This would be the beginning of Book 3
Nothing changed now that they were officially family, the schedule was the same as it has been when Severus was just the guardian and Brenda kept getting letters from her friends and brother. Ron wrote that his family were vacationing in Egypt because they won a Galleon draw and got 700 Galleons, most were spent on the vacation but Ron was going to get a new wand.
" Wow, a vacation in Egypt, I bet they're having lots and lots of fun" Brenda thought after she read the letter.
A month later she got her school list and permission slip third years get to go to Hogsmead. Severus would not sign it
" Come on please" Brenda begged holding it up
" No, for the tenth time" Severus said getting annoyed
" Why?" Brenda asked
" I have my reasons" Severus said
" What reason is that?" Brenda asked
" Do you realize there is a killer on the loose?" Severus asked
" No, you won't let me see the Daily Prophet" Brenda said with a pout, every morning after Severus read the paper, he burned the paper so Brenda couldn't see it, it was quite annoying actually
" And there is a reason for that, there is a killer on the loose and I don't want you to get nightmares" Severus said
" Ron and Hermione got permission to go to Hogsmead" Brenda said
" Ron and Hermione are not my kids" Severus said
" It's not fair" Brenda stamped her foot
" Is this really the way thirteen year olds act when they don't get there way? Severus asked
Brenda stopped and remembered what she got for her birthday, she got the Monster Book of Monsters from Hagrid, that was the most unusual gift
" Good now you're acting your age, now I know what's best for you and signing that slip is not a good idea this year" Severus said
" I faced you know who twice and a Basilisk, but it's not safe to go to Hogsmead because theres a killer on the loose, is that right?" Brenda asked
" Yes" Severus said, " Now go pack, you're going to the Weasley's tomorrow"
" Are you sure they're back from Egypt?" Brenda asked
" Yes, they got back a week ago" Severus said
Brenda sighed and went upstairs to her room
" She is such a handful" Severus thought
Brenda started packing her things to take to the Weasley's and Hogwarts and Minnie popped in
" Hi Minnie" Brenda said depressed
" Don't be sad Miss Brenda, Master knows what's best for Miss Brenda, Master does" Minnie said
" I just don't like it that everybody else gets go to Hogsmead and I have to stay at school, it's just not fair both Harry and I did more than the other third years that get to go. There's a killer on the loose, what does that have to do with Harry and I?" Brenda asked
" Minnie doesn't know" Minnie said
" You don't know or you can't tell" Brenda asked
" Uh... Minnie has to go... make supper... got to go" Minnie said
" Minnie what do you know?" Brenda asked
Minnie popped out of the room
" Cheater, she knows I can't do that until I'm of age" Brenda said to herself then finished packing and laid down on her bed. She figured Severus was mad at her for throwing a fit
An hour later Severus knocked on Brenda's door " Are you calmed down enough to come down to supper?" Severus asked
Brenda opened the door and nodded
" Good" Severus said
They ate in silence, Brenda was still disappointed
" I know you are disappointed and I'm sorry, I think it's dangerous for you to be in Hogsmead with a killer on the loose, I'm sure other parents feel the same way and I'm sure they are keeping there kids from going as well" Said Severus
Brenda thought for a moment and said, " I understand"
" Ok good, so are you all packed" Severus asked Brenda nodded
The next day Brenda and Severus flooed to the Burrow and Fred and George were waiting for Brenda to come through so they could catch her
" Ha ha very funny guys, I'm used to flooing now" Brenda said when she got through with her belongings and didn't fall or anything
" We just wanted to make sure" Fred said wiyh a wink
" yYah we don't want you to hurt yourself" George said
" Well thank you for caring" Brenda said with a smile
Severus came through " Good morning Professor" The Weasley twins said together
" Good morning" Severus said in his professor like way
Mr. and Mrs Weasley came to greet them " Good morning Severus, Good morning Brenda" Molly said
" Good morning Molly" Severus said
" Good morning Mrs. Weasley" Brenda said
" How was your trip?" Severus asked
" Very fun thank you" Mr. Weasley said
" Good, well I better be getting to Kings Cross, now Brenda do you have everything you need?" Severus asked
" Yes" Brenda said
" Are you sure?" Severus asked
" Yes dad I'm sure" Brenda said then her eyes went wide and so did Severus's. It was quiet in the room which now all the Weasley's were in
" Uh... very well, I'll see you all at school then, Molly, Arthur" Severus said then went into the fireplace, " Be good Brenda" he said then flooed back to his house to grab his things
" You called Snape dad" Fred said
" You now think of him as your dad?" Ron asked
" Well he did adopt me" Brenda said
" Yes but you called him dad, he looked shocked" George said
" I know what he looked like George, I was standing in front of him" Brenda said, "He was shocked as much as I was and as much as you all were, since that was the first time I called him dad... I kind of like it"
" I thought you said you weren't ready to call him dad, you wrote that in your letters" Ron said
"Well at the time I wasn't, it just sort of slipped out" Brenda said, " Ok enough about me, what about you and the Egypt trip?
Ron smiled big and got the clipping of his family in Egypt " We went through many tombs and saw many mummies, pyramids, some tombs mum thought was too scary for Ginny to go through, Ginny wasn't happy about that. I got your present from Egypt, the Sneakoscope. My brother Bill doesn't think that the Sneakoscope is real, because it is supposed to light up and spin when there is someone untrustworthy around. It was spinning for him so he thought it was broken, but Fred and George put some dung-beetles in his soup"
" And he still doesn't know that we did it" Fred said with a big smile
" Yah he figured they just flew into his soup by themselves" George said
" I now have a new wand" Ron said, " Its 14 inches, willow with one unicorn hair"
" Now don't drive a car through the whomping willow again little Ronny, don't want you to break that one" Fred and George said at the same time
" Don't you guys ever get tired of saying the same thing at the same time" Ron asked
" No" They said at the same time
" Harry and I say the same things all the time" Brenda said
" And you two have that psychic connection that only some twins have" Fred said
" That connection saved us a few times while facing you know who" Brenda said
Ginny came up to them, " Hey who wants to play Quidditch?"
They smiled at her and got up, grabbed their brooms, went outside and played a game of Quidditch then they had to degnome the garden which took all afternoon
" I see you guys stopped using the schedule" Brenda said accusingly
" Uh... yah, about that" Fred started
" Forget it, I just wanted to see how long you all could last with it" Brenda said smiling
Mrs. Weasley came out and yelled, " Time to come in for dinner"
They all hurried back into the house
Brenda was at the Weasley's for a week and it was dinner time again
" Tomorrow we are going to Diagon Alley to get your books" Mrs. Weasley said
" Be careful with the Monster Book of Monsters, its one of the books on the school list, Hagrid gave me it for my birthday, that thing could have bitten my hand off" Brenda said
" There are dangerous books?" Ron asked surprised
" You didn't know that?" Brenda asked surprised, " of course there are, just don't open it when you get it, I'm just warning you"
" Ok" Ron said
The next day they flooed to Diagon Alley, Fred and George were still there to catch Brenda
" We just like catching you" Fred said
" We're thinking of making it a tradition" George said smiling
They first went to Gringotts and got their money then they went their separate ways, Ron and Brenda shopped together. They shopped for an hour and then met Hermione
" Hi Hermione" Brenda said and gave her friend a hug
" Hi you two, did you get everything on the list?" Hermione asked
" Mostly, I'm afraid to get the Monster Book of Monsters" Ron said
" I haven't bought that one yet either" Hermione said
" Whatever you do when you do get it, don't open it, Hagrid gave me one for my birthday" Brenda said
" Well lets go and get it now, the sooner the better I think" Hermione said
The three of them went into Flourish & Blotts and the two of them purchased the Monster Book of Monsters which were all in a cage fighting
" I got bitten today at least five times by these things" The manager said
After they left Flourish & Blotts they went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and found Harry there " Harry" The three called
Harry looked up from the Daily Prophet and saw his two best friends and his sister and he got a big smile on his face " Hey you guys" Harry said
" We were wondering when you would turn up mate" Ron said, " You're staying at the Leaky Cauldron right"
" Yes, how did you know?" Harry asked
" Well my dad told us, since he works in the Ministry he found out what you did to... Aunt Marge" Ron said
" Another aunt" Brenda asked
" uh... Uncle Vernon's evil sister... trust me you don't want to meet her" Harry said
" I would have loved to see you blow her up though, it sounds so funny" Ron said
" It's not funny Ronald, Harry's lucky to not have been expelled" Hermione said
" I'm lucky to not be arrested" Harry said with a serious tone
" So are we ready to shop some more" Brenda asked changing the topic
" Lets go to Magical Menagerie, I need to get an owl" Hermione said
" Sounds good" Harry said
They headed over to the store and looked at all the magical animals, Hermione didn't get an owl, she wound up getting a ginger cat that had a squashed face
" I just had to get him, the owner said he's been there for more than a year, nobody wanted him, poor Crookshanks" Hermione said
" Just keep that fur ball away from Scabbers and everything will be fine" Ron said glaring at the cat
" I take it you're not a cat person" Brenda said
" No I'm not" Ron said
That night everybody spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron since they were close to Kings Cross then at the Burrow, the supper at the hotel was very good
" Harry, Brenda may I have a word with you please" Mr. Weasley asked
The twins looked at each other and got up from the table, Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and looked at her husband with a glare but Mr. Weasley glared back and led the two to a private area "What's up" Brenda asked
Mr. Weasley looked at a wanted poster of Sirius Black and sighed "There are some within the Ministry who would strongly discourage me from saying what I'm about to tell you two. But I think you both need to know the facts. Because you're in danger. Grave danger."
" Does this have anything to do with that guy on the wanted poster... Sirius Black" Brenda asked
"What do you know about him" Mr. Weasley asked
" Well he's a killer and he's on the loose, that's all Severus told me about him" Brenda said
" He escaped from Azkaban prison, isn't that supposed to be impossible to break out of?" Harry asked
" Yes it is," Mr. Weasley said "ok, twelve years ago when you stopped... you know who... Black lost everything. But he remains a loyal servant to this day. In his mind, only the two of you stand in the way of... You know who returning to power. That's why he's broken out of Azkaban. To find you. And..."
" Kill us" Brenda finished
Mr. Weasley nodded, " I want you both to swear that whatever you might hear you won't go looking for Black"
" Mr. Weasley, why would we go looking for someone who wants to kill us?" They asked at the same time
" You two do that also" Mr. Weasley asked, "saying the same thing at the same time" They nodded "Good so you won't go looking for trouble?" Mr. Weasley asked
They shook their heads no
" Good, just watch yourselves then" Mr. Weasley said then went back to the supper
Mrs. Weasley made them all go to bed early
The next morning they were rushing with last minute packing and racing down the narrow stairs with their trunks and animals in cages
" Come on you all, it's time to get in the cars" Mrs. Weasley called They hurried and loaded up the cars and headed towards Kings Cross
" Hurry we have 20 minutes to make the train" Mr. Weasley said
They hurried to Platform 9/34
" Ok we should go in pairs, Harry, Brenda you first" Mr. Weasley said
They made sure no muggles were looking and hurried into the wall and onto the platform
It took two minutes to get everybody on the platform and they had to hurry to the train. Mrs. Weasley stopped them and gave everybody a kiss on the forehead and gave them all a sandwich and they all got on with only two minutes to spare
" That was close" Ron said
They waved good bye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until they couldn't see them anymore
" Lets go find a compartment" Hermione suggested
They looked and looked but couldn't find an empty one, they found one that only had one person in it and he was asleep
" Come on everywhere else is full" Brenda said
" You think he's asleep?" Ron asked
" Seems to be" Hermione said
" Who do you think he is" Ron asked
" Professor R.J. Lupin" Hermione said
" How do you know these things?" Ron asked
" It's on his suitcase Ron" Brenda said and pointed
" Wonder what he's going to teach" Ron said
" Think about it Ron, what is the only class open" Hermione asked
" Defense Against the Dark Arts" Ron said Hermione nodded
" We have something to tell you" Harry said
Brenda shut the compartment door and said, " Yah, it turns out that Sirius Black escaped because he is looking for Harry and me"
" Yah he thinks that by killing us V" Ron cringed, " Sorry Ron... You know who will return" Harry said
" Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after the two of you?" Ron asked surprised
The twins nodded
" But they'll catch Black won't they... eventually right?" Hermione asked scared
" Of course they will, no one has ever broken out of Azkaban before and he's a mad murderous lunatic" Brenda rolled her eyes
In the afternoon it started to rain
A few hours later the train stopped
" Why are we stopping, we can't be there yet?" Hermione said
" What's going on?" Brenda asked
" I don't know, maybe we've broken down or something" Harry said
" A magical train breaking down... that's new" Brenda said
Harry and Brenda opened the compartment door and looked out into the hall, heads from other compartments were doing the same thing, all of a sudden all the lights in the train went out and everybody was in total darkness
" Ok that's creepy" Brenda said and sat back down on her seat and Harry closed the door Ron went up to the window
" Ouch Ron that was my foot" Hermione said
Ron was looking on the window and there was frost on it
It was getting really cold on the train
" There's something out there" Ron said in a panicked voice
All of a sudden a slimy and scabbed hand opened the compartment door and pushed it aside and revealed a cloaked figure, its face hidden beneath its black hood. Crookshanks' hair rose and she hissed. Harry and Brenda didn't look too good. Both of them heard an eerie and painful noise of a woman screaming. they both passed out. Lupin woke up and said a spell and a bright white light from the tip of his wand sent the cloaked figure out of the compartment
A few minutes later both Harry and Brenda sat up with bad headaches
" Are you two all right?" Hermione asked
" Yes, what was that thing?" Harry asked
" A Dementor, one of the guards at Azkaban" Lupin said and then handed them both chocolate, "It's chocolate, eat it, it will help, I need to have a word with the driver" Lupin left the four teens alone
" It was searching for Sirius Black" Hermione said
" What happened?" Brenda finally asked
" Well the both of you looked like you were having a fit or something and you both passed out" Ron said
" Did either of you pass out" Harry asked a little embarrassed
" No, but I felt weird like I'd never be cheerfull again or something" Ron said
Hermione shook her head no " I felt strange though but Lupin made it go away" Hermione said
" So who was screaming?" Brenda asked
" Nobody was screaming" Hermione said looking worried
" Are you sure? Because I heard screaming also" Harry said
" Nobody was screaming" Ron said looking worried
They didn't talk about that anymore for the rest of the train ride, they didn't talk that much either, they just listened to the rain, they couldn't wait until they got to Hogwarts
Finally the train stopped at the right spot and everybody got out of the train and on the horseless carriages
" Yes we finally get to ride in these" Brenda said and smiled thinking back to last year when they didn't get to
They went up to the castle and waited for the sorting to begin then there was a song sang by the choir that was really good and interesting because there were toads in the song also and then finally Dumbledore made his speech
" Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say, First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you, Professor" Dumbledore said
There was a loud applause
" That's how he knew to give you two the chocolate" Ron said
" As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid" Dumbledore said
The four third years applauded the loudest out of them all Hagrid stood up and nearly toppled the whole teachers table but thankfully it didn't fall
" Now then, Finally, on a more disquieting note, Hogwarts at the request of the Ministry of Magic will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban" Dumbledore said not very happy
" Potter" Malfoy whispered Both Potters glared at Malfoy " Is it true you both fainted on the train when the Dementors came?" Malfoy asked with a sneer
The Slytherins were laughing
They glared at Malfoy and turned around " How did they find out?" Harry asked
" I don't know, just ignore them" Hermione said
" The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds. While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving" Dumbledore said
After the feast the students went to their common rooms, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Brenda were the first ones to the fat lady
" Fortuna Major" Harry said the password
The fat lady wasn't listening, she was busy trying to sing
" Fortuna Major" Harry said again
" Wait wait wait" The fat lady said trying to break a glass
" Fortuna Major" Brenda said
" In a second" The fat lady said and screamed to break the glass and then she just smashed it,
" Look with my voice I broke the glass" The Fat Lady said
" Fortuna Major" Both Harry and Brenda said
" Yes all right, go in" The fat lady said and opened up
" Thank you" Harry said annoyed
The Gryffindors walked into the common room and Harry sighed " Home sweet home"
The next day the Gryffindor third years had Divination for their first class
" What kind of class is that?" Harry asked
" The kind with a crystal ball and seeing into the future" Brenda said
" This should be interesting" Harry said
" Well we better go if we want to get there on time, it's a ten minute walk to the north tower from here" Ron said
" Don't want to be late for the first class like you were during first year" Brenda teased
" Oh stop it" Harry said and rolled his eyes
Brenda laughed, " Come on lets go"
" So has anybody seen Hermione anywhere?" Ron asked
" Not since early this morning" Brenda said
They hurried to what they thought was the North Tower
" Are you sure you're going the right way" Ron asked Brenda
" Well this is North is it not?" Brenda asked
" Just making sure, I'm getting kind of tired" Ron said
They were on their seventh row of stairs
" I can't believe we use magic but nobody has ever put in a lift in this castle" Harry said
" That would make things a lot easier" Ron said
" Oh stop your complaining, this is good exercise" Brenda said
" I think this is what happens if you live with a greasy git for most of the summer" Ron whispered to Harry
" I heard that" Brenda turned around and glared at Ron then whispered so nobody else could hear her, " For your information that greasy git is now my new dad, if you haven't noticed I called him dad when he dropped me off at your house... and it has nothing to do with that, I just don't like complaining and I want to get up there as quickly as possible because there are too many steps." She turned around and started running up the steps, " We only have five minutes before class, I suggest you hurry up"
The two boys started running after her
They finally stopped when they saw other people
" So where's the classroom or the teacher?" Seamus asked
Everybody looked around to see where the door might be but there was no door or classroom
Ron looked at the ceiling and read Divination on the door that was on top of them
" There it is" Ron said
" How are we supposed to get up there?" Neville asked
All of a sudden the door opened up and a ladder came down
" Well that answers that question" Brenda said
Nobody wanted to climb the ladder
" Fine I'll go first" Brenda said and started to climb and when she got to the top she turned around, " NEXT"
Everybody eventually got up
" This is a classroom?" Harry asked to nobody in particular
" Looks more like an attic or someplace somebody might buy tea... it does smell like tea leaves in here" Brenda said
" So where's the teacher?" Ron asked
Right on cue a lady with glasses that magnified her eyes and wore many beads entered the classroom, " Welcome my children to Divination, I am Professor Trelawney... now please sit down"
Everybody sat down on the poufs that were there instead of chairs
" Now then, I am glad that you chose to take Divination this year, Divination is one of the hardest of the magical arts, if you don't have the gift for it, then there is very little I can teach since books only go so far, this year we are going to study tea leaves, crystal balls, and palm reading, today we will start with tea leaves, I want you all to come to my desk and I will give you tea, you need to drink it and then stir the leaves inside" Trelawney said
" Well this sounds interesting" Brenda said
Everybody got in line and was handed a tea cup full of tea and everybody sat down and drank it down then they stirred their leaves inside the cup
" What a load of rubbish" Hermione said
" When did you get here?" Ron asked
" I've been here the whole time, this tea is not very good" Hermione said
" Now give your cup to your partner" Trelawney said
The four Gryffindors passed there cups counterclockwise
" Now look into the cup and tell your partner what you see" Trelawney said
" I see a brown soggy substance" Harry joked
" Harry use your imagination, or inner eye, whatever it's called" Brenda said
" I'll go first, Harry it looks like you got a wonky sort of cross" Ron said
" That's trials and suffering according to the Unfogging the Future book" Brenda said pointing to the page
"But this lot here could be the sun and according to the book that's great happiness" Ron said
Ron was looking at Brenda's book
" So you're going to suffer but be very happy about it" Ron said
Trelawney came over to the group, " Have you made a prediction?"
" Harry's going to suffer but he's going to be very happy about it" Ron said
" Let me see the cup" Trelawney said
Ron handed over the cup and Trelawney looked down at it for a moment and dropped it and screamed
" What's wrong" Brenda asked
" My dear Harry... you have the grim" Trelawney said
" What's the grim" Seamus asked
Brenda took her book from Ron and found the Grim, "The form of a giant spectral dog, it is among the darkest omens in our world. It is an omen of... of death"
Harry took his cup back from Ron and saw the dog in the cup then Hermione took it away from Harry and put Brenda's down, Brenda took her cup back
" I don't think it looks like the grim" Hermione said
Brenda looked at her cup and she also saw a dog shape
" Hermione what would you call it?" Brenda asked
" A load of rubbish" Hermione said
" I see very little aura around you my dear, I fear you do not possess the sight" Trelawney said, she then looked at Brenda who looked upset, " Is something troubling you my dear?"
" Well yah, her one and only brother has the grim, why wouldn't she be upset" Ron asked
" Did you see something you didn't like in your cup?" Trelawney asked
Brenda didn't say anything
" Can we move to a different topic please?" Harry asked
" Let me see your cup my dear" Trelawney said
Brenda handed it over and Trelawney looked down at it and she was just as startled as she was when she looked in Harry's
" Let me guess, she has the grim also" Hermione said bored
Trelawney nodded
" Harry I think you and I are cursed... It's the Potter curse" Brenda said
" That's not funny" Harry said
" Who's laughing" Brenda asked
" Well my dears, that is all for now, you are dismissed early, until next time we meet" Trelawney said
Everybody left the classroom and the tower, it was a lot easier going down then it was going up, the next class was Transfiguration and they were almost late to that class because it still took forever to get out of the North Tower
" You were almost late you lot" McGonagall said
" Sorry we were in Divination" Brenda said
" Oh, so who is going to die this year" McGonagall asked
" Both Harry and I" Brenda said
" I see, well don't fret, I have known Trelawney for a very long time and she always predicts somebody will die, nobody has died, it's just her way of greeting and scaring the new students" McGonagall said
That made everybody feel better
After Transfiguration was lunch then it was the class they all been waiting for... Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, they had to grab there monster book of monsters and nobody wanted to open those
They went down to his hut and saw a bunch of green and silver robes
" Looks like we have class with the Slytherins" Ron said gloomy
" I predict there will be a bunch of Dementor jokes mostly from Malfoy and his friends" Brenda said
" Are you becoming a seer?" Ron asked
" No, it's just obvious" Brenda said
" So do you believe that nonsense Trelawney was talking about?" Hermione asked Brenda
" I don't know... I find it strange that both Harry and I had dog shapes in our cups... I'm sure Trelawney isn't the real thing, she's a little weird, but the grim did scare me" Brenda said, " I saw a black dog this summer when I was looking outside my bedroom window, it was looking up at my window when I was looking at it, it was looking at me... it gave me the creeps"
I thought there are spells around the manor where you live where you cannot be detected" Hermione said
" There is... that's another reason why it gave me the creeps" Brenda said
" I saw a black dog when I ran away from the Dursley's, right before the Night bus came and took me to the Leaky Cauldron" Harry said
" They both could be strays, not the grim, there are such things as black dogs you know" Hermione said
" Ok enough talk about this, it's giving me the creeps and we're getting close to the Slytherins don't want them to know about the grims, they'll have more to tease us about" Brenda said
They finally reached Hagrid's hut and saw the Slytherins and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were in the front of the Slytherins
Finally Hagrid showed up, " Come on now, get a move on! Got a real treat for you. Great lesson Follow me.
They went into the forbidden forest
" We're not supposed to be in here" Malfoy said
" You've been in here before Malfoy, and now you're two years older and it's daytime, we're not going all the way in" Hagrid said
Hagrid remembered detention with the four Gryffindors and Malfoy in their first year
They walked for 10 minutes on a trail into the forest
" Ok now gather around here and open your books to page 25" Hagrid said
" How exactly are we supposed to do that" Malfoy asked in a snippy tone
" What do you mean? haven't any of you opened your books yet?" Hagrid asked
" NO" Everybody said
" All you have to do is stroke the spine" Hagrid said like it was elementary
Everybody stroked the spine then took the belts off the books it came with
" I think they're funny" Hermione said
" Oh yes very funny, until they rip somebody's hands off" Malfoy said, "boy this place has gone to the dogs, wait until my father hears that Dumbledore let that giant oaf teach class"
Brenda and Harry go up to Malfoy, " SHUT UP MALFOY"
Malfoy glared at both of them then looked behind them with wide eyes, " D-Dementor! Dementor
All the Gryffindors looked back but there was no dementors and the Slytherins took there black cloaks and put on the hoods and went ooooh
" So immature" Brenda said
All of a sudden Hagrid came back and he wasn't alone, with him was a bird like creature, only it had the body of a horse
" This is a Hippogriff, of course now, first thing you gotta know is they're proud. Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, because it might be the last thing you do. Right then who wants to come and say hello to Buckbeak?
Everybody stepped back except for Harry who was mesmerizedby the Hippogriff
" Well, good job Harry, thanks for volunteering" Hagrid said
" What" Harry asked and then looked around, apparently everybody stepped back. Harry carefully moved towards the Hippogriff
" You want to let him make the first move. It's polite, see? Just take a step forward, give him a bow, and if Buckbeak bows back, you're allowed to touch him" Hagrid said
Harry went closer to the Hippogriff and bowed real low and waited, he really didn't want to expose his neck to the creature though
Buckbeak made a weird noise
" Back off Harry, back off" Hagrid sounded serious
Harry backed up but stepped on a stick and both Hermione and Brenda gasped
Buckbeak bowed to Harry
" Well done Harry, now go pet him" Hagrid said
Harry cautiously went up to the Hippogriff and petted his beak. Everybody but the Slytherins started clapping and cheering
" Will you look at that, now I think he'll let you ride him now" Hagrid said
Harry's smile dropped, " What"
" Come on Harry" Hagrid said and he picked Harry up and set him on Buckbeaks back, " Don't pull any of his feathers, he won't like that" Hagrid slapped the birds backside and Buckbeak started galloping and then went up into the air
" Wow that looks like fun" Brenda said
" I prefer the ground" Hermione said
Everybody watched Harry ride Buckbeak and he went out of sight but they could hear him cheering woohoo
" He's having so much fun" Brenda said smiling
Hagrid whistled for them to come back and Buckbeak landed two minutes later very nicely
" Well done Harry, Well done Buckbeak" Hagrid said then threw a dead ferret at the Hippogriff and got Harry off him, " How am I doing Harry"
" Brilliant... professor" Harry said with a smile
" Oh please if Potter could ride that thing then anybody else can" Malfoy said and he went up to Buckbeak, " You're not scary at all are you, you overgrown chicken"
" Malfoy NO" Hagrid yelled
Too late, Buckbeak reared up and slashed Malfoy's arm and Malfoy fell down
Hagrid got in front of Buckbeak and sent him away with a dead ferret, then turned and looked at Malfoy, " I... It's just a scratch"
" It killed me It killed me" Malfoy kept saying
" It's just a scratch" Hagrid said again
" Hagrid he must be taken to the Hospital wing" Hermione said
" Ok, I'll do it, I'm the teacher... Class dismissed" Hagrid said and everybody but the Potter twins left
Harry was petting Buckbeak and Brenda was a good eight feet away from Buckbeak
" Malfoy shouldn't have done that" Brenda said
" Leave it to him to screw up a perfect lesson" Harry said
" Hagrid better not get into any trouble for this" Brenda said, " I wish I could have ridden him, I would have volunteered next"
" Well you can bow down to him and then pet him" Harry said
" I hope he'll bow back" Brenda said
Brenda went a few feet closer and bowed nice and low, she was very nervous
Buckbeak bowed back and Brenda released the air she was holding and cautiously went up to the Hippogriff and petted it
They left five minutes later
" That was cool" Brenda said
" Flying on him was cool, we went everywhere" Harry said with a smile
They didn't see Malfoy until dinner that night
" Does it hurt terribly Draco" Pansy Parkinson asked
" It comes and goes, Pomfrey says if I came a minute or two later I could have... lost my arm" Draco said dramatically
" What a drama King, Harry and I had worse wounds than a scratch and we were in the Hospital Wing for more than a few hours" Brenda said glaring at the Slytherin table
" At least Hagrid didn't get sacked" Harry said
" I hear that Malfoy's father is furious... I doubt we heard the end of this" Brenda said
" You're probably right" Harry said
The next day they had double Potions with the Slytherins
" Why do we always have Potions with the Slytherins? Why not the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs?" Ron asked
" It's because we're enemies" Brenda said
" Huh?" Ron asked
" The school wants the Gryffindors and Slytherins to get along, that's why the Slytherins are always in our classes" Brenda said, " It just never works out"
Malfoy entered the classroom 15 minutes late and Professor Snape was lecturing, everybody was now making noise
" Settle down class" Professor Snape said
" He would never tell the class to settle down if we were late, he'd just give us detentions" Ron complained
" He's the head of Slytherin, you have five brothers, you've been in school for two years and beginning your third, you know what he's like" Hermione said
" When did you get here?" Ron asked
" I've been here the whole time" Hermione said
She began taking notes
" Today class we are going to make a shrinking solution" Professor Snape said
He wrote the ingredients on the board
" You have until the end of class" Professor Snape said
Everybody got up and grabbed the ingredients and their cauldrons
Malfoy sat in the middle of Brenda and Harry and grinned
" He's up to something" Harry thought to Brenda
" I know, lets just see what that something is" Brenda thought back
Malfoy raised his good arm, " Professor I can't cut these daisy roots because of my arm"
" Very well... Ms. Potter cut up the roots" Professor Snape said
" So that's what he's doing" Brenda thought to Harry then took Malfoy's roots and cut them up in little pieces, she made sure that some were a bit bigger than others, but also made sure Malfoy couldn't tell that much difference
" I also need this shrivilfig skinned" Malfoy said with a grin
" Mr. Potter skin the Shrivilfig for Mr. Malfoy" Professor Snape commanded
Harry took the fig and skinned it then thrust both the fig and the skins at Malfoy, the skins hit his face
Brenda handed the roots over to Malfoy, " Your arm is not broken you git"
Malfoy smiled evilly, " So have any of you seen that oaf Hagrid lately? My father is upset about my injury, I won't be surprised if that oaf is sacked by the end of the month"
" You keep talking Malfoy, I just might have to give you a real injury, one that makes Buckbeak look like a kitten" Brenda said with a glare that almost looked like Severus's
" Is that a threat?" Malfoy asked not seeing the resemblance
" Maybe it is, maybe it isn't" Brenda whispered
" Ms. Potter less talking more potion brewing" Professor Snape said
Brenda got back to work with cutting her dead caterpillars
" I hope I never have to drink this stuff" Harry thought to Brenda
" You and me both brother" Brenda thought
" So who's going to cut my caterpillars?" Malfoy asked with a grin
" Do it yourself, they're not hard" Brenda said
" Ms. Potter I told you to be quiet" Professor Snape said and went over to the group
" We're talking potions sir" Brenda said looking her father straight in the eye
" She won't cut up my caterpillars" Malfoy complained
" I told him that they're not hard to cut up, somebody can easily do it with one hand" Brenda said
" Draco, Ms. Potter is right about that one, cut them up yourself" Professor Snape said
Malfoy's jaw dropped
" Close your mouth Draco and get to work" Professor Snape said then went over to the other tables and stopped at Neville Longbottom's cauldron, " Orange Longbottom? Tell me does this look like the potion we are trying to make here?"
" N-No" Neville stuttered
" Didn't you hear me say quite clearly that only one rat spleen and only a dash of leech juice is all you need to make the potion the right color?" Professor Snape asked
" Ye-Yes s-sir" Neville stuttered
" What am I going to do with you?" Professor Snape asked
" Uh... Professor, I can help him with his potions" Brenda said
Professor Snape looked up and glared at Brenda, " You want to help him so you can boast about your potion making?"
" No I just want to help him out like a good friend" Brenda said a little annoyed at her fathers attitude
" No, he has to learn how to make it by himself, so no help from you or Ms. Granger" Professor Snape said, " Now stop talking and get to work", since you think this potion is right Mr. Longbottom, I want you to give a few drops to your toad, and we'll all see what happens" He went back to his desk
Brenda gasped, she knew what would happen because she made that mistake during her first summer at Severus's when she was practicing her potions, Severus had her test the potion on a rat and it got very sick " Professor"
" I told you to stop talking didn't I Ms. Potter" Professor Snape said
" Yes but I know what will happen, don't put him through that sir" Brenda said
" Mind your own business Ms. Potter" Professor Snape said a little angry
" DON'T HAVE HIM POISON HIS TOAD! THAT IS WRONG" Brenda yelled
" ENOUGH" Severus yelled, " 10 points from Gryffindor and you have detention with me tonight after dinner, now sit down Ms. Potter and stop talking"
Brenda finally sat down and glared at her father
Professor Snape ignored her
" What's up with Snape?" Harry thought to Brenda, "I thought he would at least be nice to you"
" It's an act, he has to keep it up" Brenda thought back, nobody but my closest friends are to know that he's my dad... but I think all of Gryffindor knows... so much for trying to defend Neville" Brenda turned to Hermione and mouthed, " Help him out"
Hermione began whispering to Neville what to do
There was only a few more minutes of class
" Ok everybody fill up a vial of what you have created and put it on my desk, then come circle around Mr. Longbottom's cauldron and we'll see what happens to his toad, it will either turn into a tadpole or as Ms. Potter said it will poison him" Professor Snape said
Everybody vialed up their potions and put them on Severus's desk then everybody gathered around Neville's desk. Neville looked very nervous
" Give me your toad Mr. Longbottom" Professor Snape said
Neville nervously handed over Trevor and Professor Snape spooned a little of the now green potion down Trevors throat and the toad turned into a tadpole
" Looks like the potion is correct... but seeing how you sit with Ms. Granger, and your potion was orange, I know Ms. Granger helped you out when I told both Ms. Granger and Ms. Potter to not help you out, so I will take away five points from Gryffindor, for disobeying my directions" Professor Snape said and then dropped a few drops of ageing potion on the tadpole and it turned back to a toad, " class dismissed"
Everybody left potions in a hurry because it was now lunch time
" What a greasy git, just because you were trying to help out Neville we lost house points" Ron complained, " And you have detention with him Brenda"
" Don't remind me" Brenda said
They finally got out of the dungeons and headed to the Great Hall
Everybody was eating and talking and having a good time when Seamus ran to the middle of the Gryffindor table shouting, " He's been sighted he's been sighted"
" Who has?" Ron asked taking the paper away from Seamus
" Sirius Black" Seamus said
Hermione looked at the paper and gasped, " Achintee... that's not far from here"
" Y- You don't th-think he'll come here d-do you" Neville asked with a stutter
" With dementors at every entrance to the school grounds?" Lavender asked, " I think not"
" Dementors? He slipped by them once already, who's to say he won't do it again?" Seamus asked
" That's right, Black could be anywhere, it's like trying to catch smoke, it's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands" Dean Thomas said
Harry and Brenda looked at the picture of Black, he looked crazy
After lunch was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin
" Good morning class, I'm Professor Lupin your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, you may put your books away, we don't need them today, today all you need is your wand" Lupin said
Everybody put there books away and got out their wands
" Good now if you will stand back while I clear the room of desks and chairs we will get on with the lesson" Lupin said and took out his wand
Everybody stood back and watched Lupin get rid of the desks and chairs then he said, " Accio wardrobe"
A rattling wardrobe appeared in front of the classroom
" Now can anybody tell me what is in here?" Lupin asked
" That's a boggart" Dean Thomas said
" Very good Mr. Thomas, now can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like" Lupin asked
" Nobody knows" Hermione said next to Ron
Ron jumped and whispered to Harry and Brenda, " When did she get here?"
" Boggarts are shape shifters, they take the form of anything a person fears the most, that is what makes it so terrifying" Hermione said
" Yes, luckly there is a simple charm to repel a boggart, that is what we will do now, we are going to say the spell, now without your wands please repeat after me... Riddikulus" Lupin instructed
" Riddikulus" The class said
" Very good" Lupin said
Brenda heard Malfoy saying about how this class is ridiculous
" Ok that was the easy part, now a more hard part is laughter, you need to force the scary creature into something that is funny... how about a volunteer?" Lupin asked
Nobody volunteered
" Ok... Neville how about you" Lupin asked
Neville went up to the professor really slowly
" Ok so what is the thing that you fear most" Lupin asked
Nevil stuttered and was very soft, " Profsr Snp"
" Sorry, I didn't catch that" Lupin said
" P- Professor Snape" Neville said louder
Everybody laughed because they knew he was scary
" Poor Neville" Brenda said with a chuckle
" Yes well, I think he scares all... you live with your grandmother don't you?" Lupin asked
" Yes but I don't want that Boggart to turn into her either" Neville said
" It won't trust me" Lupin said, " What I want you to do Neville is to only picture your grandmothers clothes"
" She carries a red handbag" Neville said
" Don't tell us, only picture it in your mind" Lupin said, " If you see it, we will too" Lupin then whispered in Neville's ear, " Picture Snape in your grandmother's clothes"
" What'd he say?" Ron asked
" I don't know, we'll soon find out" Brenda said
Neville's eyes went wide
" You can do it Neville" Lupin said and then he opened the wardrobe
Nothing came out right away and then a hand came out and then Professor Snape stepped out and he was walking towards the class
" Picture it Neville picture it" Lupin said
Neville was scared but he took out his wand and yelled... "Riddikulus"
instantly Snape was in a green lacy dress, with a moth eaten black hat, a fur scarf and a red handbag
Everybody was laughing except for the Slytherins
" So that's what Snape looks like in a dress" Ron said
" This cheered me up a bunch" Brenda said laughing
" Should you really be laughing at him?" Hermione asked Brenda
" Oh lighten up Hermione, this is funny, he gave me detention remember?" Brenda said
" Ok next" Lupin said, " Ron Weasley"
Ron stepped up and the Snape turned into a giant spider
Harry, Brenda and Hermione exchange worried glances at each other
" Riddikulus" Ron said nervous
The spider now had skates on its feet and it was going crazy
" Next, Parvarti you're up" Lupin said having fun
Parvarti's turned into a giant snake
" Riddikulus" She said
The snake turned into a giant jack in the box clown
" I think that clown is scarier then the snake" Brenda whispered to Harry
" Yah but we faced the snake larger than that" Harry reminded her
" I'm just saying" Brenda said
" Next" Lupin said
Harry got to the front and the boggart was going to turn into something bad
Lupin got in front of Harry and the boggart turned into a full moon
" Riddikulus" Lupin yelled and the full moon turned into a balloon and was locked back into the Wardrobe
" Uh... that's all for today, can't have too much fun... class dismissed" Lupin said
" What was that about?" Harry wondered
Everybody left the classroom