Out of the Shadow – Year 3

The day of the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match had finally arrived. I hadn't spoken to Harry in day's but I heard from the twins that he got his Firebolt back, not that I ever doubted it. Ron and Hermione weren't on speaking terms currently either. Apparently, as told by Fred, Crookshanks ate Scabbers. "I mean, what did Ron think was going to happen?" I asked. "Cats eat mice, it's the whole prey/predator thing."

I was sitting eating breakfast with Ashley and Rhea when I noticed Harry walk in with pretty much every boy from Gryffindor house; all of them still starry-eyed over the firebolt. I put my head down and continued to eat when Harry approached the table. "Can I talk to you?" Before I could answer Davies appeared. "Absolutely not. We have a Quidditch match coming up against you." I rolled my eyes but stood up anyway. "Give it a rest Davies. He's my brother. We have to talk sometimes."

I followed Harry to the corner of the room. "What?" I asked him, trying not to cross my arms defensively. Harry was the one mad at me, so why was I on edge? "I think I saw Sirius." My arms dropped and so did my mouth. "What?" Harry looked around before telling me what happened. "We had practice last night, and after Ron and I were heading back up to the castle and I swear I saw his golden eyes."

"He doesn't have gold eyes."

"He does when he's padfoot."

The realization dawned on me as Harry said it. "What do we…. have you told Lupin?" Harry shook his head. "No. Should I? It's Mum and Dad who are on the hunt for Sirius right?" I shrugged. "I mean, Lupin might be, that's why he's here isn't it?" it seemed neither of us could remember why Professor Lupin was here other then stepping in as the Defense teacher. Harry and I didn't have much time to think it over as Davies walked by with the rest of my team.

"Times up Potters. Let's go."

I gave Harry an apologetic look before following Davies out of the great hall. Once we reached the locker room Davies went into another whirlwind speech and I zoned out. My thoughts on Harry, Sirius and Quidditch all at once with the occasional thought of my parents fluttering in. "Potter! Are you even listening to me?" Davies asked. I snapped my head up to face him. "Of course, I am! I was just thinking if there was any special tactic, we could use against them."

"Please share with the team. Their seeker is your brother, and their beaters are your friends."

"That's just it. I can't think of one. I know Wood has been training them hard, we might get lucky and catch them on a tired day. Just keep a half an eye on the twins and Cho, stick close to Harry if you can. He'll track that snitch fast, especially on a clear day like today."

Cho gave me a confident nod. We stepped out on to the pitch to an applause. A short while later Gryffindor stepped out and I felt myself starting to smirk. I had looked forward to this for a long time. I leaned over to Cho. "Smile at Harry. It'll throw him." She looked at me confused. "It will?" I nodded. "Trust me." I knew Harry thought she was pretty. Cho and I stood as the only girls on our team, and the smallest players on both teams.

The twins walked over and stood across from me. "Ready for us Potter?" George asked giving me a wicked smile that normally would have knocked me over. I stepped closer to George and gave him a sly smile. "I was born ready for you, Weasley." Georges face didn't give anything away, but I noted the hint of excitement in his eyes. I noticed Cho give Harry a dazzling smile and something in his look faltered that only I noticed.

"Wood. Davies. Shake hands." Madame Hooch said. As the rest of us got into place Harry and I came face to face and the entire stadium burst into excited Oohs as the Potter siblings prepared to face off. "Mount your brooms. On my count. One….two….THREE!" Madame Hooch blew her whistle and we all pushed off. I chased down Katie who was heading for a goal. "DAVIES." I screamed out to him over Lee Jordan's terrible commentary.

Sadly, Davies was too distracted keeping an eye on Harry and Cho that it went in. Frustrated, I took off from Davies to follow the rest of the game. I weaved in and out from the other chasers trying my damn best to distract them. I heard Cho scream and looked up just in time to see a Patronus charm escape from Harry's wand before he dived and caught the snitch. I groaned as the Gryffindor section cheered. Everyone was on the ground hugging Harry and celebrating, so I lingered in the air. Cho came up beside me.

"I'm sorry, I tailed him but that firebolt."

"It's amazing, yeah I know." I said looking down at the field again. "It's alright Cho." Just then Davies came up to us with the rest of the team. "What happened?" He asked and I looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, are you blaming us? Who was the one admiring the damn Firebolt!" I yelled back at him. "Cho was on him; Harry is just untouchable on that stupid broom."

Davies shook his head. I crossed my arms as I sat on my broom. The rest of the team lingered with me, all of us looking down at the celebrating Gryffindors with the same defeated looks on our faces. Harry caught my eye just as George announced a party in the Gryffindor common room. Eventually we got back on the ground. Once out of the locker room I met up with Rhea and Ashley who were giving me apologetic looks. "Tough loss. Do you think you'll hear about it for a while?" Rhea asked.

"If not from Fred and George, then from Davies. He his livid." I said shaking my head as we walked back up towards the castle. "I heard there is going to be a party at Gryffindor house." Ashley said sadly. "We never get to throw parties." I patted her shoulder. "No, no we don't."

The following morning something seemed off through out the entire school. I made a beeline for Harry the moment I spotted him. "What's going on?" I asked. "Ron says Sirius Black was standing over him, in the dorms, with a knife." Harry said looking a little concerned. My hand flew to cover my now opened mouth. "You are joking, right?" Harry shook his head. "Got in with the common room password." I blinked at him a couple of times trying to let the information process.

That Saturday I sat in the courtyard of Ravenclaw tower studying with Rhea when Padma approached me. "Holly?" I looked up from my textbook. "Professor Trelawney wishes to see you." I looked at her confused. "What for? I don't take her class. My brother does." Padma just shrugged. I sighed heavily and looked to Rhea. "I guess I'll catch up with you later." She nodded and went back to her books as I tossed mine in my bag and headed towards the Divination classroom.

I knocked softly on the door and it slowly creaked open. "Well this isn't ominous or anything." I said as I stepped into the small room. I nearly jumped out of my own skin when I heard the soft distance voice of Professor Trelawney. "Come in my child." I stepped in and saw her sitting in a large chair with a glass ball in front of her. I had to bite my tongue from mentioning how ridiculous all this seemed.

"I didn't realize you knew who I was Professor, I don't take your class."

She gave me a small smile. "I know I was told to inform you of the coming of the next electrical storm." I jumped again, surprised by the direct nature of her statement. "You can see that?" She didn't answer me. I waited a for what seemed like hours before she finally looked at me and spoke again. "It's brewing in the east. Tonight, it'll come."

"Great, erm thanks Professor."

"You must get this right tonight my dear! Or you will be unable to assist in your brothers defeat of the grim."

I was sure my face showed her how absolutely confused I was by her words, but she wasn't looking at me anymore. I made a mental note to tell that to Harry but right now I had to get down to the dungeons to inform Professor Snape. "Where's the fire, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked as I rushed past her and a few first years. "I have to go talk to Snape!" I yelled over my shoulder not waiting for a response I continued on. I burst through his office door without knocking and I stopped dead in my tracks.

Harry was standing with his arms crossed glaring down at Snape, who was holding an old piece of parchment. Lupin was there too, seeming to have arrived via the fireplace as he was dusting off his pants. "What are you doing here Miss. Potter?" Snape snapped at me. "Here to bail your brother out of trouble?" I looked at Harry with my eyebrows raised. "What did you do?"

"Apparently Malfoy saw my head floating in mid-air down at Hogsmeade."

I snorted a laugh but stopped when Snape glared at me. "So, you don't know where your brother was at this afternoon." I shook my head. "No, I've been studying with Rhea, except for the last twenty minutes. You can confirm with her."

"Why are you here, Miss. Potter?"

"I have to talk to you."

Everyone in the room looked surprised that I came, willingly, to talk to Professor Snape. Before anyone could ask a question Ron burst through the door. "I gave that stuff to Harry, ages ago. Bought it from Zonkos." Ron said panting for breath. "Well there you go!" Lupin said clapping his hands together. I looked around the room. "Now, Harry, Ron come with me. We need to discuss the vampire essay." He ushered them out of the office, Harry refused to look at me or Snape.

Once the door shut behind them, I turned to face Snape with an eyebrow raised in question, even though I knew he wasn't going to explain that. "Anyway." I started moving on from the top. "Professor Trelawney says there's an electrical storm coming tonight, from the east if that part matters." Snape gave me a nod. "I will send for you when it's time. You have continued to recite the incantation at sunrise and sundown each day?" I nodded.

I was shaken awake at nearly midnight by Penelope Clearwater. "Professor McGonagall and Snape are waiting for you." She said. Her face looked grave; assuming that they were going to deliver bad news. I gave her a small nod and raced out of the dormitory at a breakneck speed. They ushered me down to the quidditch pitch. "Are you sure you want to go through this, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked me, looking concerned. I gave her a stiff nod. "I don't normally believe in what Professor Trelawney has to say, but she got this storm right, and she told me I have to get this right because it'll help Harry, whatever that means."

Professor McGonagall and Snape shared a glance before Professor McGonagall nodded slowly and Snape handed me the potion. I sighed heavily and popped open the potion. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus." I said and instantly drank the potion. I couldn't even being to explain the way the potion made me feel. At one point I thought I was going to be sick. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt myself drop to the ground. I didn't want to open my eyes, but suddenly I could smell the rain, and the grass differently.

"Miss. Potter."

I heard the voice differently they I normally would have. I slowly allowed my eyes to open and noticed I was laying in the grass, but my hand wasn't a hand it was a small black paw! I jumped and turned my head to see a small grey cat with golden eyes looking at me. It looked proud. "Well done, Holly." The voice whispered into my mind. I bounced around the cat excitedly and caught sight of a bushy tail behind me. Was I a fox? A dog? "Now is the next test." Professor Snape's voice grumbled.

Professor McGonagall shifted into herself and peered down at me. "Try to change back." She said simply. I gave them a small nod, or at least I hope I did and focused on becoming human again. Before I knew it I was back to standing on my two feet. I smiled. "So? Did it work?" With a proud smile on her face, Professor McGonagall nodded. "A fox, how very fitting." Professor Snape said in his normal cold voice. I hid my giggle behind my head as we headed back up towards the castle.

I didn't get to enjoy my newest achievement as the professors piled more and more homework on us, even as the Easter Holidays approached. I spent so much time in the library with Rhea and Ashley I was starting to forget what Harry and the twins even looked like. My eyes felt like they were going to melt right out of my head from all the reading and writing I had done; which was a credit to how much homework we had because I had never gone a day without reading from some sort of book.

The day before the big match I ran into Harry who had just been in his room checking on the Firebolt. "Do you really think someone is going to steal it?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him. "I mean someone went through our things last year to get the diary."

"Yeah, Ginny when she was being controlled."

Harry just shrugged. "I can't afford to lose this game, Holly. Everyone is counting on me, ever Hermione is stressed out about it." I raised an eyebrow. "You are on a team, Harry. You need to count on each other and treat it like any other game, no matter how insane Wood becomes." Harry gave me a small nod. "Yeah, easier said then done." We had walked outside and sat in the clocktower courtyard. "I heard Hagrid's Hippogriff is on his death bed."

Harry nodded. "I'm surprised you aren't happy about it." He said. "It did drop you in the lake." I shrugged. "I was mad, but I don't want an animal dead because of it. I didn't die or anything." Harry laughed. "You would have thought Malfoy did the way he goes on about it." I smiled. "He's just a big baby." Harry and I sat in silence for a while. "I've been thinking a lot about Sirius." Harry said.

"And?"

"I really don't think he is the same guy we knew. He stood over Ron with a knife, Holly. I can't think of any reason he would do that. Why not just kill me if he was already there? Was he planning on making me suffer?"

I put my hand on Harry's arm. "Harry. Stop it. I am positive there is an explanation for all of this. Have you written to Dad about it?" Harry nodded. "No response." I sat back with a heavy sigh. "I wish someone would just tell us what is going on with them." Harry nodded and we resumed sitting in silence for a little while longer, just being in each others company was what we needed when we felt like the rest of our family was falling apart.

Finally, it was time for the Quidditch final, and I was as nervous as everyone else. To combat that I convinced Rhea and Ashley to paint all our faces in support for Gryffindor. We showed up in the stands with Ron, Hermione and Neville with half our faces red and the other gold. "COME ON GRYFFINDOR!" everyone around us chanted as they came out on the field.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession. Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle heading straight for the Slytherin goalpost!" Lee Jordan's commentary echoed through the stadium. The Quaffle was intercepted by a Slytherin but George knocked a bludger towards him making him drop the Quaffle. It was scooped up by Angelina who scored. The entire Gryffindor side broke into Boos when Flint nearly knocked Johnson off her broom.

Fred retaliated by throwing his club off the back of Flints head causing him to smash his nose off his broom. Madame Hooch called a foul. "OH, COME ON!" I screamed. Hooch gave a penalty shot to both sides. Alicia took Gryffindors and scored. Then Flint took the Slytherin penalty and to everyone's surprise it was saved by Wood. The game remained brutal as the Slytherins showed no interest in following the rules, which in return was causing the Gryffindors to lash out, especially the twins.

Gryffindor was winning eighty to twenty when I noticed Harry take off after Malfoy. I watched anxiously as Harry practically laid flat on his Firebolt before reaching out with both hands grasping for the snitch. "HE'S GOT IT!" I screamed as I watched Harry's hand close around the little flying golden ball. The entire stadium erupted into cheers for Gryffindor, except the small section of Slytherin's that looked absolutely defeated. I rushed the field with Ron and Hermione.

I threw my arms around Harry's neck. "Congratulations!" He had the worlds biggest smile on his face. I stepped back allowing the others to reach him and went to the twins. When George saw me he rushed over and picked me up hugging me. I threw my head back, laughing. "Congratulations." George beamed down at me. "Sorry we had to beat you to get here." I gave him a small shrug returning his smile.

Sadly, for everyone who wasn't in Gryffindor the excitement dissipated quickly as the reminder of exams loomed over our heads. If I wasn't studying with Rhea or Ashley, I was following Fred and George around even with my nose still in a textbook. Sometimes it helped being in their company; whenever I needed a break or a laugh, they were the perfect two to cheer me up. Sometimes just being near them helped keep my head clear.

My last exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I went into it feeling confident after passed my transfiguration exam with flying colors. Lupin had set up an odd obstacle course for us to complete with a boggart at the end. I breezed through the course and climbed into the truck with the boggart and waited, but what I saw made me freeze. There lying on the ground was a dead Harry. I must have taken too long because before I knew it Lupin was beside me.

When he noticed what my boggart had turned into, he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Holly. Remember this is just a boggart. Harry is outside waiting for you, I promise." I shook my fears from my head and cast Riddikulus and watched my dead brothers body turn into a black puppy chasing it's tail. Lupin followed me out of the course, and I returned to Harry's side. Ron and Hermione were there too, and Hermione looked as terrible as I felt.

"What was your boggart?" Ron asked taking in how pale I was and how close I was standing to Harry. I looked at Harry and fought back tears. "You. Dead." I said simply before storming up to the castle. I entered the Ravenclaw common room and sat next to Rhea. "You look terrible." She said digging in her bag before handing me a piece of chocolate. I raised an eyebrow at her. "If Professor Lupin says it helps, then who am I to disagree?" she said. I smiled and ate the chocolate.

We went down to dinner together after discussing our exams together, because what else would three Ravenclaws talk about. I sat with a sigh and allowed myself to pile all the comfort foods I could on my plate. I hadn't realized how hungry exams made a person. I had just finished eating when I noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione sneaking out of the great all. Harry had something stuffed in his robes. I excused myself and followed them.

I watched as they disappeared under his invisibility cloak, and I knew instantly that I needed to follow them. I disappeared into the shadows and transformed perfect into my new foxy disguise before keeping to the shadows and dashing after them.