzie whispered.

Ron rubbed her back.

Izzie saw that the rat was very close to her, "Ron, you know I don't like your rat," Izzie said letting go of Hermione.

"Oh sorry," he said.

Just then Scabbers bite one of his fingers.

"He bite me," he said and dropped the rat.

The rat started to run away and Ron chased after him.

"Let him go. He obviously wants to run free," Izzie called after him.

"Ron! No!" Hermione shouted realizing what tree he was approaching, "Harry, you do realize that tree that is."

Harry looked and saw that it was the Whomping Willow tree.

"What is it?" Izzie asked looking at the tree.

"Not good. Ron! Run!" Harry shouted.

Ron snaps his head in their direction. He starts to point is finger at them, "Harry! Run!"

They turn to see a black dog lung in their direction.

Izzie grabs Harry to pull him down to get him out of the way. She landed on the ground with Harry on top of her in an awkward position.

The pair of them rushes to their feet to see Hermione had run toward run when the dog lunged at them. She was trying to help Ron when the dog snapped at them. The dog managed to snap onto Ron's ankle, pulling Ron along to the base of the tree.

To make matters worse, Hermione was holding onto Ron for dear life. She used all her strength to pull Ron away from the dog's grasp.

The black dog managed to drag a screaming Ron by the ankle, in one hand his rat and the other Hermione, down an opening at the base of the tree.

Harry and Izzie watched mortified as their friend disappeared.

"What do you do?" Izzie asked looking to Harry for guidance.

"We have to go!" Harry said grabbed her hand to lead her to the tree.

They tried to go through the same way as their friends but the tree wasn't having any of that.

The branches was wracking the pair ever which way until they managed to get themselves holding onto branches as they flew threw the air.

Izzie got tossed in the opening first landing hard on her back.

Harry followed a few seconds later.

He landed one his stomach beside her.

"Are you alright?" he asked as soon as he got his breath back.

There was no answer.

Harry looked at her and noticed that she was knocked out from the landing.

He got onto his knees beside her.

"Izzie!" Harry whispered as he tried to shake her awake.

He got no response.

He checked to see if she was breathing.

She was breathing but not responding to him.

He tried shaking her again, "Izzie please! Wake up! I need you…I can't do this without you," he whispered the last part to her.

That was when Harry heard a groan.

He looked down to see Izzie opened her eyes and tried to get up.

"Lay still," Harry ordered, "I don't know how bad you are."

"My head," she said as she reached back to her head.

She pulled back her hand to reveal a bloodied hand.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

"You're okay," he tried to reassure her, "Are you okay to walk?"

"I think so."

"We have to get to Ron and Hermione. There's something about this that doesn't make sense," he said.

"Was it the over large Grim that gave it away?" she asked sarcastically.

"Glad to see your personality is sill intact."

"Of course. Help me up," she said.

The pair of them wondered down the dark tunnel until they came across a door.

They looked at each other before opening the door.

They walked into what looked like a run down building.

"What is this place?" Izzie whispered.

"I think we are in the Shrieking Shack," he answered.

"How is that possible?"

"Must be connected somehow," he said.

That was when they heard an awful, strange noise that stopped them in their tracks.

"What was that?" Izzie asked mortified.