The trio walked into The Hogs Head when the sun was directly blazing above them. Harriet wearily looked at the head of a hog that was planted on top of the entryway. Not very welcoming. Inside the building wasn't any better. There was so much dust everywhere that Harriet wondered if it had been cleaned even once since it was built. Hermione and Ron looked just as disgusted.

It was almost empty except for a man at the counter whose head was covered with bandages, a couple of figures in the back, and a witch with robes that drooped down to her toes.

"Wanna get something?" Ron asked. They ordered three butterbeers with Harriet slipping 6 sickles to the man behind the bar. He had bright blue eyes and was tall and thin with a large, overgrown grey beard. He looked awfully familiar, though Harriet couldn't put her fingers as to why.

He glanced at the three, his eyes resting on Harriet's scar for only a moment before depositing the money quickly and heading to the back. They grabbed the three dirty-looking bottles and sat at the furthest table, Ron and Harriet facing Hermione. "You know," Ron said, "They don't look like they care much for the law here. I've always wanted to try a firewhiskey." Harriet thought it was a wonderful idea, but Hermione didn't seem to agree. "Ronald! You-are-a-prefect! Have some shame!"

Ron muttered something under his breath about bossy witches but stayed quiet. "So, who exactly is meeting us?" Asked Harriet. She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach and suddenly, she wasn't so thirsty anymore. "Just a couple of people that…I wonder where they- oh, look, they're here!" The door opened and students started trickling in

Neville, Dean, and Lavender were the first, closely followed by the Patil twins. Behind them was Cho Chang and her friend, Marrietta Edgecombe. A few minutes later was Luna Lovegood walking in leisurely by herself, looking, as always, in another world. Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet were next, and then, the Creevey brothers, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Eddie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, and another Hufflepuff that she didn't recall. There were three Ravenclaws who were familiar, but whose names didn't cross her mind at the moment. Ginny and Zacharias Smith walked shoulder-to-shoulder and finally came the Weasley Twins along with Lee Jordan.

"A few people? A few?" A bead of sweat travelled down her forehead to her cheek, and Harriet hastily wiped it away with her forearm.

"Many people were interested, what can I say? Ron, would you bring up some chairs?" 5 minutes and 25 butterbeers later, 28 students were situated at the table, waiting for someone to speak. Harriet was furious with Hermione- she tricked her! Harriet didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to talk to people. Especially people who she was sure hated her.

Hermione cleared her throat and stood up,"Hi, well, erm, thank you for, er, coming. Harry had the- I mean, I had the idea that, erm, maybe it would be a good idea to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts because...well, let's face it, Umbridge isn't doing a single thing. So, we could take matters into our own hands by practicing spells, not just the theory as Umbridge insists. Because...because Voldemort is back." Harriet looked across the table. Zacharias Smith and a handful of others looked doubtful and Marietta Edgecomb looked like this was the last place she wanted to be, but the rest of them looked interested in what Hermione had to say.

The rest of the meeting went by in a flash, and, somehow, they had 28 signatures at the end of the meeting and that was that.

Harriet still had a little time before she had to meet Sirius, so she joined Ron and Hermione around Hogsmeade. They stopped outside the window display of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where some fancy-looking quills were neatly displayed. "Hmm, I could do with some new quills," Hermione said. She followed them into the shop. Hermione and Ron looked deep in conversation and Harriet tried to follow it, but her mind was too busy thinking over the meeting.

It had been quite successful, to Harriet's surprise. And, once she got over the initial nerves, her little speech wasn't that bad. Maybe Hermione and Ron were right- this was a good idea. Or maybe it would be a colossal fail.

Her interest was peaked when she heard 'Michael Corner' enter the conversation. "But...I thought Ginny was...you know, into girls? Didn't she fancy Harry?"

"She likes boys and girls, Ron, and she gave up on Harry months ago." Had Ginny had a crush on Harriet? Harriet hadn't really noticed. She'd credited Ginny's strange behaviour to fangirling. "So that's why she speaks in front of me now?" Harriet wondered how she had never connected those two together. "Exactly. I think I'll get this one." Hermione picked up a black and gold quill in a copper pot and handed it to the cashier along with her 15 sickles and 2 knuts. He put it into a royal blue velvet bag and handed it to her and they exited the shop.

"Guys," Harriet said, checking the time, "I've got some homework to catch up on. Go on without me." Ron looked hopefully at Hermione, who tried to not let her own excitement show.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Ron, could I speak with you for a moment?" He dumbly nodded. She grabbed him into a side alley and reaching into her purse, gave him a handful of coins-a mixture of galleons, sickles, and knuts. "Harry, I couldn't-"

"Nonsense, Ron. You both deserve to have a great time."

"But-"

"I won't have it, Ron. Go."

"Thanks, Harry. Have I ever mentioned that you're the best?"

When Harriet arrived in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius was already there. She watched as he transformed from a large black dog to a handsome man. Well, he would be handsome if he bothered to shave and change into fresh clothes. He smelled faintly of alcohol, making Harriet think that he had been drinking prior to their meeting.

Still, all that didn't stop her from hugging him tightly, trying to convey nonverbally how much she'd missed him. "Prongslet," he said, his voice strained as if he were trying to not cry. His hand came to the back of her head, twisting in her hair. They stayed like that for a few minutes before he pulled away, not without kissing the top of her head first.

He held on to her upper arms, inspecting her closely, "You look tired, Harry. Have you not been sleeping well?"

"Not really. So much homework and stuff."

"Don't forget to have fun too. There's more to life than school, you know." She could just imagine Hermione retorting that there was more to life than pranking and breaking rules. "We started a defence club if that's what you call fun," she said.

"Really? Tell me all about it!" A forgotten fire burned in Sirius's face. For a moment, she saw a glimpse of the youthful man he once was. She told him about Hermione's speech, her own speech, Zacharias Smith's rude comments, and how the conversation got side-tracked to Harriet's so-called accomplishments the previous years. Sirius seemed interested in hearing about those particularly, so she informed him of everything that had happened the first 3 years of her Hogwarts career, feeling pleased rather than annoyed with his fascination. It was different with Hermione and Ron- she didn't want their approval, but she wanted -needed- his.

And he approved for sure. "Goodness, Harriet, you're awesome!"

"Thanks, Sirius." She felt a little bad for using her adventures to make Sirius proud of her- after all, didn't she want Hermione and Ron to not glamourize them? Still, his praise felt amazing.

They sat in silence for a while, Sirius's gaze downcast at the floor as if he were remembering something bittersweet. He smiled a bit sourly, "James would have been so proud of you, you know."

"Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. We got into a whole bunch of trouble ourselves when we were your age, you know. James would have done the same thing if he were you. You really are his daughter. I remember when you were born. I was there. James- he never looked any happier than when you were born, Harry."

"Not even when he was busy running havoc?"

"No, not even then. He told me later that the day you were born was the best day of his life, even better than the day he got to marry Lily. And you, you loved your dad. Your first words were 'dada,' even. Lils didn't speak to him for two whole days." She listened on as he recounted numerous stories of her, stories that she didn't remember at all, stories that she'd give anything to remember. It caused a sad pang in her chest and she wished she could be anywhere but there.

She'd never really wished that her parents were alive. She'd never known parents and she was doing just fine without them. She had her friends and, well, what was the point of wishing for something you could never have? She'd never wanted her parents more than she did at the moment. How different her life would be had she grown up with her parents? Maybe she'd even have a younger sibling. She'd have a home to go over the holidays. She'd have parents to buy Christmas presents for. She'd have- no. She had the Weasleys, hadn't she? She had Ron and Hermione, and now she had Sirius as well. It wasn't the same, it never would be, she'd never completely fit in, but she'd have to make-do.

So, she listened the best she could, laughing at the appropriate moments while trying to distance herself as best as possible. "Oh, shite!" She yelled, interrupting a story he was telling about James when he was on an Order mission, "It's past curfew!"

"Oh." He looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but with Umbridge out and all…" she didn't want to anger Sirius again, but she equally didn't want more detentions with that bloody quill. Lucky for her, Sirius didn't seem mad, instead, smiling sadly, "It's okay, Prongslet. We'll catch up soon, right?" She hugged him once more and ran out of the Shrieking Shack, pulling her cloak tight against her body; it was freezing outside.

By the time she was inside the castle, she couldn't feel her fingers and she felt snot running a trail down the groove below her nose, just about to drip down her lips when she wiped it off with her arm.

She was just about to turn the corner to the staircase when she heard footsteps behind her. She nervously turned around and came face-to-face with Umbridge, who smiled evilly and said in that sweet voice of her, "Why, why, why, if it isn't Miss Potter. Come with me, we'll have a talk with the Headmaster." She grabbed her by her upper arm and led her to the Headmaster's Office. Harriet gulped. She was in big trouble.