Sorry for not updating earlier like I usually do, I just got a bit busy in the past two weeks and will probably continue to be so don't expect the general two week updates from now on.


Secret Keeper


Ever since her blow-up with Draco in the Great Hall, Ursa began openly hanging out with Hermione as they worked together to create their own case for Buckbeak. There were certainly a few odd looks that went her way but Ursa didn't care who saw her. It was no secret now that she was an advocate for Buckbeak, so Ursa had nothing to lose by publicly associating with Hermione. There was no doubt that Hermione's so-called friends were also noticing Ursa's association with her, and Ursa knew that it was only adding to Hermione's conflict with them.

"Are Potter and Weasley still giving you the stink eye?" Ursa asked as they had their usual study session in the library.

Hermione groaned, "It's even worse now. Ron's found something else to hate me for. He's accused Crookshanks of murdering Scabbers."

"That rotten rat of his?" Ursa clarified.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed. "Ron said that Scabbers was gone and that there were cat hairs there so he just naturally accused Crooks of murdering Scabbers. What does Ron even see in that rat anyways? It's just rotten and gross."

"How long has he even had that rat for?" Ursa wondered.

"Ron said that it's been in his family for thirteen years now and that it was his brother Percy's before he got it," Hermione replied.

Ursa narrowed her eyes, "That's odd for a rat to live that long."

Hermione shrugged, "Maybe it's different? I tried to reason with Ron, saying that if Scabbers is dead then maybe he just died on his own because Scabbers was looking particularly dreadful in the days before he disappeared. But Ron's had a vendetta against Crookshanks from the moment he met him."

"Ronald just has poor taste in pets. Who would even want a pathetic rat like that?" Ursa remarked.

"I know! Ron didn't even like Scabbers for the most part. He was always going on about how pathetic he was and how he wished he had a better pet. But then when Scabbers is gone he goes ballistic," Hermione said.

"Well, I guess it's just a case of you say you hate something but really, if you lost it you would really miss it. Ronald probably really did care about his rat but just spent so much of his time hating on it because everyone else saw it was pathetic," Ursa reasoned.

"It's just stupid. We're supposed to be friends and he's throwing our friendship aside because of a stupid rat. And Harry's just going along with him because Ron's his best friend and he'd rather be friends with Ron than me. Am I not worth more than a rat?" Hermione cried hysterically.

"Careful, Minnie, otherwise you'll get Madam Pince to kick us out," Ursa chuckled awkwardly.

"No! It's just wrong. Everything is wrong! Nothing is right anymore!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What's with the dramatics, Minnie? Don't you think you should calm down a little?" Ursa asked.

"No! I'm just expressing myself, that's all. I'm acting completely normal. Don't I have a right to speak my mind against the injustice of Ron refusing to speak to me over his stupid rat?" Hermione cried.

"Of course, but just not like this because it's not you," Ursa replied.

Hermione groaned, "Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed lately and this whole argument with Harry and Ron is wasting energy that I could be spending on my classes. I have so much work to do and I've barely even started."

"Well, maybe I could help you?" Ursa offered.

"No! I can do it on my own. It's my work. I wanted the challenge of doing it so I will get it done on my own," Hermione insisted as she pulled up her book bag and put it on the table. "Ugh! Where is my Ancient Runes book!"

"Um, it's right in front of you, Minnie," Ursa replied awkwardly.

"Oh," Hermione stammered. "I guess… I missed it. That's fine. Everything is fine."

"You don't sound fine," Ursa reasoned.

"Everything is fine!" Hermione hissed.

"Okay, you are way too stressed. You just need to take a moment to lie down and have a nap," Ursa suggested as she slowly took Hermione's bag from her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ursa could've sworn that she saw the strangest looking necklace in Hermione's bag. As she took a closer look, Ursa knew that it was something that she had seen before in pictures, since there were only so many of them in existence. A time turner.

"Hermione… is this a time turner?" Ursa asked.

Hermione's eyes widened as she yanked her bag back, "No! It's nothing! It's just… a stupid necklace. That's right. Nothing important."

"I saw enough of it to know what it is, Hermione. I'm not stupid," Ursa said.

Hermione sighed, "Okay, you're right. It is a time turner. You mustn't tell anyone! Nobody is supposed to know I have it."

"How did you even get it? They're supposed to be incredibly rare," Ursa stated as Hermione let her look at the time turner.

"I got special permission from Professor McGonagall to have one so that I could take more classes," Hermione admitted.

"So that's how you've been taking so many classes at once," Ursa realised.

"I thought I could handle it. I wanted to get all twelve O.W.L. scores but it's just too much. I'm barely hanging on!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I see that," Ursa remarked.

"But it's gonna be okay. I'm going to end up dropping Divination anyways because it's a waste of magic. So I can accept getting just eleven O.W.L.s," Hermione said awkwardly.

"Maybe you should drop Muggle Studies too? It's not like you even need it, being a muggleborn and all," Ursa suggested.

Hermione sighed, "Maybe you're right. I just wanted to be smart at everything. If Tom Riddle can get all twelve O.W.L. and N.E.W.T scores then why can't I?"

"Well, Tom Riddle was particularly brilliant," Ursa replied before noticing Hermione's stink eye. "Not that I'm saying you're not brilliant, I'm just saying that Riddle was practically a boy genius. It would be hard to top him."

"Even Percy Weasley got all twelve O.W.L.s! Why can't I?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Percy Weasley is the epitome of a swot. If you looked up the definition of it in the dictionary, his face would be there next to Tom Riddle's. The boy can probably study in his sleep too," Ursa reasoned.

"I guess I'm not that cut out for that level of academic superiority," Hermione sighed.

"Hermione, you don't need to get twelve O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to be a brilliant student. You're already brilliant on your own. You helped me figure out the Chamber of Secrets and managed to beat a Potions riddle set by Snape. You're brilliant in your own merits so don't you ever forget that," Ursa insisted.

Hermione smiled weakly, "Thanks, Ursa. That means a lot, coming from you. I guess we should get back to preparing Buckbeak's case now."

"Of course," Ursa murmured, even though she doubted their case was actually going to do anything for Buckbeak because Ursa knew the influence that her father had, and that he wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted.

"Hey, Ursa. I was wondering if… you would want to come visit Hagrid with me some time this week," Hermione said.

"Oh… Minnie, I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Ursa stammered.

"Why?" Hermione wondered.

"It's just that, I don't think Hagrid really likes me that much," Ursa admitted.

"How come?" Hermione asked.

"Well, he always leaves me with the worst jobs to have in Care of Magical Creatures. Plus, I can just feel the disdain in his voice whenever he says the name Malfoy," Ursa explained.

"Oh, well I guess he would have reason to dislike you on face value. But you're not your family, so Hagrid can't just dislike you because of your last name. And if he actually took the time to get to know you, he'd have to like you. So just try. We can go over our case for Buckbeak with him," Hermione insisted.

"If you insist," Ursa conceded.

"Yay! I'm sure that you'll win Hagrid around once he sees that you're genuine with helping Buckbeak," Hermione said.

They continued working together after that, though Ursa had to secretly admit that she had her reservations about properly meeting Hagrid considering she was fairly certain that he disliked her just for being a Malfoy. It wouldn't be the first time that someone disliked Ursa just because of her last name, and she certainly disliked the stigma that came with being a Malfoy. That was still a stereotype that Ursa was trying to break, and she knew it would never be easy to disassociate herself from her family's murky past.

~*•°•*~

On the next Wednesday evening, Ursa accompanied Hermione to Hagrid's hut with the intention of having tea with him. It was a little nerve-wracking for Ursa, because even with Hermione's reassurance, she still didn't think that this tea stop would turn out well.

"Hagrid, I'm here!" Hermione called out once they arrived at the hut.

"Hello, Hermione!" Hagrid smiled when he saw Hermione, before his look turned sour when he saw Ursa standing beside her. "What's she doin' here?"

"Ursa here has been helping me prepare Buckbeak's defence for his trial and I was hoping that it would be okay if she joined us for tea," Hermione replied.

Hagrid gave Ursa a suspicious look, "She's really helpin' yer?"

Hermione nodded, "She most certainly is. There's no way I wouldn't have been able to prepare half of what I've done for the trial if not for Ursa."

"Yer sure she's not just usin' yer?" Hagrid asked.

Ursa cleared her throat, "While I understand your suspicion of me Hagrid, I have no intention to just sit by and do nothing while an innocent creature gets slaughtered because of something that wasn't even it's fault. My brother was being his usual ignorant self and it embarrasses me that he and my father are insistent on going through with this act of injustice so I will not stand for it."

"See? You can trust her, Hagrid. I trust her, and she's nothing like her brother and she most certainly isn't anything like her father," Hermione insisted.

"Well, I guess there has to be some good in yer if our Hermione can trust yer, so come on in," Hagrid conceded.

It was almost surprising that Hagrid had been that easy to accept Ursa, though she supposed that he only let her in because she had Hermione's approval. Now it'd be interesting to see if this initial awkwardness would pass or not.

"How have things been with Harry an' Ron, Hermione?" Hagrid asked as he poured them a cup of tea.

Hermione sighed, "Not great. We've been fighting more than ever lately. Though it's mostly just me and Ron fighting, and it's all because of that stupid rat of his."

"I could always speak ter them if you'd like," Hagrid offered.

"Oh, please no. I think that anyone else interfering would just make things worse," Hermione frowned.

"They'll come around eventually, Minnie. Ronald just needs some time to calm his farm," Ursa reassured her.

Hermione giggled, "I didn't know that you knew muggle phrases."

"We've been studying muggle culture in Muggle Studies, and part of that means understanding muggle slang," Ursa replied.

"Yer take Muggle Studies?" Hagrid said.

Ursa nodded, "Yes, I do. I take eleven N.E.W.T subjects, including Ancient Studies. I would've taken Alchemy too but there wasn't enough high demand for it."

"Then you would've had twelve classes, yet you tell me to drop back from mine," Hermione remarked.

"Only because you're barely handling taking twelve O.W.L. subjects," Ursa argued.

"Why would a pureblood like yeh take a muggle subject?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, when I first told my father that I was taking the subject, I kind of meant it as a joke but then he spit the dummy about it, so I decided to take the subject just to spite him," Ursa explained.

"What do yer think about muggles?" Hagrid wondered.

"I think it's fascinating how muggles have been able to live and coexist without magic. The way that they substitute things that we use with magic is just ingenious. Like those cars? I want to learn how to drive one of them one day," Ursa said.

"I'd be too big to fit in one," Hagrid remarked.

"Well, there are buses too," Ursa stated.

"Yer might not be so bad after all, Malfoy. I always did wonder why yer also took Care of Magical Creatures," Hagrid said.

Ursa shrugged, "I like magical creatures. I'm a textbook Ravenclaw in the sense that I have to learn everything, so I guess I do prefer studying magical creatures rather than actually dealing with them."

"So many creatures are misunderstood, much like Buckbeak," Hagrid sighed.

"Hagrid, I really am sorry for the mess that my brother and father have made with this whole Buckbeak situation. Buckbeak doesn't deserve it and you certainly don't either. I really am trying to help Hermione make this right because I don't want to see Buckbeak get executed," Ursa said.

"Yer know, I was sceptical about yer but I can see that yer genuine now. It might even help the argument ter have a Malfoy on board," Hagrid stated.

"I will certainly do my best to help in any way that I can, and I don't care what anybody thinks about that. What matters to me is doing the right thing and I know that I am doing that by helping you and Buckbeak," Ursa proclaimed.

"Then why don't yer two show me what you've got so far," Hagrid said.

For the next hour, Hermione and Ursa went over the outline of their argument with Hagrid occasionally chipping in. Ursa found that she quite like the half-giants company once he mellowed out to her. By the end of the hour, Ursa was fairly certain that Hagrid had warmed up to her and that he didn't put her in the same category as her father.

"Well, yer two better be headin' back ter the castle now. Thanks for yer company. You're welcome back any time, Hermione. Yer two, Malfoy," Hagrid said as he sent them off.

"See? It wasn't that bad. Hagrid definitely warmed up to you," Hermione stated.

"I guess that does make it easier to be around Hagrid now knowing that he doesn't totally hate my guts," Ursa commented.

"I think I'm going to head back to Gryffindor Tower now. Where are you going to go?" Hermione wondered.

"I'll just go the library to finish up some studying," Ursa replied.

"Okay, I'll see you later," Hermione said before wandering off, leaving Ursa on her own beside the Forbidden Forest.

The last time Ursa had been anywhere near here was during her disastrous detention with Marcus. Why is it that everything Ursa did with that boy ended in disaster? She was just about to keep heading off, until something caught her attention up ahead. Ursa barely noticed it, but her eyes widened when she recognised it as the same dog from Hogsmeade and the one that she saw near her house.

The dog obviously noticed her too, since it ran back into the forest. With her Ravenclaw curiosity getting the best of her, Ursa decided to throw caution to the wind and headed into the Forbidden Forest. It was just strange that Ursa would see the same dog on three separate occasions, and the more she thought about it, the more Ursa could've sworn that she'd seen the dog roaming around on the Hogwarts grounds. To say that was strange was an understatement, and Ursa wanted to find out what was going on.

Heading into the forest, Ursa was sure to keep her guard up, and she could see the dog up ahead in the distance. Ursa continued walking, making sure that she didn't get spotted. At one point, the dog noticed her, and let out a fierce growl. Before anything else could happen, Ursa pulled out her wand and cast the Incarcerous spell, binding the dog to a set of ropes. It almost pained Ursa when she heard the dog whimpering, but she knew she had to be cautious if it was dangerous.

"Careful there, doggy. I don't want to hurt you if you don't hurt me," Ursa reassured the animal, though it still growled at her. "Don't act like I haven't noticed you roaming about the castle. I would assume that you are looking for something, correct? But what could a dog possibly want at Hogwarts? I doubt you want to be our mascot."

The dog just stared at her, almost as if it was examining Ursa to see if it could trust her. What happened next took Ursa completely by surprise. Ursa watched in awe as the dog started to shift in the ropes, before she was left completely gobsmacked when she saw the dog transform into a human form. But it wasn't just any human form. It was Sirius Black.

"Holy mother of Merlin," Ursa muttered.

"If you try anything on me, Malfoy, you'll be dead," Sirius growled.

Ursa gulped, "I won't, because even you wouldn't deserve that. Besides, you can't kill me because if you do, the truth will die with me."

"What truth?" Sirius snarled.

"The fact that you were framed for murdering those twelve muggles and that you didn't betray the Potters and that it was in fact Peter Pettigrew," Ursa declared.

Sirius' eyes widened, "How could you possibly know that?"

"I have my sources," Ursa shrugged. "But you should know, I would be on your side, because I won't stand for any injustice and what happened to you was certainly an injustice."

"I would probably be trying to bite your head off if it weren't for the fact that Crooks said you were good," Sirius said.

Ursa narrowed her eyes, "Crooks? You mean Crookshanks? But how?"

"We've been working together. Crookshanks has been helping me find Pettigrew, and he said that you were one of the good ones," Sirius replied.

"How could Crookshanks be helping you find Pettigrew?" Ursa wondered.

"Because Pettigrew is a damn Animagus too," Sirius snarled.

"Wait a minute… that would make you two unregistered Animagi," Ursa pointed out, since she remembered looking over the list of registered Animagi when she first studied the Animagus.

"What about it?" Sirius grunted.

"Never mind…" Ursa trailed off. "What would Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form even be?"

"A rat," Sirius spat.

"A rat?" Ursa repeated before it dawned on her. "Scabbers."

"That's right. The bloody Weasley family rat. He's been with them for a long time, huh? And you'll notice that he's missing a toe!" Sirius exclaimed.

"All they could find of Pettigrew was his finger…" Ursa trailed off.

"Because that damn rat caused the explosion that killed those muggles when I confronted him and cut off his finger so that everyone would believe he was dead and that I killed him," Sirius growled.

"But wait, you told the Aurors that it was you who betrayed the Potters and killed Pettigrew. Why do that if you were innocent?" Ursa wondered.

"I wish that I had killed Pettigrew now," Sirius snarled. "But I only said that I killed Lily and James because I was overwhelmed with grief and guilt. Everything that happened was because of me. Although I didn't cast the Killing Curse on them, I may as well have. I sent them to their deaths."

"You blamed yourself, so that's why you confessed to doing it," Ursa summarised.

"And then Pettigrew got away scot free while I wasted twelve years in Azkaban," Sirius seethed. "But then I saw Pettigrew with the Weasley family on that trip to Egypt. I knew it was him, so I knew it was time for me to escape and enact my revenge."

"You shouldn't kill him. Two wrongs don't make a right," Ursa stated.

Sirius gaped at her, "You can't be Lucius Malfoy's kid."

"It's good to be different and defy people's expectations," Ursa shrugged.

Sirius snorted, "You're definitely Narcissa's kid though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ursa crossed her arms.

"Narcissa was almost more disobedient than Andromeda was, and you certainly have that streak if what I hear is anything to go by," Sirius replied.

"I'm just not a fan of following the social norms," Ursa argued.

"That makes two of us," Sirius scowled.

"So, how do you plan on getting Scabbers… or Pettigrew?" Ursa asked.

"Like I said, I have Crookshanks helping me. He's giving me information and helping me get into the castle. Once I get my hands on that rat… Pettigrew won't stand a chance," Sirius proclaimed.

"Except there's one little problem. Ronald Weasley is under the impression that Crookshanks has murdered his rat," Ursa pointed out.

"That's impossible. Crooks said that he'd let me finish Pettigrew off," Sirius growled.

Ursa shrugged, "Ronald found what he thought was the last remains of his rat and is now convinced that the rat is dead, and it hasn't been seen since."

"That's probably because Pettigrew knows that I'm looking for him. He knows that I'm getting closer and that it won't be long before I get my hands on him. He's trying to buy himself time," Sirius said.

"Well, he clearly doesn't have much time left," Ursa commented. "But I guess I will keep my eyes open for a rat as well and if I find him, I will bring him to you."

Sirius nodded, "Just remember, Malfoy. One wrong move from you…"

"And I'll regret it," Ursa finished.

"Right you will. Now go," Sirius ordered.

Not needing to be told twice, Ursa turned on her heels and left Sirius in the Forbidden Forest, watching as he transformed back into a dog and headed deeper into the forest. Knowing that Sirius was innocent was one thing, but actually speaking with him was never something that Ursa would have thought would happen. Yet here she was, agreeing to work with her 'traitor' cousin. Her father would be most pleased.

In the back of Ursa's mind, she couldn't help but wonder what the repercussions of this would be. Sirius being free would undoubtedly lead to some consequences for her family, but Ursa figured that having Sirius on her side would be good for any future instances. This was one secret that Ursa didn't plan on sharing with Hermione, because she knew that Hermione already had enough secrets on her plate and that Hermione felt guilty enough by keeping the secrets that she already had from harry, and Ursa didn't want to burden her with any more.

For now, Ursa would keep this secret to herself and keep her eyes open for any rat that didn't belong here. As much as that rat deserved the worst, Ursa knew that Sirius deserved the right to be able to deliver Peter Pettigrew his just desserts.


Well now Ursa has two more secrets up her sleeve. I would assume that since Crookshanks and Sirius were working together that Sirius would be able to understand Crookshanks, which is how he can somewhat trust Ursa since Crookshanks put in a good word for her. Now we're nearing the end of PoA and I've got a few plot plans for GoF that I need to sleep on.