Chapter 37:
Harry understood Hermione's intentions, but he was still very angry with her, just like he was with Skylar. Ron on the other hand was down right furious with the muggle-born girl. As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" Hermione asked Skylar, as they sat in the empty library.
"Well, I definitely think it was suspicious, and probably good that the broom's getting checked over. It'll be awful if there is something wrong with it…" Skylar said.
"Do you think Black could have sent it?"
"Yes." Skylar said without hesitation.
"So it could be dangerous." Hermione nodded.
Skylar didn't have an answer for that. She thought it was really strange, Black had been, in his animagus form according to Harry, at the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, she had a feeling he'd have seen Harry fall off his broom due to the Dementors. If Harry survived that, and he had survived Quirrel bewitching the broom in their first year, what good would it do to send Harry a bewitched broom? A bottle of poisoned butterbeer sounded like a better plan.
There was also the fact that Black had come to the match at all… why? Harry was on the team, everyone knew that, and in the air, what could he accomplish to get to the boy so far away?
Because of the disagreements between the two boys and two girls, Skylar and Hermione spent most of their holiday in the library, away from the common room, leaving it for the boys to have to themselves.
Skylar thought Hermione preferred it that way at this moment, she had so much homework even for holidays.
"How do you keep up with so much work?" Skylar wondered, glancing around to make sure no one else was in the library. "Do you use the timeturner to help you with study time too?"
"God no! It's for classes only." Hermione said strongly.
"This is class work." Skylar reminded her. "They can't expect you to use a timeturner to attend all classes and not use it to keep up with the work load." She thought.
"That would be taking advantage."
"It's not like you're trying to change the past, or the future." Skylar shrugged. She was trying to do her transfiguration essay. It didn't matter how much she liked the subject, she still hated doing the essays. "I'm just saying," she continued as she flicked through the pages of the transfiguration book. "If you're stressed now, how on earth are you going to survive in our final term?"
"I'm sure I'll be able to manage." Hermione said.
"You haven't met yourself have you?" Skylar muttered and Hermione shot her a look. "I think you should let me worry about Hagrid and Buckbeak also," as the girls hadn't forgotten about Hagrid's looming hearing. "I doubt you have time for that." Skylar closed her transfiguration book.
"No, you finish that first." Hermione ordered.
Skylar groaned and hit her forehead to the book. "I'd rather research hippogriffs on trial." She grumbled.
"It's just an essay." Hermione mumbled.
"You can say that." Skylar said. "You're Hermione Granger, brightest student in our year." Hermione blushed slightly.
"Ah, just the girl I was hoping to find here." The two girls turned as Stephen walked towards their table, his bag over his shoulder.
"Who, me, or Hermione?" Skylar wondered.
Stephen sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Honestly, both." He said.
Hermione and Skylar shared a look, Skylar's forehead furrowing. Hermione looked confused also, but there was a quirk in the corner of her mouth as she looked at Skylar, the auburn-haired girl's eyes narrowing at the look.
"The three of us are doing ancient Runes, but Hermione and I are doing Arithmancy and there's just something I can't quite wrap my head around." He confessed. "Came calling for a friend?"
Hermione looked at Skylar, an eyebrow raised in question and Skylar returned it unsurely. She shrugged, she didn't mind if Hermione helped him, why was she even asking?
"Sure." Hermione grabbed a few books to make room for the boy, who sat at the end of the table between the girls.
"Hm, not feeling confident on you being my study buddy if you're calling a friend." Skylar said as he pulled out his books and parchment.
"Be grateful you're not doing Arithmancy then." Stephen muttered.
"Hard?"
"Hardest subject there is." Stephen admitted.
"It's my favourite." Hermione grinned.
"Why do it?" Skylar wondered, asking Stephen.
"Why are you doing Ancient Runes?"
"It sounded interesting." Skylar shrugged.
"Dido." Stephen responded. Skylar rolled her eyes and Hermione smirked at them both. Skylar noticed and shot her a look, earning a shrug in return.
"So, what's confusing you exactly?" Hermione asked the boy.
"Great, you guys do that, I'm going to look up hippogriffs." Skylar grinned. Stephen looked confused as Skylar got up from her seat and moved through the shelves.
"Hippogriffs?" He asked Hermione.
"Long story…" Hermione smiled.
Hermione and Skylar were joined by Stephen in the library over the rest of the holidays, Skylar had all her homework done before New Years even begun, having so little amount. Stephen was done before her, being a Ravenclaw, but then helped Hermione through her extra work. Both of them listened to Skylar as she read through hippogriff facts, agreeing or disagreeing they'd be helpful. Hermione had explained the situation to the boy.
The rest of the school returned after the beginning of the New Year, the common rooms all filled up and the library became the home for all fifth, sixth and seventh graders. The beginning of term approached quicker than Skylar would have liked.
"We can't avoid them forever." Skylar sighed as they sat in the dormitory. The other occupants of the dormitory were still saying hello to everyone.
"You want to apologise?" Hermione asked.
"We both should, I kept some important information from Harry that I shouldn't have, and whether you meant well or not, you did take away Harry's new prized possession." Skylar admitted. She sighed. "I just, don't like not being able to talk to them, I mean Ron's my oldest friend and…" she dropped her head.
"You miss talking to Harry." Hermione sighed. Skylar rose an eyebrow. "Honestly Sky, I think you get along with each of us better than we get along with each other."
"It might have something to do with knowing how you each think." Skylar shrugged with a smile.
"Look Sky, you get Harry in a way Ron and I don't, and I know you miss that connection. Thanks to you Harry doesn't bottle everything away."
"I think you're giving me a bit too much credit." Skylar sighed. "Though I do want to talk to Harry, without Ron around, but that seems unlikely. It's been a week and I already miss them." She slumped, her chin leaning on her knees. "What's worse is I haven't been able to see Remus." She frowned.
"It was the wrong time." Hermione sighed.
"So ironic." She frowned.
Skylar wanted to talk to Harry, Ron wasn't mad at her, but she knew him, and his anger at Hermione, would likely come out at her in one way or another. Especially as the two girls had been spending time together.
Everyone returned to classes at the beginning of January. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.
Skylar had another lesson with Professor Dumbledore on her Occlumency lessons. She sat down at his desk and he smiled at her.
"You're Occlumency is highly improving this year, I have to admit, I did not believe that getting control would boost your skills." Dumbledore smiled at her.
Skylar returned it. Of course her Occlumency had suddenly increased, she was having lessons that involved the Headmaster of Hogwarts entering her head, where there was way too much information being hidden. She knew things that Dumbledore couldn't know, and this was the only way to keep them secret. Her ability of control was also improving because of her fears of the Headmaster learning what she knew, all of what she knew.
Skylar spent most of the day looking forward to Defence Against the Dark Arts. She needed to talk to Remus, she had to tell him, about Harry finding out about Sirius Black, about the Firebolt… She needed to really unload.
Despite the fact that Harry and Ron were not on talking terms with Hermione and Skylar, the classes were not awkward like she thought they'd be. Hermione and Skylar worked together, Hermione doing better at ignoring the boys than Skylar was.
When Defence Against the Dark Arts ended Skylar wanted to talk to Remus. As it turned out, Harry wanted to talk to him as well.
Remus had promised Harry Anti-Dementor lessons and Harry stuck back as the class left to remind Remus about them.
"Ah yes," said Remus, "Let me see… how about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough… I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this… We can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on…"
Skylar stood waiting and Remus looked at her, smiling. Harry turned to her as well before he turned and left the room.
Remus rose an eyebrow as Skylar dropped her head and then looked at the man.
"Everything all right?" He asked her.
"Lots happened while you were… sick." She whispered. "Do you have time to talk about it?"
"I suppose I can spare a moment." He nodded. He waved his wand and a chair appeared for Skylar to sit in.
Skylar looked down, now she was here, she didn't know where to start. She had to tell about Harry finding out the truth, that was why there was an awkward air between the two. But Harry found out by getting to Hogsmeade, which he did through the map that Remus helped make, and was confiscated.
"Sky?" Remus questioned.
"It's a long story…" she mumbled, "But… Harry found out." She confessed.
Remus looked at her surprised. "About…?"
"About Sirius Black betraying his parents, ending in their death, and even about Sirius Black being his Godfather." She sighed.
Remus nodded, and was silent for a moment.
"He's not really talking to me because he knows I knew, but didn't tell him." She whispered.
"He's your friend Skylar, he'll come around." Remus assured.
"I don't know, there's a lot of disagreement going through us all at the moment." Skylar confessed. "The boys are mad at Hermione because she was worried for their safety." She admitted. "At Christmas, Harry got an unnamed present, it was a Firebolt." She said.
"The broom?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "At the beginning of the year, Harry saw a black dog, he then saw a book on omens and the grim is a black dog, he doesn't believe it's a death omen but… He saw the dog again at the game against Hufflepuff, before he fell off his broom."
Remus stared at her, concern over his expression before he took a breath.
"He was at the game! In the stands!" She kept her voice low, glancing at the classroom door. "And I'm freaked out by that and confused, why the hell would he be in the stands? He can't get Harry there, what, did he just come to watch? Why?"
Remus took a breath. "I can't count for his actions, not anymore."
"There's just so many things I don't understand, and everything's so complicated… Remus, I don't know what to do." She took a breath unsurely. "The only good thing that's happened is my Occlumency has completely boosted in skill to keep Dumbledore from finding anything out." She mumbled.
"Skylar, I know this is hard for you, and you were right about Harry being able to find the truth out."
"Not that anyone bothered to listen to me." She mumbled. Remus smiled slightly and nodded.
"Did you tell your father?"
"I sent him a letter with my brother's. I haven't heard anything back… they didn't say much." She mumbled.
"Your father's been swamped at the Ministry, what with Black showing up here at the school." Remus sighed.
"I feel locked in a corner, with him not here. I don't know what to do with all I know. Black knows all of the secret passageways there are into the school and that's how he got in on Halloween. He's an animagus and he is hiding around here, watching Quidditch games…" she shook her head.
Remus got up and he moved around, kneeling before the girl.
"Skylar, I know this is hard for you, and I know, despite the fact that you love your gift, this makes you hate it, even if you don't tell anyone else that. I also know that the sadness of having Harry mad at you is adding to your guilt of not telling, Dumbledore at least, about everything." He said.
"Isn't it for you?" Skylar whispered, "He let you go to school here and teach here, and you broke his rules, your friends became animagus' and you, or my father, or my mother, haven't told about any of that." Skylar admitted. "And now it's risking Harry."
"We don't know that Black's ability to change, is what allowed him to leave Azkaban." Remus said.
"We both know that's exactly how." Skylar said, her forehead furrowing. "You can't lie to me Remus, even if you have been practicing Occlumency." She muttered.
Remus sighed and lowered his head. He didn't nod, he didn't argue, but Skylar knew she'd hit a raw subject, because Remus did feel guilty, and he knew she was right.
Skylar rolled her lips before she stood up and moved for the door. She glanced back at the man as he stood to his feet before she left the room. Talking about the issue, hadn't made anything better after all.