Year Three
Disclaimer: All of this is based upon the lovely J.K. Rowling's work. I own nothing except for a few non-canon characters to be introduced along the way. All of the paraphrased or direct quotes are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, text copyright 1999 by J.K. Rowling. This story also borrows and incorporates several ideas from They Shook Hands by Dethryl, which is posted on Schnoogle, and I highly recommend as it is a great fic.
Everything is in the British-English spellings and feel free to Brit-pick.
"blah": dialogue
'blah': thoughts
"blah": Parseltongue
"blah": Legilimency/Telepathy
Chapter Twenty-Five: Draco Demented
The rest of the summer passed in a blur, and it was interspersed by the slight but still continuing tension between Tom and Sirius. While it was all but unnoticeable for the most part, it did flare up at odd times. Blaise, on the other hand, was friendly to the newcomer, finding him to be a rather interesting individual. The caramel-skinned boy spent a surprising amount of time with Sirius, peppering him with questions about the Transfiguration behind becoming an Animagus and how he had managed to do it without getting caught.
During that time, Holly noticed that her Mind Magic settled, going back to how it had been at the end of the previous school term. She was no longer plagued by strange bouts of telekinesis, a godsend since they hadn't mentioned anything about that to Sirius yet. Still, the change puzzled her greatly as had the problem itself. Blaise's collection of books relating to the subject was severely limited, which is to say that they only went into the basics and didn't go far beyond that. Tom had simply shaken his head when she asked him about it, but he did mention that the same thing used to happen to him during the summer months, though he had never really figured out why. He had several hypotheses about the problem but no real answers, so Holly made a mental note to ask Luna when she returned to school. Perhaps her fellow Mind Mage knew something.
It was also during those three weeks that Sirius further recovered from his stint in Azkaban. He was looking much better now, no longer resembling a skeleton that was trying to masquerade as a wizard, which was probably due to all the food they filched for him from the kitchen. He spent most of the day outside, away from the manor, rebuilding the muscle he had lost. This had the added advantage of keeping him away from the other members of the family, house-elves included, though it did take him from the Slytherins as well. There was only so much time they could spend outside without Dante and Eren becoming suspicious, especially since they knew how fond the children were of the library. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that Blaise didn't play Quidditch, so they couldn't use that as an excuse. Plus, the youngest Zabinis had taken to following Holly around during the day, and she would be hard pressed to explain a large, black dog.
Truthfully, the only time Holly really saw Sirius was at night, but even then, they had to be careful. They did talk some, but their discussions mostly revolved around Lily and James Potter, Sirius' schooldays, and after he had graduated. The girl noticed that he didn't mention his life before Hogwarts, except rarely and only in passing, but she didn't press, sensing it was a sensitive subject. All after, she knew what it was to have an unhappy childhood, and she could generally recognise that sign in others.
For her part, Holly left out all mention of her time at the Dursleys, which only left her two years at Hogwarts. However, there were problems with this as well. Her first year basically involved trying to protect the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort, while her second centred on the whole Heir of Slytherin debacle. Neither were topics she really wanted to discuss, mostly due to the fact that would bring her dangerously close to revealing Tom's true nature. Still, a not-so-small part of her didn't want Sirius to think her life, and her by proxy, as abnormal. She knew it was silly and just a habit ingrained from the Dursleys, but regardless, she didn't want to disappoint the first adult who had ever taken such a personal interest in her life without her having to befriend their children first.
Basically, this all translated to mean that Holly glossed over most of her own life and focused on Sirius'. She spoke of her friends and her position as Seeker on the Quidditch team but didn't go far beyond that. It wasn't until she laid down to sleep the night before the train ride back to school that she even realised she still hadn't told him what House she was in.
September 1st dawned surprisingly bright and clear, a marked change from the rainy days previous. They arrived at the station without incident and in good time, though it seemed that everyone else had gotten there even earlier. The platform was packed with people, mostly nervous parents, who had already shooed their children onto the train.
Holly was willing to bet ten Galleons that she knew exactly what they were worried about. The dangerous Sirius Black was on the loose, after all.
The train itself was complete pandemonium, and Holly and Blaise had to battle every step of the way just to get down the hallway. They finally managed to find their year-mates in the direct centre of the train, but their compartment was completely full. Quite dejected, the two left with Draco in tow. They had no idea where Luna was, but chances were that she would find them on her own, so they wandered down further, finally finding a compartment that had only one person in it.
The slumbering man inside was thin and in patched robes with greying brown hair. His head was turned away, but Holly still thought he looked vaguely familiar. It wasn't until a minute later, when they were already inside, that it hit her.
It was Remus Lupin, and he appeared to be drooling in his sleep.
Holly wondered what by Salazar he was doing there, on the train to Hogwarts, but then, she vaguely remembered him mentioning a surprise in several of his letters. It had slipped her mind with all the Sirius business, but now, she distinctly recalled the veiled hints. From there, her mind jumped to a logic reason for his presence, and seeing the name stamped on his travel case, Holly knew she had guessed correctly.
Remus was the new Defence professor, and he was probably on the train to protect the students from Sirius Black.
She started and blinked for several seconds after coming to that conclusion, which caused her friends to look at her curiously. Nevertheless, Draco nodded in understanding after a quiet but quick explanation.
Blaise, on the other hand, immediately tensed and backed away. He stopped after Holly shot him a glare, knowing that he really didn't have anywhere else to go. But he made a pointed gesture to Holly's pocket where Tom was safely tucked away before his eyes flickered to the animal basket in his hand. She got his message, but there wasn't really all that much she could do.
Everywhere else was full. They had to sit here.
And it was at that moment that Holly wondered if Fate really did have it in for her. Trust her luck that when she was trying to smuggle an escaped criminal to Hogwarts in the guise of a rather cute kitten, the one person who could identify him was present. Still, she couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it all, wondering how Sirius would have taken the situation if he was conscious.
Currently, he was spelled asleep since he hadn't exactly been thrilled by the prospect of a six hour journey in a basket, transfigured into a cat no less. He had originally wanted to come as a dog or even a puppy, but Tom had immediately shot down that idea by pointing out that neither was allowed. Further, they couldn't risk turning him into an inanimate object again, something quite dangerous if they continued to do it for extended periods of time. Besides, bringing a black cat wouldn't draw much untoward attention, and who would ever suspect a kitten of being dangerous?
Sirius hadn't been pleased by this, but he had eventually acquiesced, even helping come up with a cover story for his sudden appearance. If anyone asked, he was the replacement for Mr. Momo, Blaise's real cat who had sadly died at the end of June. It was a sound plan and seemed to have worked so far. Plus, it had the added benefits of allowing Sirius free access to their dorm and providing further protection in case Remus had told someone of his former friend's Animagus abilities.
The only inherent draw back was that Sirius couldn't change forms himself while he was under another Transfiguration, so he had to rely on others to do it for him. They had several ideas on how to circumvent that little annoyance, but they wouldn't be able to try anything until they got to Hogwarts and a better Potions lab.
Despite all that, Holly was a bit hesitant to take a seat, especially when she remembered that werewolves were supposed to have a very advanced sense of smell. Thankfully, there were enough strange scents around to cover Sirius', but there was still a chance he would be recognised. On the other hand, she didn't really have much of a choice.
Everywhere else was full. They sat here, in the corridor, or found separate places elsewhere.
Reluctantly, she shuffled the rest of the way in, the two boys following behind and staying as close to the door. It was the farthest they could get from Remus, who was propped up against one of the windows, and still be in the same compartment. Blaise was visibly unhappy with their choice, his mind very agitated, but he kept his mouth shut. And unfortunately for him, Draco nipped in the seat next to Holly, which meant that he either had to sit across from Remus or on the same side. Frowning mightily, the boy lowered himself next to the entrance. He deliberately didn't look at the lone adult and busied himself with making sure the door was unlocked so that Luna could join them later on.
A fact that the three off them would soon come to regret.
It wasn't more than a minute after they had gotten themselves situated when the only girl felt a tingle of forewarning shoot down her spine. Unexpectedly, the door slid open, and bushy head popped in.
"Oh, there's room here."
Holly had to bite her lip to keep from groaning, and she mentally berated herself for becoming so distracted that she hadn't realised they were there sooner. She turned annoyed eyes to her friends, who were looking rather exasperated themselves.
Without warning or so much as a by your leave, Hermione Granger shoved the door the rest of the way open and stepped in. She immediately descended on the empty space next to Blaise after hastily hefting her trunk out of the way.
"Hello, everyone. Holly, Blaise." She nodded to both of them, adding an instant later, "Draco."
Before anyone could comment another person appeared in the doorway, and like his Housemate, he simply barraged in without invitation. Yet, unlike Hermione, Ron Weasley merely grunted in greeting. He growled at his trunk as he lifted it, nearly clipping Draco in the head. The redhead paused in taking a seat once he was finished since his only options were to either fit in the space between Hermione and the sleeping Remus or to sit on the other side of his most hated Slytherin. Even with only those choices, he continued to stand for another moment, trying to decide. Finally, right about the time his fellow Gryffindor opened her mouth to berate him, he reluctantly moved next to the blond, pushing himself against the wall and as far away from the other boy as he could get.
Afterwards, they sat in a rather awkward silence. The Slytherins couldn't talk amongst themselves with conscious witnesses. Truthfully, it wasn't like that they would have said anything important with another person there, even if he was unaware. Additionally, Holly wasn't really in the mood to chat with the Gryffindors due to their actions the previous school year, and it seemed that they didn't really know what to say to her either.
Taking a deep breath, the Slytherin girl secretly wished she had a book on hand so that she could read instead of just sitting there. Nevertheless, it would be rude to fetch one from her trunk, and Hermione would be sure to call her on her lack of manners, despite the fact that the bushy-haired girl was known for doing the exact same thing. Holly would just have to tough it out, and a single discreet glance at her Housemates let the girl know they were feeling much the same.
A sudden noise across from her caught Holly's attention, dragging her from her musings. She looked up to find Hermione fiddling with the straps on an enormous cat basket.
"Don't let that thing out!" Ron stated loudly, causing Remus to stir.
The redhead instantly shut his mouth, flushing. The three Serpents blinked but didn't say anything. Hermione merely ignored him, still loosening the straps. Blaise reached over to help her, though it was more out of a desire to see inside than to actually be nice.
"I see that you have a new pet," the boy commented, trying to start up a conversation.
"Oh, yes," the Gryffindor gushed, finally taking the lid off. She lifted out a large, ginger-coloured ball of fur, wrapping her arms around it tightly and holding it out to the three Slytherins for inspection.
"He's gorgeous, isn't he?"
Blaise's eyebrows rose until they were nearly even with his hairline, and he made a neutral sound. Draco started to laugh but thankfully turned it into a rather believable cough. Holly discreetly elbowed him in the side, though she couldn't help but agree with his assessment.
The thing before them had to be the ugliest creature she had ever seen, including Dudley Dursley. The "cat", though she shuddered to even mentally call it that, had impossibly thick fur, which stuck up in all directions. Conversely, its tail was pencil thin, despite the rest of its body, and wiggled around like it had a mind of its own. The creature was bowlegged to the point that she couldn't fathom how it could possibly walk, and its very grumpy face was completely squashed in, making it look like it had run repeatedly into a brick wall.
"What type of… cat is that?" Holly asked, almost stumbling over her word choice.
Hermione shrugged, rubbing the thing's belly. "I'm not sure. The store manger only said that he'd been in there for ages." She turned the animal around in her arms, rubbing her face against its own. "I can't imagine why, though. Crookshanks is such a sweet baby."
Ron made a gagging sound, Draco faintly echoing it.
"Sweet? Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me. It's not a cat; it's a small tiger! And don't let it around Scabbers anymore." He turned to Holly, pointedly ignoring the blond between them. "The bloody thing has it in for him."
Hermione humphed, turning away and noting the other basket that was between Blaise and her.
"Aren't you going to let out your cat, Blaise?" she questioned, petting the monstrosity's head again.
"Er… no, he's been a bit under the weather lately," the boy said smoothly. "I best not chance it."
She leaned forward and peeped inside, nearly squashing her own pet in the process. "This isn't the same one you had before," Hermione commented, looking at it more closely. "Oh, it's only a kitten, but he's sleeping. Look, Crookshanks. Isn't he beautiful… although not a beautiful as you," she added, holding him up so that he could see inside.
Crookshanks growled, and Hermione merely shrugged before clutching him tighter to her chest. Her eyes roved around the compartment, landing on the man sitting just down from her. Ron followed her gaze, but unlike his friend, his eyes didn't flicker to the name on the travelling case.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" the redhead asked, jerking his head toward Remus like they didn't know who he was talking about.
"Professor Lupin. He's the new Defence professor," Holly answered, trying to keep her obvious relief from her voice.
She was glad that they were no longer curious about Sirius, but she was still uneasy about their interest in Remus, especially since they might recall she had a pen friend by that name. Still, the less attention the two nosy Gryffindors paid to little "Snuffles" the better.
Ron inclined his head, thinking it over. "I guess." He nodded to himself, deciding to change the topic. "So how was your summer, Holly?" he asked, almost kicking Draco in the shin when he moved his leg.
Only the other boy's quick reflexes saved him.
"I tried to call you on the fellytone," Ron went on, completely oblivious to the dark look the blond shot him or perhaps just ignoring it. "But I must have gotten the wrong number. Some bloke answered, and he was right pissed. Screamed that he didn't know you."
Holly had to fight to keep the grimace off her face, remembering a call she had received a week into break. She had been in the kitchen at the time and hadn't been able to make out any words, but she had still been close enough to hear whoever it was screaming over line from the other room. The girl had figured it must have been for her, though she couldn't imagine who it could possibly be, when Vernon had slammed the phone down. He had then stormed up to her, screaming himself hoarse and raging about freaks the entire time.
In any case, she did briefly wonder where Ron had found her number but figured he must have gotten it from Hermione, who had had it since first year. Not that the other girl had ever called her or anything.
Holly's entire recollection only took a moment, but Hermione interrupted before the Slytherin could even begin to fashion a reply.
"Honestly, Ron." She shook her bushy-head so furiously that her cat actually hissed. "It's a telephone."
Somehow, Ron managed to bite back a retort, and the conversation lulled.
Instead, the redhead seemed to take out his frustrations by glowering at Draco, twitching his foot toward the other boy's ankle sharply. The Slytherin shifted out of the way, practically sitting on Holly to avoid being hit. Hermione, in turn, twitched nervously, petting the now dozing Crookshanks. The Serpents merely exchanged glances.
"So…" Holly began, trying to distract the redhead. "Where's Neville?"
Ron frowned, looking away from the blond. "Not sure. We got separated earlier. One minute, he was behind us on the platform. The next, he was nowhere in sight." He moved his foot again, almost kicking Draco for a third time.
"And you just left him behind," the blond put in with a condescending tone. "How considerate of you." He had a very malicious gleam in his eyes, and Holly had the distinct feeling that he was out for trouble.
Hermione sniffed. "We didn't leave him behind. The train was about to leave. We had to get on."
"Even better," the blond stated sarcastically, gesturing for emphasis, "you abandoned him at the station, didn't even make sure he was on the train." He paused for a moment, something flashing across his face as a sudden idea occurred to him. "Now, he's all alone in London, stranded without a single friend to guide him, deserted by those he trusts."
Blaise snorted, but Draco ignored him. Holly could feel his desire to antagonise the Gryffindors, Weasley in particular, but she couldn't find it within herself to make him stop.
"We didn't desert-" Ron furiously tried to interrupt, sitting up sharply, but the blond had built up steam now and refused to be headed off.
"He's probably wandering around Kings Cross as we speak," Draco went on dramatically, adopting a sad expression. "He's wasting away with worry, wondering where everyone has gone. But his friends left him in his moment of need-"
"We didn't leave him!" Weasley all but shouted, his face reddening and making him look like a tomato with a sunburn.
Across from him, Remus mumbled in his sleep, causing the Gryffindor to instantly silence, though he still shot daggers at his seatmate.
"Poor, poor Neville," Draco clucked. "Lost and alone. Whatever will he do?" His grey eyes flashed nastily. "And with Sirius Black on the loose no less."
Ron gaped at him with his mouth hanging open, but he couldn't think of anything say. Hermione paled dramatically, her lip trembling. Both couldn't quite hide the guilty expressions on their faces. Holly and Blaise froze for an instant, but they managed to cover it up, adopting blank looks.
Draco seemed satisfied, nodding to himself. He mission was accomplished. The Gryffindors were now silenced.
The conversation was effectively dead after that, and this time, nobody attempted to revive it. Minutes passed in silence. Hermione eventually produced a book and buried her head in it. Ron scooted as close to the window as he could, practically hugging the glass as he looked out at the ever darkening sky. Crookshanks abandoned his witch a few moments later and settled near Weasley's feet, which only seemed to annoy him, but it did have the benefit of keeping him from kicking at Draco. The three Slytherins didn't really have much to do, so they eventually settled for taking turns with Blaise's chess set. They would have played Exploding Snap, but it was often loud and might wake up Remus.
The lunch trolley came and went, and everyone ate in relative silence. Hermione momentarily attempted to wake up their slumbering companion, who looked like he could use a good meal or three, but her tries were in vain. He simply slept on, his mouth still open.
Hours went by with no sign of Luna or Neville, for that matter. The former concerned the Slytherins somewhat until Holly reached out with her mind and located the second-year, who was with their other friends. Holly eventually broke down and also found Neville, though it took her longer to do so. He was with Ginny and a few other Lions, apparently having made the train, despite being left behind.
Still, Holly could hardly tell Ron and Hermione this, and a small, vindictive part of her thought their worry served them right.
The day progressively darkened as they went, rain beginning to fall, and not long before the normal time they should be at Hogwarts, the train began to slow. Ron perked up at this, thinking they had finally arrived. The rest of his companions weren't so sure.
Draco lit his wand and attempted to peek out the window to see why they were slowing, but the rain beat against the glass too heavily for him to make out much of anything.
The train stopped with a jerk, accompanied by the sound of various pieces of luggage being strewn about. The lights flickered once and died, and a pitiful mew came from Snuffles' basket.
Ron took over looking out the window, all but shoving Draco away. The redhead stuck his nose to the glass, muttering something about people moving around outside and coming aboard. But that didn't really make much sense, and everyone exchanged confused looks in the semi-darkness.
It was about this point that Holly became aware of a myriad of presences outside, but they weren't like anything she had ever felt before. They were misty, hard to hold onto… like they were trying to float away, and even when she dropped most of her mental shielding to get a better feel for them, she still couldn't really keep track.
The girl stood and moved to the other side of the compartment, gazing beyond Remus, who she belatedly realised was now awake and only pretending to be asleep. She wanted to see the things that she was feeling, needing to put a face to them. But a sudden flash in her mind caused her to hesitate. She whirled around, wand now in hand, and faced the door.
Remus chose that moment to make himself known, startling the other people in the compartment when he created a silvery, hand-held fire to light the area. His tired eyes flickered about, looking at each of them and lingering on Holly the longest. Yet, he didn't say anything to her personally, only telling the lot of them to stay put.
He headed for exit, but it opened before he even got there.
A cloaked figure was in the doorway blocking his path. Holly saw a greyish, almost decayed hand on the side, but it immediately disappeared within the sleeves of its cloak. Whoever it was took a deep, shuddering breath…
And then, all Holly knew was that she heard screaming.
The girl heard it everywhere, all around her, coming from every direction. There was a torrent of voices in her mind, each one shrieking. She felt emotions that she knew weren't hers, couldn't possibly be hers, but they felt so real. And there were people in her mind, dozens… hundreds. She recognised some of them, but they were weighed down by the others.
But soon, one seemed louder than the others, closer to her, and she started when she realised it was Draco. Holly latched onto his presence, pulling herself to him.
There was a flash of a tall man with white-blond hair, and he was covered in blood. He was face down on the marble floor, his neck at an odd angle, and there were long gashes all over his back and arms. She heard a choked sob that sounded like it came from a small child, high-pitched but soft. In her mind's eye, Holly saw little hands reach out and struggle to turn the man over before cupping his face.
He looked like Lucius Malfoy but wasn't him. His dead eyes were the wrong colour. They weren't grey, but rather a light, frosty green.
And just like that, the image was slipping away, replaced by even more shrieking. Holly finally managed to raise her mental defences, but all she really succeeded in doing was filtering out most of them until only one remained.
It was a woman's voice, sharp and clear, filled with determination. She was begging, pleading with someone, but Holly couldn't make out the words. A second later, the woman was screaming again.
Holly instantly threw up her strongest shielding, putting every part of her mind behind it, and then… there was blessed silence.
She opened her eyes, which she hadn't remembered shutting, only to gaze up into the worried face of Blaise. He looked pale in the light of the relit lamps but seemed to be fine otherwise.
"Holly?" he breathed. "Are you-"
"I'm fine," she responded before he could really even complete his question. "Really," she added at his disbelieving expression. "What happened?"
But it was Ron who answered.
"Don't know. That thing came in. And then, you started shaking. If Blaise hadn't caught you, you would have fell."
Holly noticed that he didn't mention anyone screaming, but she didn't dare ask. She glanced across the compartment, seeing Draco staring back at her. He was completely white, trembling faintly. His grey eyes were impossibly large and dilated, just a ring of silver around the black.
"What was that thing?" Hermione questioned, breathing harshly. She turned to the professor, the movement of the train causing the lamps to cast shadows on her face.
"A Dementor, one of the guards of Azkaban," Remus replied, reaching into his pocket. "Here. Eat this." He produced an incredibly large slab of chocolate and broke off several pieces, handing them out and giving the largest to Holly and Draco respectively. "Excuse me while I go talk to the driver."
The professor left, and Ron took it as his responsibility to quickly fill in what else had happened, while Holly munched on her chocolate. Apparently, Remus had ordered the Dementor to leave, and when it wouldn't, he shot some kind of silvery light at it, driving it away. The redhead went on to mention that only she and Malfoy had really had a reaction to the thing, although the last name was added with a fair bit of contempt.
But Draco didn't even have it in him to retort, merely shaking and numbly gazing at the wall.
It came to Blaise to defend his Housemate, and he did so with a fair amount of sarcasm. Holly barely registered what he said as she was too occupied with pulling the still sleeping Snuffles from his basket and running her hands through his dark fur as she checked him over. He mewed very softly, twitching in his sleep but appeared fine, and Blaise gently took the kitten from her before she could tuck him back inside his carrier.
Thankfully, Remus returned in short order, informing them that they would be at their destination in ten minutes. His gaze lingered on Holly, and he didn't look away until she gave him a barely perceptible nod. Still, his eyes did to flicker back to her every few seconds.
When the train finally pulled into the station, there was a rush to get off. Ron and Hermione shot of the compartment like Voldemort himself was on their tails. Holly, however, hung behind, waving Blaise and a still dazed Draco along and telling them to save her a seat on the carriage. Blaise seemed distinctly unhappy with this but eventually did as she asked.
Soon, only Holly and Remus remained, and they stood in an awkward sort of silence, appraising each other. Truthfully, it was to be expected because, for all of their letters, they had basically only met once… and that had been over two years previous.
A full minute passed in silence, and they continued studying each other. Holly really hadn't gotten a good look at him before since he had been turned away from her most of the trip, and she couldn't help but notice several differences from what she recalled. His hair was greyer now, especially near his temples, and he looked a great deal more worn. His face was tired, weary despite the smile present, and his robes had definitely seen better days.
"It's good to see you, Holly" he finally said, interrupting her inspection. He gazed down at her fondly, something nameless passing across his face.
"You, too, R-Professor" the Slytherin responded, actually managing to smile at him.
He chuckled at her word choice but didn't correct it, merely continuing to look at her.
Another minute passed quietly.
"Are you all right?" the man inquired as he saw her eyes drift closed and her face tighten. "You did take a nasty turn earlier?"
She made a neutral sound. "I'm much better now," the girl replied honestly enough, not mentioning how tired she suddenly felt.
More silence.
Holly exhaled, trying to brighten up. "Well, I guess I should be going now."
"Yes, you probably should. You don't want to miss the carriages."
The girl nodded and was about to step away, but she hesitated. She didn't know what came over her then, but the next thing the Slytherin knew, her arms were wrapped around his middle in a tight hug. It ended a few heartbeats later before he could even react, but it was still enough to give him a very bemused expression as he watched her depart.
The third-year hurried to her friends' carriage, finding it with ease. She wasn't really shocked to see Luna inside, greeting her friend with as much happiness as she could muster under the circumstances. The Ravenclaw seemed to understand perfectly, not taking offence in the slightest, merely content to hum to herself as they were taken to Hogwarts.
On the other hand, Holly was surprised to discover that the fourth person in the carriage was not Draco, but rather a fifth-year Hufflepuff. The older girl was wedged in next to Blaise, and she was looking strangely at him. Or more specifically the black ball of fluff in his arms. Luna, too, seemed interested, clearly wondering why he had brought the cat with him.
The boy merely shrugged when asked, trying to appear nonchalant, telling them that his poor Snuffles was sick and shouldn't be left alone. His eyes flickered to Holly when he said this, and she caught his unspoken words, though she seemed to be the only one. Blaise hadn't left Sirius in case the Dementors came back.
Soon enough, they were in the castle, eager to move into the Great Hall. However, McGonagall put a damper on those plans when she called Holly, Hermione, and Draco over and took them to her office. There, Madam Pomfrey fussed over the two Slytherins for several moments, mumbling about their delicate state. The witch insisted that they spend the night in the Hospital Wing, but she was finally dissuaded from that idea after a receiving two very Snape-like glares.
Afterwards, Draco was told to wait out in the hall, while the Transfiguration professor presented the two girls each with their very own hourglass. It took a moment for Holly to realise what they were.
Time Turners.
Several minutes later, a very satisfied Holly sauntered into the corridor, her tiredness momentarily forgotten. Draco joined her on the trek down to the Great Hall, watching him curiously. She noticed that he was still just as pale as he had been on the train, but he shook off her interest, redirecting it by asking what McGonagall had wanted. The girl merely replied that she had worked out the complications in her schedule, smirking faintly the entire time.
It took him a second, but he caught on, barely resisting the urge to laugh out loud. Their little scheme had worked. Now, they just had to tell their fellow conspirators.
The two made it to the Great Hall and sat in the space between Blaise and Milli. The heavy-set girl was holding Snuffles, apparently having stolen him away, while a nearby Pansy scratched under his chin. Holly frowned when she noticed that the kitten's eyes were open and groggily staring at her, as if confused about where he was. She shot a questioning look to Blaise, who leaned forward and whispered that the Sleeping spell had only just worn off. They had timed it so Sirius would wake up just after the feast, but the delay with the Dementors had thrown off their schedule. Still, as long as he remembered himself and behaved, there wouldn't be a problem.
A moment later, Dumbledore stood up to make his year speech, and Holly belatedly realised that they had missed the Sorting. It was too late to worry about it now, but she did wonder who had called the role in McGonagall's place.
Her earlier guess was soon proven correct when Remus was introduced as the new Defence professor. Yet, he didn't really seem to inspire many people with his appearance, especially with his patched robes. So it came as no surprise that he initially received only a disheartened applause, most it from the people from the train compartment. Nevertheless, the rest of Slytherin did join in when they saw their three Housemates clapping so enthusiastically, assuming that the third-years knew something they didn't.
The headmaster's next announcement received far more attention than the last, though it really was not all that surprising since it wasn't everyday a teacher retired. Further, there had been numerous wagers placed on how much longer Kettleburn would last, and while Holly wasn't involved with the betting, she couldn't help the trill of unease that shot through her, bubbling in her stomach. Hagrid was a nice person, but he probably wouldn't make a good professor, even in a subject like Care of Magical Creatures. After all, he did think that dragons and three-headed dogs made excellent pets. She could only imagine what kind of monstrosities he would actually try to teach about.
Afterwards, when the clapping had finally died down, the Head Boy and Girl were introduced. Holly was surprised to learn that Percy had won the position, a fact Ron had failed to mention.
By this point, a fair number of the students were shifting in their seats quite ready for the feast to be served. However, Dumbledore disappointed them, choosing to make one final announcement.
The old man's face unexpectedly turned grave, his eyes losing some of their customary twinkle as they swept around the room.
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." Dumbledore paused for a moment, his gaze roving around before adding, "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises – or even Invisibility Cloaks." Holly's eyes widened momentarily at that implication. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you."
He looked at the students for a moment longer, and Holly had the distinct impression that Dumbledore was not the least bit pleased with this arrangement. Yet, the appearance of the feast soon distracted her, and she tucked in gratefully.
Unfortunately, a few minutes into the meal, Holly found that she couldn't eat anymore, in spite of her barely touched plate. Her stomach was churning, making her queasy, and only some of it was due to the fact that Milli still hadn't put Sirius down. The other girl was cuddling him to her chest, stroking his little head and chatting with Pansy. She hadn't even started to eat herself, and it took a moment for Holly to come to the conclusion that she was waiting for her companion to finish so they could switch roles.
Sirius, in turn, was just taking it all in without apparent objection. In fact, his silver-blue eyes were half-shut. The visible part was glazed over as he hadn't fully recovered from the magically induced slumber. However, he was awake enough to take the piece of meat Theo offered him, and he actually gave a little purr of contentment.
Holly managed a faint smile at this and made a mental note to tease him about it later when he was conscious enough to be embarrassed, but another twist of her belly soon distracted her. It took her a moment to calm her stomach, and midway through, Blaise's hand found hers under the table. He gave a fierce squeeze, letting her know that he sensed something was wrong but that he wasn't going to draw attention by asking out loud. She merely shook her head in reply and looked away.
Next to her, she noticed that Draco had also pushed away his plate, his face still unusually pale. His dull gaze met hers, and shiver went up her spine in memory of what she had seen earlier. Holly knew that it had to be one of his memories, but she had no idea where it took place or even how old he had been at the time.
Regardless, if the clues were anything to go by, he had been quite young, and the man had clearly been a relative, someone Draco had cared for. She wanted to ask him about it but didn't dare do it until they were alone. Honestly, she wasn't even sure how to broach the subject.
"So what's its name?" Milli asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.
When Holly blinked in confusion, she pointed to the kitten that was now with Pansy.
"Oh… Snuffles," Holly replied, feeling her belly coil, though with nervousness this time. She fought the urge to fidget and shift in her seat, watching Milli take a bite of potato and idly hoping that she had remembered to magic her hands clean.
"Snuffles?" Pansy repeated from the heavy-set girl's other side. "That's an unusual name."
"More of a dog's name really," Gavin, who was across from them, put in with agreement.
"My sisters named him," Blaise said, managing to keep a straight face. "You know how they are. They come up with the craziest names. Remember that owl we used to have-"
"You mean," Draco interrupted, his face brightening for an instant, "Gracefully Flies by the Pretty Trees and-"
"Yes, yes… that's the one," Blaise cut in, preventing his friend from saying the rest of the ridiculously long name his little sisters had come up with.
Blond's lips twisted into a smirk, but both it and his face soon faltered. "Wait. Didn't your cousin accidentally hex her to death?"
Blaise sighed heavily. "Yes… and she was such a good owl."
The other Slytherins exchanged glances, but they mercifully remained silent. The conversation drifted afterwards, moving on to how everyone's summer had been. This wasn't exactly Holly's favourite topic either, but at least, it was better than the previous one. She deftly avoided most discussion of her holiday, only mentioning that she had again spent it with Blaise. Her fellow Serpents were on to her tricks, however, apparently remembering the summer between first and second year. They spent the rest of the meal peppering her with all sorts of questions, waiting for her to let something slip.
By the end of the feast, Holly finally managed to get them to stop, mostly by refusing to say anything. She was very tired, her stomach ached, and her head was beginning to throb. She wouldn't really feel like answering on her best day, and she most definitely wasn't up to it now. As such, the girl graciously thanked the Maker when Dumbledore dismissed them.
But her luck seemed to be in top form today as she ended up walking with Milli and Pansy to dungeons, Blaise and Draco just in front of her. Her roommates were just as enthralled with Snuffles as they had been at dinner, practically fawning over him. They were now taking turn talking to the kitten, sounding much like Hermione had with Crookshanks. Holly tuned the pair of them out and followed Draco down the corridor, idly staring at the back of his head and allowing her mind to wander.
It drifted back to the blond's memory and from there to the woman's scream she had heard afterwards. The lady sounded familiar… so very familiar, but Holly just couldn't seem to place her. The girl knew that she had heard that voice before; she just couldn't remember where. It brought to mind comfort and happiness, though she really couldn't think of why.
And it was a riddle that would probably eat at her for the next several days and weeks until she figured it out. Even just thinking of it made her temples throb harder.
"Oh, I forgot to ask earlier." Milli's voice cut into her thoughts once again, managing to speak loudly enough to gain the attention of everyone around them.
Holly turned tired green eyes to her year-mate, feeling queasy and wishing nothing more than to drop into her bed and sleep. Despite all that, she gestured for the other girl to continue.
"Is Snuffles a girl or boy?" Milli inquired, stroking the kitten under the chin delicately as she walked down the corridor.
Holly blinked, her mind trying to process the question, but before she could answer, the heavy-set Slytherin rolled her eyes and hoisted him in the air, looking underneath.
"Definitely a boy."
Snuffles mewed pitifully. The students around them sniggered. Blaise ran his hands over his face.
Holly didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.
AN: Okay, this came off a bit sillier than I intended, but well… that can't really be helped. Also, it's a magic train, so I'm going under the assumption that eight people can fit in a compartment. I know that Hermione is acting rather odd in this chapter, but some people get really peculiar about their pets. The same goes for Milli and Pansy, even if it isn't their cat. Additionally, Remus sent word about Draco because he saw his reaction, whereas he didn't in canon.
Oh, I've had a lot of people ask about the pairings, and I really don't have an answer to that. When I started this story, I had one in mind for Holly, but I'm not so sure about it now. Another character has made himself known, and now, I can't decide who would be best for her. Truthfully, I might have her date around some before she settles on one person, but then again, I might not. It just depends on how the story evolves.
To everyone who reviewed: Thanks.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Talons, Tealeaves, and Time Turners
Ever Hopeful,
Azar
Updated and Edited:
08/08/10