Mary Potter

Over the next few days, Mary fell into a simple routine. Each morning, Lavender would get Mary's clothes ready, while Parvati fixed her hair into a new style from Witch Weekly magazine, and Hermione looked on in resignation.

Her class work now felt ridiculously easy, almost like she'd done it all before. Still, it was tricky trying to do spells with her new wand, while using her non-dominant hand, but with a whole lot of practice, she felt more than capable.

After classes, Mary found a small table in the corner of the common room where she would study and finish her homework with Ron and Hermione. As soon as they finished, they would put away their books and follow the rest of Gryffindor house to the Great Hall for dinner.

The morning of September seventh dawned dark and dreary, creating a very tense atmosphere for the third year Gryffindors who would be attending a double potions class with Slytherin House. Mary put on her work robes and boots and made sure she had her dragon hide gloves tucked in her pocket then went about getting her needed books together.

Hermione walked up beside Mary as she was putting her carefully constructed essay on Shrinking Potions into her backpack and tapped her lightly on the shoulder while juggling a stack of books.

"Do you have room in your bag for a few of my textbooks?" Hermione asked with pleading eyes. "My own is already bursting at the seams."

Mary reached out and grabbed the large tomes from her friend's arms. "You don't even have to ask, Hermione."

Mary pulled the drawstrings on her bag and closed it before slipping it onto her shoulder, thankful that she had bought one in Diagon Alley that was equipped with a feather light charm.

They met up with Ron in the common room and walked to breakfast together.

"Hope Snape is in a better mood today." Ron mumbled as he sat down across from them and beside Neville.

"Me too." Neville's hand shook so harshly that his cup of pumpkin juice tipped over and poured into Mary's lap.

Mary grabbed her napkin and mopped up the worst of it as Neville babbled apologies.

"It's no big deal." Mary chuckled lightly. "Really, Nev. It's just some spilled juice."

She pulled out her wand and cast a cleaning spell on her robes that removed the stain completely. Then picked up the pitcher and poured a cupful of juice for Neville and passed it to him, noticing the odd look Hermione had on her face after watching Mary's wandwork.

"Any chance you can nick that bowl of jam from Fred and George?" Ron asked hopefully as he looked down at his bare toast.

"George!" Mary said in a loud voice catching the older boy's attention. "I have need of jam."

George's eyes widened and he quickly levitated the bowl so that it floated down the table and landed softly right in front of Mary. Mary smiled brightly at him in thanks and pushed the jam toward Ron.

"Wish that worked for me," Ron said in awe as he slathered his toast in raspberry jelly. "Had I asked, they would have pelted it at my face."

Mary finished her breakfast and stood up alongside her friends. Together, the third year Gryffindors trudged down to the dungeons and waited outside of the Potions classroom for Professor Snape to arrive.

Unfortunately, the Slytherins had arrived first. Draco Malfoy swaggered forward with his arms crossed and stood a few feet away from them and lazily leaned against the wall.

"Finally well enough to join us, Potter?" He asked loftily as he examined his nails.

"Why, yes." Mary smiled, showing too many teeth. "Thank you for asking."

"Such a disappointment for all when that Dementor didn't get to second base." Draco drawled carelessly.

The other Slytherins laughed raucously at his crude remark and Draco seemed to preen under the praise.

"Why you little-" Ron growled and moved forward with his fists clenched.

Mary gritted her teeth and grasped Ron's arm when he tried to push past her. "This ignorant little shit isn't worth the effort."

A throat cleared loudly and everyone turned to see Snape standing there holding the door for them.

"Inside." He hissed, glaring at Mary as though she was the one at fault.

Mary quickly moved to the front of the room and sat her bag down, pulling her essay and Hermione's textbook out. She passed Hermione her book then walked up to Snape's desk and set her essay down.

"What is this, Potter?" Snape growled out.

"The summer assignment on Shrinking Potions, sir," Mary answered quietly.

Snape looked up at her with a dark smirk. "It was due on Thursday, as you well know. Detention Saturday morning for failing to turn in homework on time."

"Yes, sir," Mary replied and went back to her desk where Hermione was staring at Snape in indignation.

Mary shook her head at her friend, telling her not to make a scene over it, but Hermione ignored her completely.

"Mary was in the hospital wing on Thursday, Professor," Hermione said indignantly. "She should at least get an extension."

"Miss Granger." Snape stalked toward her with a gleam in his eyes that Mary did not like. "You do not have the authority to tell me how to run my classroom. Nor do you have the right to interrupt it. Report to Filch for detention each night this week."

Hermione's mouth dropped open in horror as Snape's smirk widened and the younger Slytherins tittered in glee.

"Instructions are on the board," Snape snapped loudly, making the entire class jump.

Hermione had angry tears in her eyes as she flipped through her book to the correct page. Mary gave her a sympathetic look as she opened her own book and then set to getting her cauldron and ingredients ready. The two girls worked side by side in silence throughout the class and turned in what appeared to be two perfect samples of Shrinking Solution, only Mary's was almost a fluorescent green in color where it should have been more of an acid shade.

Mary carefully packed away her things and put them back in her bag when Snape's voice made her blood turn cold.

"What did you do to your Solution, Potter?" Snape looked from Mary to the slightly glowing vial he held with narrowed eyes.

"I added a drop of daisy root juice after the rat's spleen and stirred once clockwise to offset the effects of the leech extract, sir," Mary answered, keeping her head down.

Snape looked up at her with an almost thoughtful tone. "To what end?"

Mary straightened her shoulders and looked at him full on. "The Shrinking Solution is said to be disorienting to the user, I had hoped that the daisy juice would counteract that."

"Did your textbook or my own instructions suggest this?" Snape sneered at her.

"No, sir," Mary replied, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for experimenting in class!" He snarled at her. "Be in my office at six on Saturday morning. Dismissed."

Mary nodded jerkily - avoiding his eyes - and spun around to grab her bag off the bench. She walked out of the classroom behind Hermione, but Hermione ran around the corner and disappeared from sight before a single word could be said.

Ron caught up to Mary and looked around curiously. "Where'd she go?"

Mary shrugged and put her hands in her pockets. "She'll find us. Come on, we better get to Hagrid's."

"Think we'll be fishing again?" Ron asked wistfully. "It'd be nice to relax a bit after Potions."

They were halfway to the Entrance Hall when they spotted Hermione again. Her bag had ripped open and there were textbooks littering the corridor, getting stepped on and kicked by the students rushing to their next class. Mary pulled out her wand and waved it in a wide arcing summoning charm, causing all of the books and papers to float into the air and zoom straight to where she was standing.

"Catch and stack!" Mary yelled at Ron as the first massive tome flew forward.

He caught the book and set it on the ground by his feet while Mary caught the second. It went on and on until every last book and scroll of parchment was accounted for.

"Blimey," Ron said in wonder. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"Mad-Eye Moody taught me when I was in Diagon Alley," Mary answered honestly. "Trainee Tonks tried to teach me, but she wasn't much good at it."

"Useful spell that." Ron shrugged.

Mary knelt down on the floor, carefully packing Hermione's books and scrolls into her own bag.

"Thanks," Hermione said gratefully with red-rimmed eyes. "I can't believe I have detention every night this week! I'm going to fall so behind in my homework. This day just couldn't get any worse."

"Calm down, Hermione." Ron patted her arm. "We'll help out. Just let us know how."

"He's right." Mary agreed as she pulled the bag onto her shoulder. "We'll get it done."

"Finished." Hermione corrected her absently as she ran a hand over her face. "And now my bag is ruined."

"I have the two texts I'll need for the day stuck at the top." Mary told her, and patted the bloated backpack. "You can just take mine if you have another class to get to later."

"I appreciate that." Hermione reached for the bag.

"I'm carrying it until we get to Hagrid's." Mary kept the bag away from her friend's grasp. "You can have it after that."

They all pulled up the hoods of their cloaks as they made their way out of the castle and into the heavy mist. The ground was soggy and muddy beneath their feet and at least four students slipped while navigating their way down the steep grassy hill that led to the Gamekeeper's hut.

Hagrid held his door open and stood there with a bucket of fish in his other hand. "Put all yer things 'nside. Yer won't be needin' books an' such today."

Mary took Hermione's ripped backpack and Ron's textbook, stuffing them down in her own bag before carrying them inside the hut and placing them on the floor by the door. The Slytherins were all sneering at the inside of Hagrid's modest home and weren't careful about how loud they were being.

"My word!" Pansy scoffed loudly. "My horses live in a cleaner place."

"Well maybe you should ask them to keep your things safe while you're in class." Mary growled at her. "Or you can leave them out in the rain for the next hour."

Pansy sniffed, putting her nose in the air, and turned her back on Mary.

Mary, Ron and Hermione followed closely to Hagrid while they trudged through the forest. The tree line broke into a small clearing where a simple paddock had been constructed. Hagrid whistled loudly, causing his students to cover their ears, and set the bucket of fish, rope of coneys, and ferrets on a small metal peg.

"Here we go!" Hagrid boomed happily as a herd of winged horses with eagles heads appeared through the dense foliage. "Who can tell me what these magnificent beasts are?"

"Hippogriffs," Dean Thomas said, in awe of the creatures.

"Right!" Hagrid beamed proudly. "Ten points ter Gryffindor."

"Now I'll have yeh know," Hagrid said in a softer tone. "A Hippogriff is nothing to trifle with if yeh don't have the mind for it. They're loyal and good creatures, but they're prideful as all get out. Insulting one could be the last mistake yeh make."

The students all looked wary and Mary looked around to see most of them backing away from the fence.

"Who wants teh be the firs' teh meet one?" Hagrid asked suddenly.

Mary, who had been leaning on the fence, climbed over carefully and stood with her back to the fence until Hagrid let her know it was okay to approach.

A smaller reddish brown Hippogriff was cautiously approaching Mary from the right and Hagrid held up his hand for Mary to stay still. She remained frozen in place, trying not to twitch as the heavy mist caused rivulets of water to trail down her face in a way that felt itchy.

"Turn slowly now, and bow as deep as yeh can without breakin' eye contact," Hagrid said softly. "Peaches is fairly new to the herd and not been around many humans. I'd rather yeh go to Buckbeak, but I don't think he's in the mood fer company."

Mary spun at a snail's pace and met the creature's eyes as she bowed deeply. Peaches trotted forward and Hagrid tossed a fish to Mary, who caught it without taking her eyes off the Hippogriff. She held out the fish and smiled when Peaches returned the bow and gently pulled the offering from her hand.

"Another ten points ter Gryffindor," Hagrid said, patting her on the back. "Gather round everybody, just be careful not ter spook 'em."

Mary pulled another fish out of the bucket and carefully made her way to where Buckbeak was standing at the front of the herd. She bowed her head and he turned around to sniff at her face, making her chuckle as he stole the fish while she was distracted.

"They're all tame." Malfoy sneered as he walked toward her and kicked a clump of mud off of his boot. "Not dangerous at all, are you? Not like that brute of handler you have."

Buckbeak reared up on his hind legs and gave an outraged cry that made Malfoy lurch back and trip over a protruding root. Mary jumped forward to pull him out of the way, but Buckbeak's strike landed, sending her sprawling forward on top of Malfoy.

She couldn't help but let out a small cry of pain as the long talons ripped through her robes and cloak, digging into the tender skin of her back. She heard the scuffling of feet and Hagrid yelling at the confused Hippogriff.

"You effing bloody idiot," She hissed as she pushed herself off of Malfoy. "He said not to insult them and it's the first thing you fucking do!"

"Mary!" Ron and Hermione cried out as they leaped forward to help her.

"Bad Buckbeak!" Hagrid reprimanded the angry creature.

"Ow-" Mary winced as she stumbled over to him and bowed her head at the Hippogriff. "It's okay, Beaky," she said softly as she patted the soft coat and felt him sniffing at her hair. "That's a good boy. Calm down."

"You're hurt, Mary," Hagrid said in alarm as she swayed on her feet.

"She needs Madam Pomfrey." Hermione told Hagrid with wide eyes.

"I'm fine." Mary grasped Hermione's arm tightly and whispered into her ear. "Stay and make sure that Malfoy doesn't make a scene."

Ron had overheard her plea and carefully put his arm around her. "I'll get her to the castle, Professor."

Hagrid looked torn at what to do, but at Mary's pleading look, gave in. "Hurry up then."

"You sure you'll make it?" Ron asked worriedly as he helped Mary up the hill.

"Yeah." she grimaced as a cold sweat washed over her and she had to stop. "I'll be okay."

"Malfoy!" Hagrid boomed in the distance. "You'll be gettin' detention with Filch fer a week."

"Why'd you save him?" Ron asked in confusion as he had to keep her from falling over. "Little git deserved to be gored."

"He would have blamed it on Hagrid," Mary answered and swallowed heavily before forcing her voice into a high pitched whiny tone. "'I'll tell my father about this! Have your head and your little bird's too!'"

Ron laughed as he led her up the stone steps. "It's scary how spot on that was."

The corridors were empty most of the way through the school. When the bell rang, Mary jumped and blinked wildly as they were suddenly surrounded by students changing classes. They were jostled twice by seventh years who pushed passed them.

"Oy!" Ron snapped. "Watch it!"

Mary stumbled forward, and Ron yelped as he tried to keep her from hitting the stone floor, barely catching her before she collided with the unforgiving ground.

"Potter!" Oliver ran up to them and dropped next to her as she knelt on her hands and knees. "What happened?!"

Mary let the two boys help her to her feet and leaned heavily on them as they made it the rest of the way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was straightening the bedsheets when they stumbled in and picked up her starched skirts, rushing forward to meet them.

"What have you done now, child?" Pomfrey ground out as she helped Mary sit on the bed.

"Hippogriff." Mary shrugged then winced at the pulling sensation. "My own fault."

"She pushed Malfoy out of the way after he insulted one of them." Ron explained. "Mary wasn't its target."

"I can mend your back easily enough, but you've lost a lot of blood and the wounds need to be cleansed first." Madam Pomfrey clucked loudly after examining her back. "You boys can go."

Ron squared his shoulders. "I'd rather stay, Madam Pomfrey."

"Me too." Oliver added as he looked down at Mary in sympathy.

"It's fine." Mary pleaded with her while forcing herself to stay awake.

Madam Pomfrey looked resigned as she helped Mary lay down on her stomach. "I'm going to have to cut the shirt, child."

"M'kay," Mary said drowsily.

Oliver grasped her hand and gave her a small smile. Mary winced as the cool air hit the wounds and buried her face in the pillow.

"We'll be starting practice in a week or so," he said. "And I've gotten a letter from the Puddlemere scouts. They might attend a match or two to see if I'm qualified."

Mary gave his hand a weak squeeze and turned to face him. "You'll do great. I know it."

"It's just for their reserve team," Oliver replied modestly.

"They'll be barmy if they don't pick you." Ron interjected, ever the Quidditch fanatic. "You're the best Keeper in the school!"

Oliver looked about ready to blush.

"This will sting." Madam Pomfrey told her in warning.

Mary gritted her teeth as she felt the burning pain of the cleansing spell sink deep into her flesh.

"Just another minute." Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over Mary's back in a zig-zag motion.

Mary felt her back stitching itself together and sighed in relief as the pain ebbed away. "That wasn't so bad."

Madam Pomfrey glared at her. "You won't be saying that after you drink a dose of Blood Replenisher."

Pomfrey repaired Mary's torn robes and gestured for her to sit up as she walked back to the potion cabinet.

"Oliver," Mary said, glancing at her watch in worry. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

He shook his head and let out a small laugh. "I have a free period."

Mary let out a sigh. "We've got to be in Herbology in five minutes."

Ron's face was pale. "You can't be thinking about going to class after that?! I could see your rib cage!"

"I'm fine." Mary shrugged and couldn't help but yawn. "Just a little tired. Plus, it'd look better for Hagrid if the whole school doesn't think I'm about to keel over."

"Here we are." Madam Pomfrey handed her a goblet full of a frothy red liquid. "Drink it all and you'll be free to go."

Mary shuddered and chugged the entire thing as quickly as she could. When she was finished, she handed the goblet back and shook her head.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," Mary said honestly.

Madam Pomfrey patted her hand. "Please don't visit so often."

"I'll try." Mary smiled.

Mary followed Ron and Oliver out of the hospital wing and she gave Oliver a quick hug when they parted ways at the Transfiguration classroom.

"I think he'll be a great Keeper for Puddlemere," Mary said breathlessly as she jogged toward Greenhouse Three.

"He's got talent," Ron said wistfully. "I'd like to try out for Keeper someday."

Mary shot a glance at her best mate. "I'll talk to him about training you. We'll need somebody after he graduates."

"Would you?" Ron looked hopeful as he skidded to a halt.

"Sure." Mary patted him on the back as she pulled open the door and walked into the greenhouse.

"Miss Potter, Mr. Weasley." Professor Sprout acknowledged them as they walked in. "Find a table and get to work on planting your puffapod seedlings. You'll need them for the next class."

Ron and Mary found a table next to Hermione and Neville and set up the pots they would need. Neville handed Mary a small spade with a worried look while Ron went to grab another bag of potting soil.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispered, as she placed a few seedlings in her pot.

"Never better." Mary smiled at her reassuringly. "It was just a few scratches."

Hermione shot her a disbelieving look, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Ron whispered something to her, causing Hermione to take a deep breath and go back to her work.

"Thanks, Nev." Mary smiled at him when he held out his hand and let her take a few of his seedlings.

She ignored the stares of the Slytherins, and Malfoy's heated glare, as she worked.

The rest of the class passed by peacefully and Mary was grateful when the bell rang and they were able to go back to the dorms and get cleaned up. Knowing that she had Astronomy later that night, Mary changed into her normal uniform robes and went downstairs to her normal spot in front of the fireplace.

"You should have heard the way Daphne railed at Malfoy," Hermione said to Ron as the sat down. "She was practically foaming at the mouth. Even Pansy couldn't calm her down. Bullstrode had to pull her back before she hit him. And poor Hagrid was so distracted that he didn't realize that the Hippogriffs had eaten all of the food until Peaches started getting rather agitated. We ended up getting out of class early and Hagrid forgot to assign any homework."

"Something good came out of it, eh Mary," Ron said, pulling Mary into the conversation.

"Yeah." Mary rubbed at her tired eyes and looked at her watch. "Seven more hours before Astronomy."

"You look beat," Ron said worriedly.

"I could use a nap." Mary chuckled lightly. "Wake me before class?"

"What about dinner?" Hermione asked, as she stood up and brushed off her skirt. "You really shouldn't be skipping meals."

"It'll be okay." Ron stopped Hermione with a hand on her arm. "We'll bring her something back."

A group of upper years came thundering down the stairs just as Ron and Hermione walked out of the portrait hole. Mary lifted her head from the arm of the couch and then put it back down, knowing that her chances for actual rest were getting slimmer by the second. She felt the cushion next to hers sink down and an arm pulled her away from her comfortable spot.

"You okay, sis?" Fred asked her.

George picked her up and moved her over so that she was sitting between them. "You look a little pale."

"I'm okay." Mary forced her eyes open. "Just been a long day."

"We heard," Angelina said darkly. "Oliver was about to pop his clogs when he cornered us after class."

Alicia sat down on the arm of the chair. "He said something about Malfoy and you being injured in Hagrid's class."

"We'll teach the little prick a lesson," Fred said and George nodded emphatically.

"Really." Mary sighed and sat up straighter. "Malfoy has been dealt with and if anyone out there is going to get the satisfaction of knocking the stuffing out of him, it's going to be me. I greatly appreciate your concern, but I've got this handled."

Angelina didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? It'd be no trouble."

"I'm sure. Thanks, guys." Mary chuckled and ruffled up the twins hair. "Now I've got to call my godfather and let him know I'm okay before this story ends up in the Prophet too."

Her teammates left for dinner and Mary pulled her two way mirror out of her bag and called for Sirius. After a half hour of waiting with no reply, Mary fell into a restless sleep.

"Shouldn't we just let her sleep?" Parvati whispered. "She must be exhausted."

"She needs to eat." Hermione argued quietly. "She barely touched her food at lunch."

"Maybe whatever potions Madam Pomfrey gave her made her feel ill." Lavender suggested worriedly. "I'm sure Professor Sinastra will understand if she misses one class."

"Mary will be fine." Hermione replied, but her tone suggested that she was concerned nonetheless.

Mary closed her eyes and wanted to growl when Hermione pulled the covers back slowly. "Wake up, Mary."

"Hey." Mary sighed and blinked at them. "What time is it?"

Hermione looked sympathetic. "Just after seven. I thought you'd need some time to eat and get ready for class."

"Thanks." Mary accepted the napkin that held a small sandwich. "What time is your detention?"

"Half an hour," Hermione said absently as she pulled her book out. "I'm going to get so far behind. It's only been one night and I don't think I'll ever catch up."

Mary grasped her hand. "I'm sorry."

Hermione let out a loud huff, startling Crookshanks. "It's not your fault, it's Professor Snape's!"

"Look," Mary said calmly as she finished the last bite of food. "You know as well as I do that Snape hates me. Please just let it go. I'm more than capable of speaking my mind and defending myself if need be."

"But he was wrong to assign you that detention." Hermione argued.

"Well, yeah." Mary shrugged. "He is the professor though. Not much I can do about it. Just promise that unless it's life or death, you wont try to protect me from Snape."

"I'll try." Hermione grumbled. "Now hush and let me finish this chapter."

Mary finally fell asleep much later that night hoping that things would even out and that her luck would get better, but as always, things never played out that way.


September 10th

The next couple of days passed at a calm pace as everyone settled back in and got used to being back at the castle. Classes went smoothly and Mary was starting to feel like she was finally adjusting to her new wand. Her knowledge of spells had increased ten fold and at times she found herself having to hold back so that her professors didn't suspect something was off with her casting.

More than once she saw McGonagall staring at her with an indecipherable look when Mary had completed her transfiguration on the first try. Hermione didn't seem to notice, but mainly because even though she had only served three detentions, she was frantic about falling behind and rarely noticed anything outside of her own textbooks.

At long last, the day came when Mary and her classmates walked into Professor Lupin's classroom and he stood in front them looking healthier and in better spirits than the last time.

"Wands out," he said before they had a chance to sit. "Place your things on your desks and follow me."

Everyone else looked at each other in a mixture of confusion and shock, while Mary was practically twitching at the thought of doing some real magic.

They walked a few classrooms away and followed Professor Lupin into an unused room where everything was coated in a thick layer of dust. With a wave of his wand, the professor made all of the torches light in sync.

The curious mumbling of the students caused the wardrobe to shake rapidly and let out a long mournful wail, making many gasp and back away.

"It seems the Boggart has noticed our presence," Professor Lupin said casually. "Form a line alternating between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

And so it went. Mary made sure she was in the middle of the line, where she couldn't easily be singled out or left without getting a turn. With Daphne Greengrass in front of her and Tracey Davis behind her, Mary tried to ready her nerves for the Boggart Dementor she was sure would appear.

Daphne's swarm of bees turned into a swarm of singing fireflies and she laughed as she went to the back of the line. Mary held up a hand and gave the Slytherin a high five for a job well done, causing Daphne to smile at her in pride.

Mary took a step forward and met Professor Lupin's eyes.

"Ready, Mary?" He asked quietly.

She nodded her head and raised her wand, the spell on the tip of her lips. Lupin opened the wardrobe and a thick cloud of black fog poured out before it formed into the shape of a large Dementor.

Mary ignored the shrieks of fear from her classmates and held her wand tighter. "Riddik..."

The icy cold made her teeth chatter and she tried another two times to complete the spell, but failed. Lupin raised his wand to banish the Boggart, but before he could, it changed forms once again.

Professor Lupin stumbled at the sight of the messy haired bespectacled young man that stood in front of Mary.

"You failed," the Boggart said heatedly, pointing his wand at her. "And everyone you love will die. I sacrificed myself to give you this chance and this is how you repay me?"

"No. I'm sorry." Mary gasped out through chattering teeth.

She reached toward him as the onslaught of memories came rushing back at the sight of her counterpart's face, making her fall to her knees. The weight that had been lifted by the mind altering potions landed on her with full force, leaving her heart and head aching in despair.

"Riddikulus!" Lupin butted in, turning the Boggart into a glowing orb and then into a deflating balloon.

He shut the door to the wardrobe with a loud bang and turned around looking grim. "Miss Potter, please go wait in my office."

Everyone turned to stare and Hermione looked at Mary with concerned eyes. Mary put her head down and walked to the door, feeling like she'd been cleaved in two.

"I'll be there as soon as class is over. Help yourself to the chocolate that's on my desk," Professor Lupin said, holding the door open and waiting for her to pass through.

Mary sat down in the leather armchair and put her head in her hands. How was she going to explain her Boggart? How would Professor Lupin react if she told him the truth? Who would he tell others in turn?

She stood up and paced the floor as she worried about what would happen next. Everyone in the class saw the form the creature took. They all heard what it said. But the part that worried her most was that it was right. There was no way she could succeed in her task. She wasn't strong or powerful, she wasn't even all that smart. Her recent ease in classes and spellwork were only because she'd gained the memories of someone who actually worked hard to learn them.

No, she thought fiercely. I can do this, I just have to practice more.

"Here." A soft voice interrupted her bout of self-pity almost an hour later.

Mary looked up to see Professor Lupin hold out a small bar of chocolate for her and accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, sir."

"I'm truly sorry about making you wait so long," Remus said, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"It's okay," Mary said. "How did the others do?"

"They did admirably." He answered in a subdued tone. "I must apologize again. I had prepared myself for the possibility of you facing Voldemort or a Dementor as your Boggart. I just wasn't expecting that."

"Me either." Mary let out a small groan and took another bite of chocolate as she waited for him to continue.

"Your father loved you very much." He told her kindly. "He'd never blame you."

Mary stared at him in confusion, then choked on the half chewed piece of chocolate. Professor Lupin pounded her hard on the back until she was able to swallow it. He thinks my Boggart was James!

"I ruined your class," Mary said suddenly, trying to hide her relief. "I'm so sorry. I should have known better than to go up there, but I thought I could handle it."

"Whoa." He placed a warm hand on her arm to calm her tirade. "Easy there, none of that was your fault, Mary."

Mary put her head down. "Still though, I ruined your class."

Remus leaned back in his chair, unwrapping a piece of chocolate for himself. "What I wanted to say, was that I spoke to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall about that lesson at length." At Mary's sharp look he continued. "We are all aware of your past and our worry was that it may have been too soon, considering the attack on the train."

"The Boggart Dementor was only there for a minute." Mary grumbled.

"Had I known that it would have turned into something so personal, I would have pulled you aside for the class. The fault is my own on that account. Now your friends are all quite worried about you, Mary. I'll let you go, but please feel free to ask if there is anything I can help you with."

"Thank you, sir." Mary smiled at him and opened the door. "I'll be sure to do that."

She sighed in relief as she went to her next class. While it wasn't a great feeling to lie to Remus over her Boggart, she knew there was no way she could explain her situation without being sent to St. Mungo's long term ward. They'd probably put her in the room next to Lockhart.

Mary walked into the History classroom five minutes later and took the seat that Ron and Hermione saved for her. She sat down as quietly as she could, but still, everyone in her year turned to stare or whisper. At first she tried to ignore it but with each passing second she could feel her temper rising.

"Of course Potter's father is going to be ashamed of her," Malfoy said loudly. "Just look at the little runt."

"Shut up, you smarmy little git." Mary ground out.

"Yeah, Malfoy!" Ron stood up next to her.

"Perkins!" Binns said suddenly, stopping his lecture mid-drone. "Weatherby! Both of you will sit down or lose house points."

"Yes, sir." Mary sat back down and pulled Ron back into his seat, ignoring Malfoy's teetering laugh.

Neville turned around and gave Mary a sympathetic look as she pulled out her notebook and began taking short notes of the class. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "I'm fine."

The rest of the day was uneventful other than the looks of pity that Mary was getting from her peers. Still she squared her shoulders and did her best to seem unfazed and act as normal as she could considering the heavy heart that plagued her since seeing Boggart Harry. But the apparition was right. She had more than enough proof that her dream was really of an alternate vision of the future and other than making a few small changes, she hadn't yet done anything that would alter the course of the future.

Just as everyone was getting ready to go to dinner, Mary had a burst of inspiration.

"I forgot to write Sirius." Mary told Ron quickly. "I'll meet you at dinner."

Ron shrugged and resumed his conversation with Seamus about Quidditch.

Mary ran up to her dorm and emptied her bag, leaving only her mirror and invisibility cloak in it. She penned a short note to Hermione, saying that she'd be back later, and left the common room.

As most everyone else was in the Great Hall, Mary was able to make her way to the Room of Requirement without coming across a single soul. The mountains of discarded random possessions were exactly as she remembered from her dream, but seeing it with her own two eyes was a whole new experience. She navigated her way around a massive pile of textbooks and imagined Hermione's reaction to seeing them lying about in such a state.

She passed a teetering stack of school trunks when a loud voice from behind her made her trip and stumble backwards onto the floor.

"Mary!" Sirius yelled from inside her backpack. "Are you there?"

"Yeah!" She said loudly as she sat up and dug through her bag. "Give me a second."

"Where are you?" He asked in a worried tone. "I can't see anything."

She pulled the mirror from where it had been swaddled in her invisibility cloak and looked down at Sirius' face that brightened at the sight of her.

Mary looked behind her where there was just a blank expanse of stone wall and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just exploring the castle while everyone else is tucking into dinner."

"Exploring?" Sirius asked excitedly. "What part of the castle?"

"Just a small room I found near Gryffindor." Mary shrugged. "I'd never seen the door before and figured I'd check it out."

"Why are you alone?" He interrogated her. "And why did you skip dinner? Are you okay?"

She swore that she'd scream if one more person asked her if she was okay.

"Had a little bit of an accident in Creatures class yesterday, but I'm fine." Mary waved off his concerned look.

"What happened?" He gritted out, looking quite put upon.

Mary gave him the basics of what had happened and was tempted to lock the mirror in a nearby trunk when he began berating her for saving Malfoy and getting herself hurt.

Mary sighed. "He would have gotten Hagrid into a lot of trouble if he'd been hurt. I don't regret what I did. I only regret not landing a punch on his pointy little face. So I wish you and everyone else would stop acting like I've committed a crime for not wanting my friend sacked and one of his creatures put to death."

"Okay, kid." Sirius rubbed a hand over his face. "I understand your motivation, but please try to be more careful in the future."

"I'll try." Mary promised as honestly as she could. "Will you be coming back to visit Professor Lupin? You seemed shocked to see each other."

"Well,. Sirius looked thoughtful. "It's been twelve years."

"I think you should try, Siri," Mary said in a hopeful tone. "He seems to be a good person. And considering everything-"

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "Considering what?"

"You know." Mary gave him a pointed look and had to hold back her mischievous smirk. "I'd rather not say it out loud."

"You know about that?" Sirius whispered. "He was always very discreet."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Mary said honestly. "And I think it's sweet."

"Yeah." Sirius smiled slightly, then shook his head in confusion. "Wait, sweet? What are you talking about?"

Mary rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh. "Why the two of you getting back together, of course. What else would I be talking about?"

Sirius's mouth dropped open in shock. "We are not together! We have never been together."

Mary bit her cheek. "There's no need to deny it. I really don't mind. I just want you to be happy and if you want him as a boyfriend-"

"Lalala." Sirius covered his ears and shook his head. "No! I mean it, Mary. We were friends. That's all."

Mary smiled widely. "So you never tweedled his dee and he never tweedled your bu.."

"Ah!" Sirius yelped and glared at her. "You and I are having a very long talk when you come home, young lady. And I'll hear no more of this. Remus and I are just friends. I like birds, okay. Birds not blokes."

Mary stared at him with a straight face. "I know we said no judging, but interspecies relations?"

"Ladies!" Sirius growled. "I like ladies. Not actual birds."

"I know." Mary laughed loudly. "I was just winding you up."

"Why you little-" Sirius trailed off then looked at Mary in wonder. "You were pranking me? This whole time?"

"Yup." Mary chuckled and looked at her watch. "And now I have to go finish my homework."

"Have fun, kiddo." Sirius smiled at her. "I love you. And I swear that my vengeance will be swift."

"Bring it on." Mary taunted him. "Night, Snuggly."

She carefully put the mirror back in her bag and stood up while trying to regain her bearings. And then there it was. The cupboard looked innocent and completely insignificant, but Mary's heart still pounded hard against her ribs. She stood in front of it in trepidation and turned slightly to her left. The chipped bust laid haphazardly on its side and the dusty wig was a few feet away, partially hidden under a large moth-eaten cloak. A glint of light shimmered off the surface of the tarnished tiara and Mary lurched back at the rush of horror that threatened to overwhelm her.

Even at quite a distance she could feel the evil and ill intent leaking from Voldemort's Horcrux, and despite that, the urge to put on the relic was still overwhelming.

"I can do this." Mary told herself as she closed her eyes tightly and took a step back. "I just need gloves and a box."

Steeling herself, she turned around and began searching for what she needed. It didn't take long to find a pair of oversized dragon-hide gloves and a small wooden box that was inlaid in what looked like silver. With shaky hands, Mary plucked the Diadem out of the rubbish pile and dropped it in the box, snapping the lid shut with a little whoop of satisfaction.

"Accio goblin blade?" Mary held up her wand and called out in a curious tone.

The sound of something flying through the air made her heart soar right up until she realized it was flying right at her face. Mary dove to the ground just as the small dagger sailed over her head and landed tip first in a trunk right behind where her face had been.

"Don't summon knives." Mary shook her head and made a mental note not to ever try that again.

The small dagger had an iron hilt and blade, with only a small wrapping of leather covering the handle. Mary carefully picked it up and wrapped it in a scrap of cloth then carefully tucked it into her bag.

With minutes to spare before the others returned from dinner, Mary stuffed the box into her knapsack and ran as quickly as she could back to Gryffindor tower. She barely had time to close her trunk - and the Horcrux in it - before she flopped onto her bed and pulled the covers over her head just as Hermione, Lavender and Parvati walked in.

She could hear their quiet whispers as she lay there, feigning sleep, completely lost in her thoughts.

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