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 Thirty-Seven: Black Dawn
Draco Malfoy was not happy. Not happy at all. The word paled in comparison to his current emotion, trembled and ran for cover. It wept and pleaded for mercy, begged for forgiveness.
Holly, on the other hand, just sighed and fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"You went without me!" He shot her a hurt look, resembling a kicked puppy or Sirius when he knew he'd done something wrong. "I can't believe that you went without me! You left me behind, Potter! Behind! With Weasley and Granger!"
Holly tugged at the edge of her hospital gown and settled Tom's diary on her knees. "You were unconscious at the time. That's not my fault." She shifted on her bed but knew better than to get up; Pomfrey would have her head if she so much as put a toe on the floor.
Draco did not seem impressed by her logic. "You had a Time Turner," he retorted. "You could've waited for me." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"We didn't know how long that would take," she replied and cast a glance to the bed beside her. "Besides, Blaise stayed, too."
The brunet inclined his head but didn't say anything. There was a peculiar cast to his face, gaze distance and searching.
Draco sniffed. "That's different. You even chose to take Longbottom over me. Longbottom!" He was about to continue when a pillow unexpectedly hit him square in the face.
"Will you shut up already?" Milli asked rhetorically. "I thought it'd quiet down with the Gryffindors gone, but Circe, you're louder than a whole tower of them." She lounged back in her chair next to Holly's bed.
"Amateurs," the blond scoffed, ignoring her completely. "They got off light. Only stayed one night and left first thing this morning."
Another pillow promptly hit him in the face.
Pansy ordered from next to Draco, "Shush up. We can't hear the rest of the story over your griping. Whine about it later. I want to know what happened."
"But they went without me!" Draco interrupted, waving his hands madly.
Pansy ducked to avoid being hit.
"We know that already," Theo put in from Holly's other side. "You've reminded us enough times."
Draco opened his mouth, but Pansy silenced him with a fierce glare.
Milli smirked. "Go on, Holly. I really want to know what happened after Fudge and his goons left." She reached forward to pat the smaller girl's hand.
"Not much," Holly admitted. "Dumbledore hustled us back up to the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey nearly had a heart attack when she saw that we had left. Then, she forced all of us – even Sirius – into bed." She glanced at her godfather, seeing that he was quietly watching them. "The Gryffindors got to go this morning, even Neville. McGonagall personally escorted them back to the tower."
"The rest of us had a worse reaction to the Dementors, I suppose," Luna went on as Holly paused. "Then, the three of you showed up after lunch." She twisted a finger into her hair.
"It was the earliest they would let us out of the Common Room," Theo responded easily. "We even had breakfast in the dorms."
Pansy inclined her head. "The teachers have been busy all morning, as has Dumbledore. Probably getting rid of the Dementors and fighting the Ministry over Sirius."
Milli added, "And Pomfrey would only let three of us in here." She twisted her lips crossly. "We'll probably be mauled for information by the others when we get back."
Of course, the nurse chose that moment to stride out of her office. "Which will be sooner rather than later, Miss Bulstrode." She stood in the middle of the ward. "Out. The lot of you."
Pansy made an unhappy face, while Milli snorted. When the nurse turned to look at them, Theo took the opportunity to lean forward to whisper in Holly's ear.
"I need to talk with you later. Catch me on the train," he suggested, hand resting on her arm.
She gave a brief nod as the nurse shot them all a glare.
"Go on," Pomfrey prompted. "Out with you."
Knowing better than to complain, the three visitors reluctantly rose to their feet and headed for the door. And Holly quickly slipped the diary beneath her mattress while the nurse was distracted. Luna, in the meantime, pushed back her covers and made to follow, but Pomfrey instantly stopped her.
"Not you, Miss Lovegood." She gently eased the girl back into bed. "Not yet. Perhaps later."
Luna didn't respond, instead humming to herself. Sirius snickered. Theo turned to wave at them as he left, and Milli shoved him out the door when he lingered a bit too long. Pansy simply blew them a kiss. Blaise gave a small nod of his head, leaning back against his pillows. Draco sniffed disdainfully and recrossed his arms. Holly just smiled.
Pomfrey, in turn, bustled around and checked her patients. She paused by the Animagus' bed and tutted as she scanned him with her wand.
"I don't understand why I had to come here," Sirius commented after a minute. "There's nothing wrong with me."
Madam Pomfrey glanced down at him, her mouth a stern line. "You were in Azkaban for twelve years, Sirius Black. And then on the run for months afterwards. Not to mention the Dementors from last night. I'm simply ensuring that you are in top shape." Her face softened then. "We wouldn't want to lose you now that we've just gotten you back." She patted him on the shoulder, eyes suspiciously bright.
Sirius opened his mouth to say something but apparently thought the better of it. "I can perfectly well take care of myself," the man insisted instead.
"Of course, you can dear," the woman absentmindedly replied, hand smoothing his hair.
The Animagus made a face and did his best to pull away. "That's enough of that now."
Pomfrey's eye twitched, and he promptly shut up. The nurse nodded to herself as she moved over to Blaise's side. Moments stretched by in silence as Pomfrey went to each bed in turn, finally ending with Holly. She was just about to start her diagnostic when the door to the Hospital Wing opened softly.
"What is it?" the nurse demanded before looking up. "Ah, Remus. What are you doing here? I thought I told you to rest today." Her eyes narrowed again.
Holly could understand why. The man was rather haggard looking with large circles under his eyes. He all but radiated tiredness, shoulders sagging. Regardless, there was a sparkle to his eyes, fierce and burning.
Remus pressed his hands together in front of him. "Ah… yes, you did. But I feel much better now, and I was wondering if I might visit." His gaze travelled around the room, landing on Holly momentarily.
She winked and jerked her head in Sirius' direction.
The professor involuntarily looked that way, almost jumping. Sirius stared back, opening his mouth to say something. However, Remus ripped his eyes away then as Pomfrey loudly cleared her throat.
"I'll allow it, but only if you don't get them too excited." The woman studied him carefully. "And perhaps you should start with Mr. Black first," she suggested more to herself than to him.
But he wasn't really listening anyway, eyes still on Sirius. Almost unwittingly, he went towards the other man's bed. Yet, he seemed to come back to himself halfway there, glancing at the nurse.
"A bit of privacy, if you would?" the werewolf questioned in an almost breathless tone, gaze going back to Sirius.
"He's not leaving that bed," Pomfrey commanded, hands on her hips. Her expression gentled then, filled with a sense of comprehension and compassion. "You'll just have to stay in here, my dear. Take as much time as you need." She sniffled faintly and turned back to Holly a second later, face now unreadable.
Remus shifted from on foot to the other. "I'll just do a privacy ward then." He gave her a winning smile, one tainted with a hint of nervousness.
Then, his eyes flickered to Holly, and she gave a grin of encouragement, feeling the emotions churning inside him. The other students watched quietly as he made his way to Sirius' bed. Remus hesitated for a heartbeat before settling down in the chair just in front of him and waving his wand in an intricate pattern. A giant bubble formed around them, turning a deep purple-blue after it had set. Not even the outline of the two men could be seen. It went without saying that they couldn't be heard either.
The students all blinked and then exchanged a lengthy look. Holly herself leaned back against her pillows and let Pomfrey do as she wished. But the girl's eyes lingered on the obscuring ward for several minutes. It would be a long time before Remus would emerge. Hours and hours. Long after dinner and even after Holly herself had fallen asleep.
The third day after Sirius' rescue dawned bright and clear. A beautiful and glorious day. Most especially when Holly saw the headline of the Dailey Prophet.
"Sirius Black Declared Innocent!"
It was followed by a lengthy article, which Holly simply skimmed over as she seated herself in Sirius' new quarters. She knew the gist of it already. Sirius' testimony, along with that of the faculty, had been more than enough to clear him. He hadn't even been made to leave the castle. Director Bones and a few members of the Wizengamot had simply come to Hogwarts the day before and viewed a pensive memory before speaking with several professors. That was all it had taken to clear him. Of course, having that treacherous rat in Auror custody didn't hurt.
Naturally, it hadn't taken very long for the entire story to break in the papers. And the first headline was followed by several others.
"Peter Pettigrew Found Alive! To Be Tried Before Wizengamot."
"Sirius Black Usurps Guardianship Of Girl-Who-Lived! Seeking Undisclosed Settlement."
"Ministry In Near Shambles After Secret Keeper Revelation!"
"Sirius Black Says 'Yum! I Love Fudge. Especially Over Ice Cream.'"
The last one was obviously from the Quibbler, and it made Holly laugh for several minutes as she read over the article. It was very obviously written by Luna's father and didn't once mention Azkaban, Pettigrew, or Voldemort. Sirius found it equally funny when she showed it to him.
However, there was no amusement on their faces as they read the next headline.
"Hogwarts Professor Is Really Werewolf!"
"That effing bastard!" Holly declared as she threw down her copy of the Hogsmeade Times. "I can't believe that horrendous ponce Fudge would do this. And to Remus!"
Sirius sighed. "Bloody wanker he is, I'm not all that surprised. To be honest, we should have expected this. We knew that Fudge would want to strike back at us for making him look like the moron he really is." The man rubbed a hand over his suddenly tired face.
Holly stood up. "Well, we'll just have to tell Remus that we don't care about any of it." She was on the verge of marching out the door.
"Remus resigned, Holly," Sirius interrupted before she could even take a step. "He packed up his things and left this morning before dawn. A friend of Sprout's at the paper warned her about the story, and she told Dumbledore last night."
She just blinked at him in shock. "But why? He's the best teacher we've ever had." The Slytherin slowly sank back onto the sofa.
"True," her godfather acknowledged. "But even now, Dumbledore's office is full of Howlers from angry parents. Ones demanding that he fire the 'monstrous beast teaching my children.'"
Holly could tell that was a direct quote.
"Racist gits," she muttered, eyes now slits. "The lot of them. He is only dangerous when he doesn't take his potion. And there were extenuating circumstances this time!"
"I know." Sirius shook his head. "Don't I know it? They all remind me of my own damn parents. Hated everything and everyone that wasn't pureblood, magical, or rich. Loathed blood traitors and half-breeds." He reached over to take her hand, giving a fierce squeeze. "But that's not the point, little fawn. It's just like you said. Remus is only dangerous without the potion, and he didn't take it. You all could have died. You could have been bitten. Without Snape and Buckbeak, you probably would have." Sirius squeezed her hand again. "Remus resigned because he knew that he should have been more careful. He just can't take that kind of risk."
The girl looked away, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "But... but... He didn't even tell me he was leaving."
"I know, love," Sirius said gently, heart aching in his chest. "But it's better this way, and you know it. You wouldn't have been able to change his mind, and it would have hurt you more to watch him go." He tilted his head up and blew a piece of hair from his nose. "Besides, you'll see him after school lets out. I suspect that he'll be over at the house all the time."
Holly took a shuddering breath and shoved away her misery as best she could. The Slytherin locked it away, doing her utmost to mollify her thoughts with the promise of her new home with Sirius and seeing Remus there. It seemed to work and made her feel slightly better.
Indeed, Sirius' home was a very good distraction. The Animagus himself hadn't been there for over a decade, since before his imprisonment, and he hadn't dared return after his escape, knowing that it would be one of the first places anyone with sense would look. Still, it was his, a gift from his uncle. Once a rather nice house along the outskirts of a mostly Muggle village, just a few miles away from where Holly's parents had once lived. Not too far from Milli and Daphne to be completely honest.
However, from here, her thoughts inevitably took a different turn.
She exhaled slowly. "I know that I have to stay with the Zabinis for a while," Holly changed the subject.
"Only for a few weeks," Sirius acknowledged. "The house will be ready by then. It's been abandoned for a while now. McGonagall told me that nobody bothered with it after…" He cleared his throat. "It's been left alone."
The girl felt a prickle of concern. "The wards and everything still work, right?"
"They should, so all my stuff should still be inside," he replied after a moment. "And Flitwick and Dumbledore both are going to help me put up some new ones. Not to mention that Remus will help me clean up everything. Maybe I'll borrow a few House Elves from Hogwarts. They'd love the extra work."
Holly nodded but remained quiet. The conversation dwindled then, and they sat in companionable silence for a long while. Both were lost in thought, Holly's mind whirling with doubts and worries. She wondered what would happen to Remus now. As a werewolf, it would be difficult for him to find another job, especially since everyone now knew about his condition. Further, Pettigrew knew she was a Mind Mage, and it was a sinking and twisting worry he would reveal that to the Ministry. A slim chance perhaps but one nonetheless. And she didn't even want to think about what else could go wrong.
The Ministry could suddenly decide that her godfather was unfit and ship her back to the Dursleys. Pettigrew might escape. Blaise might not get over his fear of werewolves. Voldemort could return to full power. Sirius might be hit by the Knight Bus.
All right... perhaps not the last one. Yet, trust that when something good would finally happen to her, it would be countered with several near tragedies. Such was her life.
Almost like he knew what she was thinking, Sirius rose from his seat and plopped down next to her on the sofa. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and listened to her breathe for several heartbeats. But he spoke when he felt a tremble beneath his fingertips.
"You'll see." Sirius pulled her further into the half-hug. "Everything will work out. I'm free. Pettigrew's in jail. Fudge will get his. And Snape didn't even blame you for hexing him."
Holly couldn't help but smirk then, remembering the punishment her Head of House had heaped on the Gryffindors. Neville, strangely, had avoided it for the most part. Even now, he was in the process of serving his single detention with Sprout in the greenhouses. More like a gift than anything else. Professor Snape hadn't even lectured his Slytherins this year for their escapades, knowing it was a wasted venture. Though he had given them a very stern look when he had visited in the Hospital Wing.
"And," Sirius continued, "we'll take care of Remus. It's not like I would make him live in the streets or anything." He glanced away, staring at something faraway.
The girl shivered then, a peculiar tingle going down her spine. "I just worry," she responded. "It has to be hard for him. And with everything else going on..." She shifted against her godfather.
"Everything will be fine. Just fine," he repeated a bit more forcefully this time. "I promise. It will all work out in the end."
Holly had her doubts but didn't voice them. She couldn't help but feel that Sirius was trying to convince himself as much as her.
The last few days of the school year flew by, everyone doing some last minute packing. Of course, the castle was rampant with gossip about Sirius, Pettigrew, and the truth about their beloved Defence professor. Most of the students were sad that he was gone, dreading just who they would end up with in September. Slytherin won both the House and Quidditch cups, no surprise with Holly's skills on a broom or the fact that Dumbledore had awarded her fifty points for her outstanding Patronus. An ecstatic Marcus Flint could be seen shaking hands with just about everyone, glad that they had won in his final year. The rest of the House took it in stride if not a little smugly.
It came as no shock that Holly finished at the top of Slytherin. Vector had actually admitted that she was first in Arithmancy, even beating out Hermione. The Gryffindor girl, in turn, hadn't done quite as well as she normally did. Like always, Neville beat her in Herbology. But she also lost the top spot for Gryffindor in Astronomy to one of her roommates, a nameless brunette with pigtails who Holly didn't know. According to George, Hermione had also been beaten in Muggle Studies by Seamus Finnegan. As such, it wasn't unexpected that she had decided to drop that class along with Divination and had given back her Time Turner.
Holly's friends, in the meantime, were rather put out that they had missed another adventure, but they were pleased that Sirius was a free man. Blaise seemed especially disheartened that he hadn't been able to use the Time Turner with the others, no matter how they tried to reassure him. He was also rather quiet and distracted, eyes often staring unseeingly into the distance. That didn't stop him from following Holly around, very insistent that they be together much of the time. But then, she couldn't really blame him for being clingy with all that had happened. The boy had yet to say anything about that night. Nevertheless, she knew it was only a matter of time.
Leaving day was a godsend as far as most of the school was concerned, anxious to be home. Sirius said his goodbyes in the Great Hall instead of at the station, knowing that it was best if he not go. He'd probably be mobbed there by well-wishers and the like, all anxious to see the infamous Sirius Black.
Holly was a bit late getting to their compartment on the train, squeezing inside a few minutes before Theo arrived. It was rather crowded with all the people inside, but somehow, they made room for two more. Blaise instantly pulled her down next to him, sitting as close as he could.
Holly was about to open her mouth to speak when there was a sudden and rather loud growl. All eyes flickered to Milli, who was in the process of reading the morning paper.
"What is it?" Luna questioned as she hummed to herself. "The Imps rebelling again?"
Milli made a disgusted sound and read aloud, "Pettigrew Escapes Ministry!"
There was a universal chorus. "What!"
"Peter Pettigrew, thirty-five, escaped Ministry custody sometime last night," Milli continued in a fierce tone. "His methods are still undetermined, but an anonymous Ministry source reported that the Anti-Animagus warding fluctuated between the hours of two and three in the morning. It is assumed that Pettigrew transformed during that time and then later escaped through means unknown. Indeed, our source reports that there were no holes in his cell for him to fit through and that the Monitoring charms never reported his absence. It is possible that he had some outside assistance..."
She couldn't go on and balled up the Dailey Prophet. The heavy-set girl threw it, nailing Gavin in the head unintentionally.
"Bloody useless Ministry," Milli declared.
Holly could only close her eyes. "That about sums it up."
Blaise raised both eyebrows. "You don't seem surprised by this."
She shook her head. "I was just about to tell you. Dumbledore took me aside this morning just before I got on the train."
"Well, they best be out searching for him," Pansy pronounced and lifted her nose into the air. "Not that they'll be able to find him. Couldn't find their own wands with both hands."
"Shacklebolt is the only Auror worth anything, it seems," Draco commented loftily. "How much do you want to bet that he wasn't there last night?"
Theo rolled his eyes. "Sucker's bet that is. Probably the only reason Pettigrew made it out was that very reason."
"He had to have had help," Luna put in, dreaminess gone from her demeanour. "From what daddy has told me of their holding cells at the Ministry, that's the only way he could have made it out."
"But what are you going to do, Holly?" Pansy questioned with a worried expression. "I hope that Sirius knows."
The younger girl thought it over. "I suspect that Dumbledore warned him as well. And Eren and Dante definitely..." She trailed off at their bizarre looks, though Blaise merely gave a small smile. "What?"
"You're not going back to the Muggles then?" Theo asked very suddenly, tone sharp.
Holly blinked. "No..."
Pansy put in, "I..." She corrected when Milli narrowed her eyes, "We were worried that they were sending you back to the Dursleys. We were going to kidnap you and take you home with one of us, if they were."
Holly goggled at her. "I... I don't know what to say." She bit her lip. "Thank you." She tightened her hands to fists. "But it is not necessary. I'm going to stay with Blaise. With all that's going on, I must have forgotten to mention it."
"But don't you have to stay with your... relatives?" Gavin inquired far too calmly.
Holly's gaze flickered around the compartment, taking in the faces of her friends. "No. Eren was... is fostering me," she replied. "Professor Snape arranged it. I imagine that he scared several years off of Vernon and Petunia when he showed up on their front step."
The others all breathed out in a rush.
"That's wonderful," Pansy said in a wavering voice.
Gavin agreed, "Simply brilliant. An excellent manoeuvre on Professor Snape's part."
"And it makes sense." Draco nodded. "Severus was fostered by my grandfather." He paused at their surprised expressions. "What?"
"Our head of House was fostered by your family. Was he also... er..." Theo trailed off. His gaze went to Holly, but she studiously avoided looking at him, blushing faintly.
"I don't know for sure. I just know that his parents used to fight a lot, and his mum would hex his father something fierce." The blond shrugged. "At least, that's what father told me."
"Why didn't his father curse her back?" Milli questioned with interest, derailed from her venomous thoughts of Pettigrew.
Draco shifted in his seat. "Well, he was a Muggle for one. Made it kind of hard to use a wand."
"Really?" Pansy inserted, "I had always assumed his father was a half-blood or maybe a Muggleborn since Snape isn't an old family name." She seemed to be almost shocked by this revelation.
"No, he was a Muggle. I think he was a professor at a university. Chemistry, maybe." Draco sighed. "I can't exactly recall."
Everyone considered this. The conversation drifted then, going back to Pettigrew and then to the uselessness of the Ministry. After a while, they started up a game of Exploding Snap, but after Luna won three times in a row, they quit. Pansy and Milli drifted next door afterwards, where the rest of their year-mates were sitting. No small number of people visited their own compartment over the next few hours. Fred and George were first followed by the various members of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Titania was especially keen on how Holly was holding up, apparently having read about the treacherous rat's escape.
Neville showed up next, nervously shifting from foot to foot. It didn't help that he was receiving some peeved looks from Draco, who was still sore about being left behind. However, Holly greeted him with a smile, and the others warmed up considerably. Gavin even challenged him to a chess match, and they were still playing when the train pulled into the station.
Holly and Blaise stuck together as they departed, pulling their trunks along with them. It wasn't hard to see the Aurors milling about in the crowd as they walked, and even an idiot would have been able to tell why they were there. Nonetheless, the two Slytherins easily spotted Dante over the crowd since he was rather tall and headed over to the pillar he was standing against. The man beamed when he saw them and hugged them both. Holly was rather flustered when he pulled back, noticing a man in a red Auror's cloak studying them intently.
"Don't worry," Dante said in an aside as he spelled both trunks and tucked him in his pocket. "They're only here for show. Pettigrew isn't stupid enough to attack. He is probably long gone by now."
Holly could only nod as the Auror finally looked away.
Blaise's father quite smartly changed the subject. "We're so glad to have you staying with us, Holly." His hand was warm on her shoulder. "Eren will be so pleased to see you, dear. She was sorry she couldn't meet you two here, but she didn't think the baby would do well with the crowd." He steered her towards the exit to the platform and into the train station proper.
The girl remained silent as they weaved around the crowd, thinking, wondering. She didn't even remember the journey to the wizarding shop or through the Floo. Holly didn't come back to herself until Dante was leading them out towards the back of the house. She paused on the threshold, blinking as she took in the sight of Eren rising from the table set out in the garden, a baby in her arms. Belle and Lexie were similarly racing over, enormous smiles very obvious even from the distance.
Holly swallowed hard, overcome by some nameless emotion. She shifted from one foot to the other, but Blaise turned back to her then. He waved with one hand and beckoned her to come out. A sense of calm swept over her, washing away all her doubts as his eyes met hers. For the first time in a week, there was a sparkle present. A laugh on his lips.
And taking a deep breath, Holly stepped forward and into the sunlight.
Finite Incantatem
AN: And thus ends the third part of our story. I know it was very dialogue heavy, but several things needed to be explained. Also, I do plan to continue, but I probably won't pick it up again until sometime in September. I am not sure what my update schedule will be like yet since I'm starting med school, so we'll just have to wait and see. Until then, everyone.
To everyone who reviewed: Thanks.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Child of Faith
Ever Hopeful,
Azar
Updated and Edited:
08/08/10