Chapter Three: The Dog is (Almost) Out of the Bag

Alysia knew that her mother always liked the first lesson to be as practical as possible, so she was not at all surprised to see a sign on the DADA classroom reading, "Meet me on the Quidditch Pitch. Signed, A. Karadhras." She read it just in time to be bumped into by Harry, Ron and Hermione, breathing hard as if they'd just run a mile. Ron groaned when he read the note.

"You mean we just ran all the way here from Divination for nothing?" he gasped, leaning against a column.

"Well, I wouldn't say for nothing, Ron. If you hadn't run here, how would you know class was outside today?" Alysia pointed out. "Let's go." Together, the four hurried out to the Quidditch pitch, where Alysia was delighted to see a furious-looking manticore baring its ugly teeth at them. The manticore was a hideous creature, with the head of a man, the body of a lion and the stinging tail of a scorpion. It was tethered between two goal posts at the farthest end of the field, where Hagrid was looking at it with enormous amounts of pity. Alysia's mother was standing a safe distance from the beast, as was the rest of the class.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts, sixth years! Today's lesson will be combined with your first Care of Magical Creatures lesson." Suddenly, she was interrupted by a chorus of voices. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins were hurrying down to the pitch, all muttering about their Herbology class having been cancelled for some reason. Alysia spotted Draco in the crowd, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, and smiled in their direction. Draco hadn't seen her, as he was too busy sneering at Hagrid and the beast, but it was okay because something else had attracted Alysia's attention. Standing ten feet behind the manticore was a form she recognized all too well. A huge black dog was pacing back and forth protectively. Oh no, Alysia thought, praying that Harry and his friends would not recognize the dog. He had grabbed Ron and Hermione's arms and was speaking to them in a low voice. Alysia hoped it was not about the black dog that was her father.

Her mother, on the other hand, was resuming her lecture. "A welcome to the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson and your first Care of Magical Creatures lesson are being combined. I hope this doesn't upset you too much, Mr. Malfoy. If there is a complaint, you may take it all the way to Professor Dumbledore if you like, but I will warn you in advance, it was his idea." Alysia suppressed a giggle at the scowl that crossed Draco's face. "My name is Anaral Karadhras, but because I'm nice like that, you may call me Ana. This is Hagrid. I trust you all know him by now. And this lovely creature is a manticore." She indicated the manticore with a wave of the hand, as if brushing away a troublesome fly.

"'Is name's Mortimer," Hagrid muttered defensively, and Alysia smiled again. This would be an interesting class.

"Yes, Mortimer the Manticore. Thank you, Hagrid," Alysia's mother continued. "Manticores are highly dangerous beasts, very violent and aggressive. They have the mental capacity of a fully grown man but the understanding of a two-year-old. You would do well to keep your distance, Mr. Zabini, or you might get your hand bitten off." Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin, backed away sheepishly. "Manticores do not respond well to normal spells of defense. So, today you are going to learn two methods for dealing with manticores. First, I will teach you the more practical method, which involves the use of a wand. Then Hagrid will teach you the. . .less practical method. So we begin."

Ana moved a little closer to the manticore, which immediately started howling at the top of its lungs. "HUN-GREE!!" it growled, eyeing Ana greedily. Alysia watched the black dog's pacing grow more defensive, its heckles up. If Ana saw this as well, she ignored it. "Now, the first thing you need to know is that manticores are incredibly pathetic and whiney. All one really has to do to quiet a manticore down is a well-aimed shot to his forehead and the words, 'Memnos animos.' This will put the manticore to sleep. Observe." Ana was now within range of the manticore's swiping paws. Its horrible teeth were bared, ready to eat whatever prize its paws brought. The scorpion's tail clattered in a terrifying way. One false move and Ana would meet its sting. Alysia watched in terrified wonder as she continued to approach the beast. The black dog was now crouched, prepared to strike at the manticore if it attacked Ana. His preparations, however, were unnecessary. The beast rose up its stinger to deliver a fatal blow, and Ana raised her wand. In an almost lazy voice, she stated, "Memnos animos." A jet of white light flew from the end of her wand, hit the manticore in the forehead, and it collapsed in a peaceful slumber. Alysia almost collapsed in relief.

"Your mum's good at putting herself in danger, isn't she?" a voice drawled behind her. Alysia nodded her head shakily, trusting that Draco would understand that this was not the time to talk about her mother putting herself in danger. She had now retreated a safe distance and was facing the manticore.

"Ennervate," she muttered, and the beast awoke, realizing it had been duped. It howled in rage and the dog backed away. "If you're ever in the forest with this creature, I can assure you that this spell will help you more than Hagrid's method, which takes a bit of time. Hagrid?"

She walked to the stands, rather shakily Alysia noted, and Hagrid walked forward. "Well. . .deep down, manticores're real gentle-like. They jus' need a bit o' lovin's all. All yeh gotter do is sing 'em a lullaby, an' they go straight asleep," Hagrid explained, a bit nervously.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Draco crowed, loudly, and several people laughed. Hagrid looked a bit taken aback, but kept talking anyway.

"Now, lemme see. . .ah, codswallop, I dunno no lullabies. Alysia! Can yeh sing?" Hagrid called. Alysia felt her face paling, and noticed the frightened looks of everyone around her. The black dog, which had retreated to the stands with her mother was now staring straight at Hagrid with a dark look. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked horrified, and Draco looked like he either wanted to run or take Alysia's place. She stepped forward, shaking. I suppose I could always transform if it attacks me, she thought.

"Yes. I can sing," her voice said, in barely more than a whisper. Hagrid motioned for her to come closer to the manticore. It seemed like Alysia's voice was stuck in her throat when she looked at the growling beast. She had never been this close to a manticore before, and the most noticeable thing about it was that the beast's breath was rancid. Its beard and hair were matted into dreadlocks and it was drooling.

"HUN-GREE!!" the manticore announced, swiping at Alysia. Her hand gripped her wand, but she stood her ground.

"Okay, then," she said aloud, without realizing she'd spoken. Without a thought in her head, she began to sing the only lullaby that came to mind.

"Sleep now, my little dear one Sleep little one, sleep deep. Fly as I sing on angel's wings, Oh sleep little one, sleep deep. Oh sleep, sleep my darling baby Sleep little one, sleep deep Oh sleep, sleep my darling baby Sleep little one, sleep deep."

It seemed to be having some effect on the manticore. It had stopped yelling and was staring at Alysia as a creature stares at its mother. She dared not stop singing, and repeated the song. This time, it truly had an effect on the manticore. The beast's eyelids drooped, and before she'd finished the refrain, it collapsed, snoring. Hagrid beamed at her and motioned for her to step back. Everyone watched in complete silence as Alysia backed away from the manticore. No one said a word as she walked through the crowd, off of the Quidditch pitch, and back to the castle. Not a soul seemed to see her as she made her way to the library and found herself a quiet place in the back corner, where she pulled her knees up to her chest and wept all of the terror away.

It could have been minutes or hours before someone touched her arm. Alysia jumped and looked up, seeing Draco kneeling next to her. She hastily wiped away the stray tears that still sat on her cheeks. "How did you know I was here?" she asked in a choked voice.

"You weren't in your room, the banquet hall is too public and I doubt you'd be hiding in a teacher's office. Are you okay?" Draco seemed genuinely concerned. Alysia shook her head.

"No, but I'll manage. I'm sure my mother was in on it. She likes me to get out there and be brave. I'm not angry about it. Just really scared, that's all," she answered. She knew that Draco had, at one point, tried to get Hagrid fired from his position at the school. She didn't want to give him any reason to further that cause.

"Are you sure? Because I can talk to my father, and he'll. . ."

"No! Please, Draco, I meant it when I said I wasn't angry. And if you talk to your father, he'll probably get my mother fired, and then I'll have to leave," Alysia pleaded. Draco looked like he was about to say something, when a shadow fell over them. Alysia didn't look up, but Draco did.

"What do you want, Potter?" he sneered.

"I need to speak with Alysia. It's important," Harry answered.

"So's this." Draco put an arm around Alysia's shoulders. She shrugged it off.

"It's okay, Draco. I'll talk to you later. I've needed to talk to Harry, too," she told Draco, standing up. "Thank you for being there for me."

Draco looked reluctant to leave, but did so, casting a wary glance at Harry. Harry sat down on the floor next to Alysia, not looking at her. For a long moment, they sat in silence, then Harry spoke up quietly.

"I just wanted to ask you two things, but first, are you okay?" he asked. Alysia nodded, pressing her lips together. "Good. I don't mean to cut this short, but I've got a class to get to. I just wanted to ask, first of all, where did you learn that lullaby?"

"My mother used to sing it to me, when I was a baby. I think your mother did, too. Why? Did you recognize it?" Alysia turned so that she was facing Harry. He barely nodded.

"Yeah, I did. And now I know why," he stated in a soft tone. He was silent for a moment, then avoided Alysia's eyes as he spoke. "The other thing I was wondering. . .is that your dog that was on the pitch today?"

Alysia nearly choked in surprise, but managed to keep her voice calm as she answered, "Yes, he is. We call him Blackie," she lied. Truth be told, she'd never called that black dog anything but "daddy".

"How long have you had him?" Harry asked in a faraway voice.

"Oh, about three years. Mum got him for me for Christmas one year." Alysia was impressing herself with these on-the-spot stories.

"I see. I just. . .know a dog like him, from somewhere," Harry explained unnecessarily. Alysia knew he'd recognized Sirius, but she was not ready to explain the connection. Not yet. Luckily for her, the door to the library opened just then and her mother breezed in. Sirius was not with her.

"There you are, Alysia!" Her voice was breathy with relief as she hugged Alysia tightly. "You had me worried when you ran off like that. Are you alright?"

"Yes, mum, I'm fine," Alysia answered automatically.

"Good, because I need to talk to you in my office. Let's go. Be on your way, Harry." Alysia's mother gave her a hand and helped her off the floor. Alysia had a feeling she knew what was coming as she followed her mother to her office, passing many staring students on the way. Someone whispered about her voice, and she knew that word of her putting the manticore to sleep had spread throughout the school. They finally reached her mother's office, where, as Alysia expected, the black dog was lying on the floor. Her mother turned around and locked the door, and Sirius transformed into his normal self.

"Alysia, thank God!" her father exclaimed, embracing her tightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Really. Just a little shaken up is all," Alysia answered, sitting down in one of her mother's overstuffed chairs.

"I'm not surprised. Having to deal with a full-grown manticore on the first day of classes! That's harsh," her father shook his head as if remembering something similar from his days at Hogwart's.

"Harsh! I knew Alysia was more than capable of handling that manticore. If the danger became too strong, she could have simply taken her falcon form and flown away. As it was, though, she was perfectly capable without. . ."

"Without doing something that could have gotten her into serious trouble with the Ministry of Magic!" Sirius sounded exasperated. "Ana, I know you meant well, but Alysia's still just a child, and she. . ."

"I'm not a child! I'm sixteen years old!" Alysia argued. Her parents stared at her. "Look, I'll admit it, I was terrified of the manticore, and I would rather have not faced it, but it didn't hurt me. Mum wouldn't have put me into a situation that I would more likely than not die from. But, Mum. . ." Alysia reeled on her mother. "Why did you let Hagrid scare me like that? I was terrified!"

"Honey, I'm sorry. I knew you were more than capable of singing the manticore to sleep, but I hadn't expected him to be half as wild as he was. If I'd known, I would have insisted beforehand that Hagrid not even think of teaching you that method! It's hardly practical, and. . ."

Alysia sighed heavily, cutting her mother off. She was now looking at her father. "Daddy, I think Harry recognized you," she told him.

"Of course he did. He's not stupid," her father said rudely.

"Daddy, I don't want Harry knowing yet!" Alysia exclaimed. "I don't want him to suddenly feel like he has to be my friend because the likelihood is that he and I will one day be siblings."

Her father sighed, shaking his head. "It's your choice, Alysia. But I'd really rather that you were honest about this."

"Give her time, Sirius," Ana said, gently, then looked at Alysia again. "I noticed you eating breakfast with Lucius Malfoy's son."

"Malfoy's son!?" Now Sirius was standing bolt upright, his eyes wide.

"What? I know you and Mr. Malfoy didn't get along in school, Daddy, but Draco's not his father!" Alysia exclaimed, looking at the clock. She was supposed to be in Charms right now, with the Ravenclaws. Somehow, she guessed that her mother would be making excuses for her.

"Might as well be. Harry told me that Draco's as good as joined You-Know- Who," her father explained. By that time, Alysia had had her fill.

"That's just great, Dad. Did Harry tell you anything else? Maybe why it's okay for him to choose his own friends, but I have to get his approval before I decide who I want to be friends with?" Sirius reached for Alysia, but she backed away angrily. "Who's really your kid, Dad? Me or Harry?"

"Aly. . ." But he could get no further. Alysia pushed her way out of the room, trying to get as far away from her father as possible before the tears could squeeze their way out. She knew there was no hope she'd run into Draco or even Susan Bones. Everyone was in class. She wasn't seeking solace, though; only a quiet, lonely peace that had become her greatest comfort.

The only place Alysia could think of as lonely enough was the Dark Forest. She had no fear of what she would find there. Anything possibly frightening could be avoided with a simple spell or a transformation to her falcon form. With a quick stop in her room to grab her diary, Alysia ran. She ran until she found herself gasping for breath at the edge of the Dark Forest. A few stray tears had managed to escape, but Alysia ignored them.

Even at midday, the Forest was frightening to behold. Strange noises echoed within, and shadows flitted deep within between the trees. It appeared to be black as night only a few feet in. Alysia felt a rush of excitement as she took her first step into the Forest. Not wanting to go too far in, Alysia climbed a tree from which the castle was still completely visible. She opened her diary, having put a spell on the quill so that the ink would not run out. Before she could write a word, however, the tree shook. Alysia nearly dropped her quill. The tree shook again.

"You there! Girl! Come down from there!" a voice called from below her. Alysia looked down to see a centauress kicking the tree with her hind legs.

"What do you want?" she yelled back.

"For you to leave these woods for your safety!" the centauress called again. "Please come down from there."

Alysia was too shocked to do anything but comply. The centauress was a beautiful white horse with golden hair and a garland of white flowers draped around her neck and over her hair. Her skin was the color of porcelain and her eyes a pale blue. She looked at Alysia with great concern.

"You are the falcon-girl, are you not?" she asked. Alysia nodded. "My name is Fidelina. These woods are not safe."

"I wasn't even in 'these woods'! I just. . ." Alysia had no good excuse to escape Fidelina's probing gaze. "I needed to be by myself."

"By yourself? Why?"

"It's none of your business!" Alysia snapped. "Why don't you just come off it? I'll leave your stupid forest if you want."

"Do not be angry, Alysia." Fidelina placed a white hand on Alysia's shoulder and Alysia shook it off. "Anger is a dangerous thing, especially when it is towards those we love. When left unchecked, it can cause us to turn against them."

"Thanks for the advice. Can I go now?" Alysia didn't wait for an answer, but whirled around and started storming towards the castle. Fidelina called after her again.

"Your father will be wanting to talk to you, Alysia," she said in a voice that was just loud enough to be heard. Alysia looked at her again.

"How do you know anything about my father?" she demanded.

"Because I talk to her." Out of the shadows stepped her father, having just resumed his human form. "Aly, let's talk."

Alysia sighed and approached the forest, giving Fidelina a sour look. She sat down at the base of a tree, which her father stood behind. "I'm sorry," he said finally.

"Sorry for what?" Alysia asked, knowing that her question had come out a great deal more angrily than she'd intended.

"For. . .for treating Harry like more of a son than I treat you like a daughter. For not being there to see you grow up. For being an escaped convict. Aly, it's hard for me. By the time most people are sixteen, their parents are old hats at the parenting thing. I'm brand new at it, and I seem to just keep messing up, with both you and Harry, if you can believe it," Sirius said, looking apologetic. Alysia didn't answer, not trusting her own words. "It's not fair, is it?" Sirius asked.

"No, it isn't. But it's what I'm stuck with," Alysia sighed. "And I have to get used to it, whether I like it or not."

"You do, sweetheart. But you also need to get used to something else," Sirius commented, putting an arm around Alysia. "You need to get used to having a father around who loves you very much."

Alysia smiled and leaned against her father's shoulder. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling. "Snuffles? Are you here?" It was Harry.

"Oh no, Dad. . ." Alysia started to back away, but Sirius held her by the arm.

"Harry deserves to know that he has a sister," he told her quietly. Alysia sighed and relented, relaxing a bit. Her father loosened his grip on her arm as Harry approached. Harry was beginning to say something until he saw Alysia there.

"Alysia, I can explain Sirius Black being here. . ." Harry began, but Alysia put her hand up.

"Harry, it's okay. I know he's innocent," she said. "I've known longer than you have."

"How is that. . .?" Harry seemed to be at a loss for words. Sirius smiled at him.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet the second most important woman in my life, my daughter Alysia."

Harry couldn't have looked more surprised if he tried. His eyes grew enormous and his mouth dropped open. For a while, he stood there gaping like a fish, then he managed to squeeze out the word, "How?"

"Anaral and I were married about a month after your parents, Harry, and Alysia was born shortly after you were. Lily and James were delighted-they were Alysia's godparents, you know. Lily and Anaral, of course, had all these lofty plans for the two of you to fall in love and get married or something along those lines." Sirius paused and Harry and Alysia exchanged looked of feigned disgust. "James and I were a bit more practical and near- sighted, making plans for the two of you to be on the same Quidditch team, be head boy and girl, heads of departments at the Ministry of Magic. It was as if you'd been born with a built in best friend."

Sirius' tone became quiet and pensive. "When Harry was about a year old, it happened. Lily and James were murdered. I remember the night clearly. I had planned just to check on Peter and then come back home and enjoy dinner with my wife and daughter. When I didn't find Pettigrew, I panicked. Went as fast as I could to Godric's Hollow, and there was Hagrid, with you already in his arms, Harry."

"I would've taken you home with me, and given you to Anaral, while I went out to find the murdering bastard. But Hagrid had his orders and wouldn't be swayed. I went home quickly and told Anaral what had happened and what I had to do. She was terrified at the prospect and knew that there was a large chance that we'd never see each other again. I kissed her good-bye, then held my daughter one last time. And you know the rest." Sirius took a deep shaky breath, and Harry looked astounded.

"If you and Professor Karadhras were married, why isn't her name Professor Black?" Harry finally asked, his voice cracking.

"Mum knew that Black had a horrible stigma attached to it. She didn't want me to grow up with people always knowing that I was the daughter of a convicted murderer. So she took her own maiden name back. She always knew Dad was innocent, but the Ministry didn't. They offered to grant her an annulment, saying that she had plenty of grounds for it, but she said no, she was as good as a widow and wouldn't marry again. We moved away, to someplace where no one knew us as the Black family." Alysia let the words tumble out, unaware that she had just explained a lot of big things to Harry. Harry shook his head and sat down on the ground next to Alysia. He was about to say something, when there was the sound of footsteps approaching. In a flash, Sirius changed back to his animal form and bounded off into the forest. Alysia and Harry jumped up apprehensively to see none other than Professor Snape lurching towards them.

"Lurking around the Forbidden Forest, Mr. Potter and Miss Karadhras? I daresay that merits detention or at least several points from both your houses, unless you can give me a good reason as to why you were here?" he sneered at them. Alysia glared at him.

"You probably know perfectly well why we're down here. We have permission from my mother, and if you try to punish us for doing what she told us, I'll speak to Professor Dumbledore about your ridiculously unfair treatment of everyone who is not in Slytherin House!" Alysia warned. Snape looked like he wanted to say something, but Alysia cut him off. "My parents have told me plenty of fascinating stories about your time at Hogwart's, Professor Snape. I wouldn't want those stories becoming well-known among the students."

Professor Snape's face had contorted in fury, and he whirled around and marched back to the castle without so much as another glance in Alysia and Harry's direction. Alysia bit back a laugh and began to walk back to the castle with Harry in tow.

"How on earth do you do that? If I said half of that stuff to Snape, he'd give me detention for a month!" Harry pointed out. Alysia didn't even bother to hold in the laughter this time.

"He knows that I've got all sorts of true stories about him from his days at Hogwart's, and he'd be completely humiliated if any of that stuff surfaced. Not a risk he wants to take," she explained.

"So if Sirius is your dad. . .is that why you were taught at home? And why didn't you tell us?" Harry was firing the questions at her quickly. Alysia ducked her head.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be my friends just because of who my dad was or not like me because of who my dad was. That's what happened that made me be taught at home," Alysia explained. "I was in this play group for wizard and witch children who were not old enough for Hogwart's. My mum thought it would be good for me to get to know some people before I went there. Anyway, I think I was about six when they had a 'bring your father to play group' day. I was the only person without her father there. The witch who was in charge was this chubby, mean thing, and when she asked me where my father was, I told her the truth. 'He's in Azkaban,' I explained. 'Now, that's just ridiculous, Alysia. Where is your father really?' 'He's really in Azkaban! His name is Sirius Black!' I said. And that's when it all changed. She got all quiet and backed away from me as if I was going to explode. The kids stopped talking to me, and I knew they'd told their parents. They started hexing me, first behind the teachers' backs and then right in front of their faces. They didn't seem to care. I told my mother and she pulled me out. We moved again, and I was taught at home from then on."

Ron and Hermione looked serious as Alysia finished her tale. They were sitting at a long table in the library, speaking in hushed voices. At the insistence of Harry, Alysia had explained the whole thing to both of them. Now, Ron and Hermione regarded her more trustingly.

"That's awful, Alysia." Hermione looked completely sympathetic. "They never really hurt you, did they?"

"Not really," Alysia answered, shaking her head. "My dad was furious when we told him, when he escaped from Azkaban. But it's over now. Nothing we can do. Just please don't tell anyone here. I don't want them knowing who my father is. I don't want to risk being hexed or cursed again. It's humiliating."

"Don't worry. If anyone finds out and tries to hex or curse you because of it, we'll. . .we'll curse 'em 'til they can't walk ever again," Ron vowed. Alysia laughed at this, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Most people won't care who your father is, Alysia," she stated expertly, but her expression darkened suddenly. "Some people, on the other hand, will care a great deal." Alysia followed Hermione's gaze to see Draco Malfoy sauntering into the library. He spotted Alysia and smiled at her, barely noticing that the others were there. Alysia began to smile back, until she realized that the others' expressions were stony and silent. She opened her mouth to say something, when the door to the library burst open.

"HUN-GREE!!" a manticore howled, storming into the library with its scorpion tail rattling. A chorus of screams rang out as students tripped over each other to get away from the beast. Alysia whipped out her wand, and noticed that Harry, Ron and Hermione had as well.

"No!" she said to them. "No, I've handled manticores since before you knew the difference between a boggart and a poltergeist. Go get my mum and Professor Dumbledore. Hurry!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione seemed rooted to the spot, however, their jaws set. Alysia wrinkled her nose and ran forward. The beast glared at her.

"Get out of the way!" it growled. It raised a paw to strike Alysia, and before she could do anything, someone shoved her out of the way. She gasped to see Draco reeling under the blow of the manticore's massive paw.

"Draco, you idiot!" she snapped. "Memnos animos!" The manticore dropped peacefully to the ground, snoring. Alysia watched Harry, Ron and Hermione hurry out of the room, and then dragged Draco to a safe distance. He swore as she helped him up.

"I knew they shouldn't have brought that beast onto the school grounds," he groaned. Alysia looked at his shoulder which had been struck by the manticore and now had a deep gash in it.

"You're not hurt are you?" she asked.

"No, but I. . ."

"It wasn't the same manticore. Mortimer was released this morning, into the Dark Forest." Alysia's voice was low. A moment later, rushing footsteps alerted her to the arrival of her mother and the headmaster. Other footsteps seemed to suggest the presence of Professors McGonagall and Snape. Alysia stood up to face them.

"What happened, Alysia?" her mother asked shakily.

"It just burst in here. Everyone got out of the way, and I went to use the spell we learned this morning on it. It said, 'Get out of the way!' and started to strike at me, but Draco pushed me out of the way. I. . .I did the spell and. . ." she trailed off. "Draco's hurt," she added.

"Alysia, you go with Draco to the hospital wing, and we'll clean this up. I'm very proud of you," Anaral said with a small smile. Alysia managed a smile back and helped Draco to his feet. They shuffled to the hospital wing, followed silently by Harry, Ron and Hermione. There was, of course, much to discuss.