Disclaimer: I know that I've forgotten to put this in my other chapters, but really do you actually think that I created Harry Potter? J.K. Rowling is the genius who created Harry's world. I am only responsible for Tolblox, J.D. and Crystal. I'm only 15 so I have no money, please don't sue!

A/N: Yay!!! School is over! I now have more time to write. Please R/R!!! I need to be reviewed!

This chapter is kinda short, but the next one is going to be vital to the story and will probably be long.

Oh, and check out my other fanfic which I am in the middle of writing. I'm going to alternate writing chapters.


Chapter 8: Hogsmeade and Snuffles


J.D. and Harry had a silent, mutual agreement not to discuss what happened that night. J.D. had intended to share the news of her secret room with her three friends, but when the time came she left that part out of her story. Instead she only mentioned Viktor Krum's brother's strange behavior.

"That is strange. I wonder what Viktor's brother is doing here anyway," Hermione said.

"I don't know," J.D. replied, but she was worried that his appearance at Hogwarts had something to do with her secret room.

Over the next month and a half, J.D. visited her room whenever she was feeling unhappy or just needed to get away from the crowded school. She never saw Crystal through the mirror, though. Sometimes J.D. wondered if Crystal was purposely avoiding her. She had been spending a lot of time with Malfoy and whenever Crystal passed J.D. in the hall she always avoided her older sister's gaze.

Despite her exile from the rest of the school's social order, J.D. was enjoying school. She was happy whenever she could just hang around with her three best friends. They seemed to enjoy her company too, although Harry had been acting strange since her midnight tour of Hogwarts. Most of the time he seemed his normal, happy self, but sometimes there was a strange look in his green eyes.

Finally it was Halloween and J.D.'s first trip to Hogsmeade. She was looking forward to it especially because she could go wherever she wanted without having to play her game of unpopularity. With only Harry, Ron, and Hermione around she could be herself. Although she was getting very good at it, her unpopularity was taking a lot out of her and she wasn't sleeping well. J.D. was having more dreams with lots of green light and that high pitched laugh. Now that she knew Harry was the boy in her visions and dreams, she suspected she also knew who the man with the laugh was.

On Halloween morning, Hermione shook J.D. awake. J.D. always had difficulty getting up and even the thought of the trip wasn't enough to rouse her. She eventually pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. On the way out of the room J.D. was openly snubbed by Parvati and Lavender. It was a daily routine by then and in a strange way, J.D. found comfort in the everydayness of it. She found Harry and Ron already waiting downstairs. Hermione joined them a moment later and they started off for Hogsmeade talking along the way.

"You'll love Hogsmeade J.D.," Ron said excitedly, "It's got the greatest stores!"

"Yeah, we'll have to go into Honeydukes and Zonko's, but don't forget that we have to meet Snuffles," Harry reminded them.

J.D. grinned. "I can't wait to meet this godfather of your's."

* * *

After buying lot's of treats at Honeydukes and pranks at Zonko's the four friends started walking towards the end of the main street. When they reached the rickety, old building at the end of the road, which J.D. could only assume was the Shrieking Shack, there was a big black dog waiting for them. When they approached, the dog let out a low growl and looked hesitantly at Harry.

"It's okay Snuffles, this is our friend J.D. You can trust her, I promise. Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

The black dog just turned and walked behind the building. Indicating a small opening in the wall, he walked through. Amazed, J.D. followed her friends as one by one they squeezed through the space.

"Harry, you didn't mention that your godfather was a dog. Don't you think that's kind of strange," J.D. whispered.

"It's not as if he's a dog all the time. He's an animagus. Come on."

They found themselves in a dusty, dirty room with scattered pieces of broken furniture. It wasn't quite as filthy as the last time Harry had been there and he assumed that Sirius had done some cleaning.

A minute later they were joined by a tall man with dark brown hair, slightly worn robes, and a worried look on his face. Harry ran to him and gave him a hug.

"Sirius! How are you? Where's Professor Lupin? Where's Buckbeak?"

"I'm fine Harry. Umm," Sirius glanced at J.D., "is there something you would like to tell me?"

"Oh, this is J.D. Miller. She's a transfer student from America," Harry replied.

"Harry, could I speak to you?" Sirius pulled him over to the corner and began speaking in a low voice.

A moment later they came back to the others and Sirius smiled at J.D.

"It seems that I can trust you. It even appears that you don't know who I am. However Harry assures me that it is okay to discuss business in front of you. There was also something about visions?"

With a reassuring nod from Harry she explained her visions of Harry to Sirius. He gave a thoughtful nod.

"I think Moony had better hear this too," he said.

"Is he here? I haven't seen him in years!" Harry said excitedly.

"Who's Moony?" J.D. asked.

"Remus Lupin. My best friend and he was a teacher at Hogwarts. We're both on special business for Dumbledore," Sirius answered.

While they sat around and waited for Lupin to arrive, Sirius asked Harry questions about school, life, and even questions about Lord Voldemort.

"You haven't had any more visions, have you Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Me? No, it's been all quiet on the Voldemort front."

"Harry are you feeling all right?" Sirius asked concernedly, "This doesn't sound like you."

"I'm fine Sirius. Nothing bad has happened to me. Now you, why is everything so quiet? Why hasn't Voldemort made his move? Are the Dementors still at Azkaban?"

"I have no idea why Voldemort is keeping quiet, Harry. And yes the Dementors are still at Azkaban. They haven't moved to join Voldemort yet and Fudge still refuses to accept the fact that he has come back."

"Why doesn't this Fudge person take precautions?" J.D. asked.

"Fudge is our Minister of Magic. Unfortunately, Voldemort is a very touchy subject in Britain, and most people refuse to believe that he could come back. They believe that when he tried to curse Harry and failed, that was the end of it. Fudge is being very foolish, and those of us who believe Voldemort is back are hoping that his mistake won't destroy the wizarding world," Sirius explained.

At that moment they were joined by another man with sandy brown hair with a few flecks of grey. He looked very tired.

"Nothing, Padfoot. That's what I got, a load of nothing. And you know, I may not be a convicted murderer, but people sure are hesitant to talk to a werewolf. Oh hello you three. And who's this?" Remus Lupin asked when he saw J.D.

"This is J.D. Miller, Professor Lupin. She's an exchange student from America," Harry said.

"Harry, please, I am no longer your teacher. You, Ron, Hermione, and I suppose J.D. can call me Remus. It's nice to meet you J.D. I trust you'll forgive the informality, but this really isn't the time for formalities. If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

J.D. explained her visions to him. He nodded pensively.

"A true Seer? That could come in very useful. And you say your last vision was about two months ago?" J.D. nodded, "I see. I trust you have spoken to Dumbledore. I don't see what else we can do about that right now, we can only hope that Harry does not have to face Voldemort this year. It's been what, once a year since you came to Hogwarts, Harry?" Lupin gave a small smile.

Harry smiled back. It was good that he was able to smile about his encounters with Voldemort especially since Cedric's death the year before. "Almost, Remus. Except for that year when we cornered you, Sirius and Wormtail in this very Shrieking Shack. Voldemort didn't show up that year."

Both Remus and Sirius' faces darkened at the name Wormtail. The looked both angry and distressed at the same time. J.D. wondered how one name (and a stupid one at that) could change the looks on two adult men's faces so quickly. She leaned over to ask Hermione about it.

"Hey Mya. Who's Wormtail and why does the name make the two of them so angry?"

Hermione looked stricken. "Wormtail is the nickname for Peter Pettigrew. He was once a close friend of theirs and Harry's parents, but he betrayed them to Voldemort and then set Sirius up as the culprit. Two years ago we cornered Sirius here, thinking he was the traitor. Luckily, Professor Lupin stopped us before we turned Sirius over to the Death Eaters. It turned out that Peter was the real traitor and he had been hiding as Ron's pet rat for twelve years. Sirius had escaped Azkaban to come to Hogwarts and capture Peter in case Peter tried to kill Harry. That night, Sirius and Professor Lupin forced Peter to transform and confess, but Harry stopped them from killing him. We tried to take Peter to the Death Eaters, but Peter transformed and escaped. Only thanks to my Time Turner were we able to save Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss."

"Whoa. I had no idea," J.D. said astonished.

"Very few people do," Ron now joined in the conversation, "That's why Harry can't live with Sirius and he has to be on the run. Most people still think he's the criminal."

"Wait, did you say this Peter Pettigrew spent twelve years as a rat?"

"That's right."

Sirius' voice made all three of them jump.

"It's okay. J.D., Peter, James, and I are or were animagus'. Peter can transform into a rat at will. That's why we called him Wormtail. I believe that Voldemort has turned the name into a cruel joke."

"What about Professor Lupin?" J.D. asked.

"Please, it's Remus now. I believe you already know I'm a werewolf," Remus replied.

J.D. was still confused about what was going on. Why was she here? What was going on? For the first time in months, she was beginning to think she was in over her head. The threat of Voldemort wasn't nearly so high in America.

"Back in California, we weren't worried about Voldemort either. Why is it so bad here?"

The smile gone from his face, Sirius replied. "If Voldemort regains full strength, it won't matter if you're on another continent. There won't be another Lily Potter to die for Harry, and consequently destroy Voldemort. The entire wizarding world, on all continents, will be in danger. Foolish men like Minister Fudge could be our downfall."

J.D. did not know what to say to that. She had no idea the situation was so terrible. She was finally beginning to realize how important her visions could be to the Light side.

"Sirius, why did you want to meet with us?" Harry asked.

"I wanted to know that you were alright and I just wanted to see you again. Remus wanted to see the three of you again also," he answered.

They spent a little longer, talking and exchanging stories. Then they left the Shrieking Shack, making sure that no one saw them. Sirius promised he'd keep in touch and the four friends set off for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. Ron led them to a table and then went to get the drinks.

"Harry," J.D. said in a low voice, "I had no idea things were the way they are. And I had no idea that you've been through so much. I'm sorry."

Harry looked J.D. in her blue-green eyes and smiled a shaky smile. "Please don't worry about it J.D. It's not as if you've done anything wrong and I'm healthy, aren't I? I'm doing just fine, and with Dumbledore on our side, we don't have to worry."

Much reassured, J.D. took a big sip of her drink, which she had never had before, and found that it was very enjoyable.

* * *

Harry watched as J.D. enjoyed her butterbeer and then watched his friends exchanging funny stories of bygone years. He wished he could tell anyone else what he knew in his heart, but it would only worry them and take away the peace and happiness they had strived for for so many years. Harry was positive that in the war against Voldemort, the Light side would come out on top, but he was also sure that they wouldn't get there without losing so much of what joy they had.

Harry loathed Lord Voldemort. He had destroyed so many lives and even if he didn't kill them, he hurt people in ways from which they could never recover. In the past four and a half years, since Harry came to the wizarding world, he came to know how hard people had worked to rebuild what Voldemort had taken away. Now, thanks to Harry's blood and folly, Voldemort was going to destroy it all over again. And like Sirius said, this time there was no Lily Potter to die for him. Harry knew that this was going to be a bloody and terrible battle, but if you looked around the Three Broomsticks that afternoon, you would have no idea that a horrible, evil, Dark Wizard was going to come and take all of the happiness away.