Greetings, Wizard and Witches from across the globe and welcome to the next chapter of The Potter And Kent Chronicles: Cruel Angel Thesis.
I hope your all going to enjoy it as much as I had writing it and now on to the review.
girani4: Typo... Thanks for pointing it out to me. Yeah I was kinda in a hurry when I uploaded the chapter and I couldn't think of anything else. It's corrected now.
Now it's story time.
Alex couldn't find his cousin anywhere once he got back to the castle. Having searched the entire school for her through out diner, he gave up for now and headed back to the common room.
Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Quietly going up to the dormitory where he found Harry, sitting on his bed with a leather-bound album.
"Hey...", Alex said tentatively, slowly approaching his friends bed.
Harry didn't say anything, only staring to a picture of a wedding day. Alex figured it was the wedding day of Lily and James Potter. There was a man waving, beaming, the same untidy black hair Harry had, standing up in all directions.
There was a woman, Lily, alight with happiness, arm in arm with James. And there was him.
If Alex hadn't known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn't sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. His arm around a woman who looked like an exact replica of Margaret, that must be his aunt and Claire's mother, Elizabeth.
Claire didn't had a very clear idea of how she had managed to get back in the castle, all she knew was that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that she hardly noticed what she was doing, because her head was still pounding with the conversation she had just heard.
Why had nobody ever told her? Why hadn't anyone ever mentioned the fact that her father was Sirius Black. That it was her father's fault that her best friend had grown up without any parents?
A hatred such as she had never known before was coursing through Claire like poison. She could see Black laughing at her through the darkness, as though somebody had pasted the picture from the posters over her eyes.
She watched, as though somebody was playing her a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew into a thousand pieces. She could hear, though having no idea what Black's voice might sound like, a low, excited mutter. "It has happened, My Lord... the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper"
"You look terrible."
Claire woke up with a start, barley gotten any sleep last night. She had gotten a cramp in her shoulder from laying under a desk in an unused classroom. With a groan she peek from under the desk to see Harry standing there. Snow was still falling outside the windows.
She was silent as she got up from under the desk.
"You really don't look well, you know.", Harry said peering into her face.
"Harry...", Claire whispered softly, before breaking down, "Oh god, I am so sorry... It's my father's fault you don't have a family... I-I would understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore... But I want you to know, I am nothing like him. I would never betray you, I would rather die."
But he silenced her by doing something both found unexpected, he placed his arms around her, wrapping her in an embrace. "What your father did, has nothing to do with you.", Harry whispered softly, "Your still you. The same smart, talented, wonderful Claire who has been with me through thick and thin."
"I-is that how you see me?", Claire mumbled, when the two let go of each other.
"It's how I always see you.", he said softly, a bit of red gracing both their cheeks, "You know I can't do this without you... I don't want to lose my best friend."
"Neither do I...", she admitted. Harry let out a chuckle, Claire looked pretty cute with that blush on her face.
The two turned away from each other, attempting to hide their blushes from the other.
In the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them.
Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron's pocket to sniff hopefully at the air.
On Christmas morning, Alex was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him.
"Oi! Presents!"
Alex rolled towards the end of his bed, where a heap of parcels had appeared, Harry, Ron and Neville were already ripping the paper off his own presents.
"Another sweater from Mum... maroon again...", Ron said, turning to Alex about to ask if he had gotten one as well.
"Sweet! Another Weasley sweater!", Alex said, looking over the yellow sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle.
"What's that?", Neville said, pointing to a long, thin package lying underneath Harry's presents.
"No idea.", Harry said, ripping the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread.
Alex, Ron and Neville dropped whatever they were holding and jumped off their beds for a closer look.
"I don't believe it.", Ron said hoarsely.
"Oh my gods, it's a Firebolt...", Alex said with wide eyes.
Its handle glittered as Harry picked it up. Once he let it go; it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for Harry to mount it.
"Damn... I am jealous...", Alex mumbled, "So who sent it to you?"
"Look and see if there's a card.", Harry said.
Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings, "Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?"
"I'm betting it wasn't the Dursley's.", Harry said, feeling stunned.
"I bet it was Dumbledore.", Ron said, now walking around and around the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch, "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously..."
"That was his dad's, though.", Neville said, "Dumbledore was just passing it on to him. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on Harry. He can't go giving students stuff like this..."
"That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!", Ron said, "In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism."
"Which it would be.", Neville pointed out.
"I know who it could've been!", Ron said, "Lupin!"
"What?", Alex said, now starting to laugh, "Lupin? Yeah, he seems loaded."
"Okay... But he likes Harry.", Ron said.
"Everyone likes Harry.", Alex said, "He's a like able guy."
"Maybe it was Jeager.", Ron said, "It sounds like something he would do."
"On a teacher's salary?... Right.", Alex said.
The door flung open and Claire wearing a green dressing gown, and Hermione wearing a pink dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.
"Look what I got!", Claire said, showing the broom in her hand, to the boys stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt in her hand.
"Who sent you that?", Harry said.
"No idea.", Claire said, "There wasn't a card or anything with it."
To Claire's great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip.
"What's the matter with you?", Ron said.
"I don't know.", Hermione said slowly, "But it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?"
"Quite a good broom? It's the best broom there is, Hermione!", Alex said, "God I wish I had one..."
"Jealous?", Claire teased.
"Of course I am!", her cousin said.
"If it's the best in the world, then it must've been really expensive...", Hermione said.
"Expensive?", Neville said, "It's cost probably more than all the Slytherin's brooms put together."
"Well... who'd send Harry or Claire something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd sent it?", Hermione said.
"Who cares?", Ron said impatiently, "Listen, Harry, Claire, can I have a go on it? Can I?"
"I don't think anyone should ride either of these brooms just yet!", Hermione said shrilly.
Harry, Claire, Alex, Ron and Neville looked at her.
"Hermione is right, guys.", Alex said, walking over to Hermione's side, "Let's go sweep the room with them!"
As Harry, Claire, Ron and Neville laughed, Crookshank sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest. "Get! Him! Out! Of! Here!" Ron bellowed as Crookshank's claws ripped his pajamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder.
Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshank's that hit the trunk at the end of Harry's bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain.
"You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione!", Ron said furiously, sitting on Harry's bed nursing his toe as Hermione strode out of the room, Crookshank's yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron.
It had been a while since they had seen him out of Ron's pocket, and Alex was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too.
"He's not looking too good, is he?" Harry said.
"It's stress!", Ron said, "He'd be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!"
But Claire, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had said about rats living only three years, couldn't help feeling that unless Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his life. And despite Ron's frequent complaints that Scabbers was both boring and useless, he was sure Ron would be very miserable if Scabbers died.
Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming about Crookshank's fresh attempt to eat Scabbers. Harry, Claire, Alex and Neville gave up trying to make them talk to each other and Harry and Claire had devoted themselves to examining the Firebolt, which they had brought down to the common room.
For some reason this seemed to annoy Hermione as well; she didn't say anything, but she kept looking darkly at the brooms as though it too had been criticizing her cat.
At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Jeager, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat.
There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year.
"Merry Christmas!", Dumbledore said as Harry, Claire, Alex, Ron, Neville and Hermione approached the table, "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables... Sit down, sit down!"
Harry, Claire, Alex, Ron, Neville and Hermione sat down side by side at the end of the table.
"Crackers!", Jeager said, a bit too enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Flitwick, who took it and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witch hat topped with a stuffed vulture.
Placing the hat on Snape's head, Jeager and Flitwick laughed as Snape's mouth thinned.
"Dig in!", Dumbledore advised the table, beaming around.
The doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly.
"Sibyll!", Jeager said, raising his glass.
"This is a pleasant surprise!", Dumbledore said, standing up.
"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster.", Professor Trelawney said in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "And to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness..."
"Certainly, certainly.", Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, "Let me draw you up a chair.", and he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall.
Professor Trelawney then lowered herself into the empty chair, she looked around once more and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"
"Remus caught ill again!", Jeager said, as everybody started to serve themselves, "And that around on Christmas Day."
"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?", Snape said, his eyebrows raised.
Professor Trelawney gave Snape a very cold look.
"Certainly I knew, Severus.", she said quietly, "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."
"That explains a great deal!", Flitwick said.
Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty, "If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him..."
"Imagine that!", Jeager said, "But I seriously doubt that Remus is in any immediate danger. Sev, you've made the potion for him again?"
"Of course.", Snape said.
"Good." Dumbledore said, "Then he should be up and about in no time... Derek, have you had any of the chipolatas? They're excellent.", the first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands.
Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their cracker hats, Harry and Ron got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly. "My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?"
"Dunno." Ron said, looking uneasily at Harry.
"I doubt it will make much difference.", Professor McGonagall said coldly, "Unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall."
Even Hermione laughed, Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted. "Coming?" Neville said to Hermione.
"No.", Hermione muttered, "I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall."
"Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes.", Ron yawned as they make their way into the Entrance Hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe-men.
In the common room, the five of them where lazying around, Harry and Claire admiring their Firebolt's again, until Hermione came in with Professor McGonagall with some very bad news.
"W-what?", Harry said, as he and Claire scrambling to their feet, "Why?"
"They will need to be checked for jinxes.", Professor McGonagall said, "Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down."
"Strip it down!?", Claire repeated, as though Professor McGonagall was mad.
"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks.", Professor McGonagall said, "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free."
"There's nothing wrong with my baby!", Claire said cradling her broom.
"Honestly, Professor...", Harry said, his voice shaking slightly.
"You can't know that.", Professor McGonagall said, quite kindly, "Not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you two informed."
Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt's out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, as Claire dropped to her knees, "M-My little Jason...", she mumbled.
"W-What?", Alex said, trying not to laugh at the face his cousin was making.
"Jason. That's how I named my Firebolt...", Claire mumbled, before rounding on Hermione, "Why Hermione!? Why would you betray me?"
Hermione was pink in the face, but faced Claire defiantly, "Because I thought, and Professor McGonagall agrees with me, that that broom was probably sent by Sirius Black!"
And that's a wrap, hope you enjoyed it. Many thanks to everyone who read, review, favorite or follows this story, you beautiful bastards.
For now I wish you all a fantastic day, don't forget to leave a review if you liked my work and I hope to see you ladies and gents, next time.
Mischief Managed.