A/N: Well, that last chapter was a sort of cliffy . . . how many does that
make? Heh, I lost count. :P
Harry: ::Rolls eyes::
Me: ::Waves a finger at Harry:: Don't be giving me an attitude. Remember, I control EVERYTHING that happens in this fic.
Harry: Right . . . ::mutters darkly::
Me: On with the fic.
Disclaimer: Don't make me throw more staplers at you!
"Harry?" said Hermione as she spotted her friend. "Is everything alright? You're as white as a sheet."
"I'm fine, Hermione," lied Harry.
"You sure?" said Ron, also looking rather worried about his friend. "Hermione's right, you look like a ghost."
"I'm fine," said Harry again. "Let's go into Diagon Alley," he said, changing the subject.
"Alright," said Ron, leading the way out the back and tapping the wall with his wand.
The three walked into Diagon Alley, marveling at the new things that had arrived since they left for Hogwarts, though Harry paid none of it any mind, there was one, and only one, thought in his head: Cho is alive!
~*~
Arabella spilled out of the fireplace in a heap, she HATED Floo Powder, Flooing and her never got along well . . .
Getting up, she brushed herself off and looked around. There was smoke everywhere and Mundungus had disappeared. She held out her wand and ran out of the Great Hall, stunning anybody she saw who was wearing black robes, which proved as a mistake as one time she accidentally Stunned a Hogwarts student who hadn't gotten the chance to get out of the castle yet.
"Oh, you poor thing . . ." she said, seeing the child severely wounded. She gently picked him up and walked back over to the nearest fireplace, she tossed some Floo Powder in, set the boy down in the fire and said "The Leaky Cauldron" and the child disappeared.
Running out of the castle, she saw Death Eaters running towards the Forbidden Forest holding torches high, she Stunned as many of them as she could though some still made it and the forest still went up in flames. A few Aurors ran to that area to control the fire so Arabella dismissed it and ran down towards the lake.
She turned a corner around the castle and nearly dropped her wand in surprise. "Mundungus!"
Mundungus was being held in mid-air by none other than Lord Voldemort. "Where is the girl?" demanded Voldemort.
"I don't know," choked Mundungus.
"Liar! Crucio!" said Voldemort, Mundungus bit his lip in futile attempt to keep from screaming.
"Stop!" shouted Arabella, running forward.
"Arabella, get out of here!" shouted Mundungus, who was promptly dropped to the ground by Voldemort.
Voldemort turned to Arabella and fixed her with his ice-cold gaze. "Where is the girl?" he asked again. He was becoming impatient, not to mention already ticked off that Cho had escaped him in the first place.
"She is out of your reach, that's all you need to know," replied Arabella.
Voldemort's expression did not change but she could tell he was furious. "Crucio!"
She screamed in pain and fell to the ground with a thud. She wanted nothing more than the pain to stop then suddenly it did. She looked up slowly and saw Voldemort slammed against the side of Hogwarts. She turned around and saw Dumbledore with his wand out.
"Arabella, go help Mundungus, I'll handle Voldemort," said Dumbledore. Arabella nodded and scrambled to her friend's side.
"Mundungus . . ." she said softly, healing as many of his injuries as she could. She conjured a stretcher to take him to the hospital wing and as she stood up she could have swore she saw-. . . she shook her head. There was no way. But then she heard a voice, a voice that sounded different but a voice she could never forget . . .
~*~
Sirius bounded onto Hogwarts grounds as Padfoot, he looked around him, seeing the forest on fire and Death Eaters and Aurors alike being sent to the ground. He paid them no mind however and searched for Harry. He knew Dumbledore probably would have evacuated the castle but he also knew Harry was all too much like James and could have snuck out to help fight against the Death Eaters.
He came to a stop, this wasn't doing him any good, he was too close to the ground and couldn't see well. He thought that maybe, just maybe, in the confusion of the battle the Aurors might not recognize him if he transformed. It was worth the risk, he decided, he had to find Harry.
The dog disappeared and in his place stood Sirius Black, infamous fugitive who broke out of Azkaban. Sirius ran towards Hogwarts castle, knowing that there were places he could see better. "Harry, please let you be far from this place," he said to himself, not knowing that someone overheard him until he heard a voice above him.
"Sirius?"
He froze. 'Crap, crap, crap! Well, they're not taking me without a fight!' he thought, grabbing the wand Remus had given him and spinning around to see none other than Arabella Walters, or at least that's what he thought her name was, he didn't know she had married.
"Arabella?" he said softly. He wasn't so sure if he could fight her, she still had a place in his heart.
"What did you say about Harry?" asked Arabella.
He hesitated. "You're not going to believe me, why should I bother telling you?"
"Try me."
"I was hoping Harry wasn't here," said Sirius. "Although I am looking for him," -'Aw, crap, wrong thing to say!'- "I just hope he's somewhere safe."
Arabella paused, that wasn't what she had expected of the famous Death Eater who betrayed the Potters and killed all those people, including Peter Pettigrew. Once again, the idea of the possibility that he was innocent nagged at the back of her mind.
"Arabella, is Harry here? I promise you, I'm not trying to kill him, I only want to know that he's not here, in the midst of all this. The boy has already had too many dangerous encounters with Voldemort," said Sirius.
Arabella hesitated, chewing her lip, wondering how much was safe to tell him. "No, he's not here," she said finally. "But you will understand that I do not feel safe telling you where he is."
"I understand of course," said Sirius. "Thank you, that was all I needed to know." He turned to leave.
"Sirius," said Arabella, he turned. "Be careful."
He smiled. "You know me."
"That's why I'm worried."
"Good point."
She turned away to hide her smile. No matter what, he always had that effect on her. She gasped as she remembered Mundungus. Sirius had always been better at healing than her, and she wasn't sure if Madam Pomfrey would be in the hospital wing or not . . . she considered both options carefully and made up her mind.
"Sirius, Mundungus is hurt really bad, do you think you could . . ." she trailed off.
"Anything to help a friend," said Sirius, walking over to the stretcher where Mundungus lay. He pointed his wand at him and muttered a few choice words and Mundungus woke up. He groaned and moved a hand to his head then opened his eyes and saw a familiar face above him.
"Sirius Black!" he spat, trying to get up but he groaned again and fell back onto the stretcher.
"Mundungus," said Arabella. "Sirius could have very well just saved your life. If he was as evil as everyone thinks he is would he not have killed you?"
"Arabella, it's okay," said Sirius. "I should have known I wouldn't be so lucky as for Mundungus to hear my side of the story."
"It's NOT okay, Sirius, if I can trust in you he can, too," said Arabella.
"Why do you trust in him?" said Mundungus. "Your affection for him is blinding you again. Arabella, accept the truth already!"
"I trust in him because I saw the genuine concern in his eyes as he helped you and as he prayed that Harry was not here on the battlefield. I know Sirius better than you do, Mundungus, I know he is not evil," said Arabella.
Sirius looked up at her, would she go so far as to believe him if he told her Pettigrew was the evil one? He decided to tell her another time, preferably when they weren't in the middle of a battle with deadly spells flying everywhere. That is if he saw her again. It probably wouldn't blow over well if Arabella, an Auror, was caught having a nice, friendly conversation with a convicted murderer.
"Well, I must go, Harry'd have my head if I got caught out here," said Sirius. "That boy worries about me nearly as much as I worry about him . . ." he laughed slightly, shaking his head.
"Thank you, Sirius, for helping Mundungus. I think he should be the one thanking you," she paused, shooting Mundungus a look, "but I don't think it's gotten through that thick skull of his yet."
"Anytime, Arabella, if you need help, all you have to do is ask," said Sirius then he ran off, turning into Padfoot on the way.
She watched him go with a smile on her face and heard Mundungus mutter "Aw, isn't that sweet? I think I'm gonna puke."
She turned around to scowl at Mundungus; "You're such a child."
"You should open your eyes and see that he's only trying to trick you. You say you saw concern in his eyes, but you are too blind to see what's really there."
"I know what I saw, Mundungus," she said firmly.
"Well I do, too, and I saw an evil man who is trying to win you over like he always could do," said Mundungus.
"So what if he's charming? He knows how to make me smile, is that so wrong of him? He's not evil, Mundungus, he can't be," said Arabella.
"Is that desperation I hear in your voice? You know you're wrong, Arabella, you just won't admit it."
She shook her head. "Someday I'll prove it to you, Mundungus, Sirius Black is an innocent man."
"We shall see . . . we shall see," said Mundungus then turned and headed back into the crowd of people to capture more Death Eaters. Arabella almost tried to stop him, to make sure he was really okay before he just charged into battle. Almost. She turned and headed in the opposite direction, Stunning Death Eater after Death Eater.
'Someday, Sirius . . . You're going to show me that you're innocent in a way that we can show the Ministry, and you'll be free.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Awww . . . don't they make such a cute couple? ^_^
shdurrani: Thanks.
John BlackL: I would have updated sooner but FF.Net was being stupid . . .
I ThInk I FeLL: Thanks, Cookie Fan, I'm glad you're not gonna have nightmares no more. Although I'm probably gonna have more scary cliffhangers . . . oh well, they've stopped for now. ^_^
Captain Phoenix: Your name sounds familiar heheh . . . anywho, thanks.
hyper_shark: Well, like I said for John Black, I would've updated sooner but FF.Net was being stupid. And tell me you don't really think I'm gonna answer that . . .
Shadun: Yep you got it right. And yeah, I know, Arabella and Sirius romance seems common, but I like it.
Cho-Chang: You were, in fact, 179. ^_^
Cookie Fan: o.0 Two reviews for one chapter, under different names huh, Cookie Fan? Well, I'm better now, and I'll keep the updates coming. ^_^ And really, Cookie Fan, don't kiss my shoes. Gosh, I'm not superior to you or anything, despite the "Master" in my title of "Cookie Master" . . .
Venus: Yeah, cliffies bite until you're writing the story lol. Thanks for your review.
::Gives all reviewers a cookie:: Thank you all so much!
Harry: ::Rolls eyes::
Me: ::Waves a finger at Harry:: Don't be giving me an attitude. Remember, I control EVERYTHING that happens in this fic.
Harry: Right . . . ::mutters darkly::
Me: On with the fic.
Disclaimer: Don't make me throw more staplers at you!
"Harry?" said Hermione as she spotted her friend. "Is everything alright? You're as white as a sheet."
"I'm fine, Hermione," lied Harry.
"You sure?" said Ron, also looking rather worried about his friend. "Hermione's right, you look like a ghost."
"I'm fine," said Harry again. "Let's go into Diagon Alley," he said, changing the subject.
"Alright," said Ron, leading the way out the back and tapping the wall with his wand.
The three walked into Diagon Alley, marveling at the new things that had arrived since they left for Hogwarts, though Harry paid none of it any mind, there was one, and only one, thought in his head: Cho is alive!
~*~
Arabella spilled out of the fireplace in a heap, she HATED Floo Powder, Flooing and her never got along well . . .
Getting up, she brushed herself off and looked around. There was smoke everywhere and Mundungus had disappeared. She held out her wand and ran out of the Great Hall, stunning anybody she saw who was wearing black robes, which proved as a mistake as one time she accidentally Stunned a Hogwarts student who hadn't gotten the chance to get out of the castle yet.
"Oh, you poor thing . . ." she said, seeing the child severely wounded. She gently picked him up and walked back over to the nearest fireplace, she tossed some Floo Powder in, set the boy down in the fire and said "The Leaky Cauldron" and the child disappeared.
Running out of the castle, she saw Death Eaters running towards the Forbidden Forest holding torches high, she Stunned as many of them as she could though some still made it and the forest still went up in flames. A few Aurors ran to that area to control the fire so Arabella dismissed it and ran down towards the lake.
She turned a corner around the castle and nearly dropped her wand in surprise. "Mundungus!"
Mundungus was being held in mid-air by none other than Lord Voldemort. "Where is the girl?" demanded Voldemort.
"I don't know," choked Mundungus.
"Liar! Crucio!" said Voldemort, Mundungus bit his lip in futile attempt to keep from screaming.
"Stop!" shouted Arabella, running forward.
"Arabella, get out of here!" shouted Mundungus, who was promptly dropped to the ground by Voldemort.
Voldemort turned to Arabella and fixed her with his ice-cold gaze. "Where is the girl?" he asked again. He was becoming impatient, not to mention already ticked off that Cho had escaped him in the first place.
"She is out of your reach, that's all you need to know," replied Arabella.
Voldemort's expression did not change but she could tell he was furious. "Crucio!"
She screamed in pain and fell to the ground with a thud. She wanted nothing more than the pain to stop then suddenly it did. She looked up slowly and saw Voldemort slammed against the side of Hogwarts. She turned around and saw Dumbledore with his wand out.
"Arabella, go help Mundungus, I'll handle Voldemort," said Dumbledore. Arabella nodded and scrambled to her friend's side.
"Mundungus . . ." she said softly, healing as many of his injuries as she could. She conjured a stretcher to take him to the hospital wing and as she stood up she could have swore she saw-. . . she shook her head. There was no way. But then she heard a voice, a voice that sounded different but a voice she could never forget . . .
~*~
Sirius bounded onto Hogwarts grounds as Padfoot, he looked around him, seeing the forest on fire and Death Eaters and Aurors alike being sent to the ground. He paid them no mind however and searched for Harry. He knew Dumbledore probably would have evacuated the castle but he also knew Harry was all too much like James and could have snuck out to help fight against the Death Eaters.
He came to a stop, this wasn't doing him any good, he was too close to the ground and couldn't see well. He thought that maybe, just maybe, in the confusion of the battle the Aurors might not recognize him if he transformed. It was worth the risk, he decided, he had to find Harry.
The dog disappeared and in his place stood Sirius Black, infamous fugitive who broke out of Azkaban. Sirius ran towards Hogwarts castle, knowing that there were places he could see better. "Harry, please let you be far from this place," he said to himself, not knowing that someone overheard him until he heard a voice above him.
"Sirius?"
He froze. 'Crap, crap, crap! Well, they're not taking me without a fight!' he thought, grabbing the wand Remus had given him and spinning around to see none other than Arabella Walters, or at least that's what he thought her name was, he didn't know she had married.
"Arabella?" he said softly. He wasn't so sure if he could fight her, she still had a place in his heart.
"What did you say about Harry?" asked Arabella.
He hesitated. "You're not going to believe me, why should I bother telling you?"
"Try me."
"I was hoping Harry wasn't here," said Sirius. "Although I am looking for him," -'Aw, crap, wrong thing to say!'- "I just hope he's somewhere safe."
Arabella paused, that wasn't what she had expected of the famous Death Eater who betrayed the Potters and killed all those people, including Peter Pettigrew. Once again, the idea of the possibility that he was innocent nagged at the back of her mind.
"Arabella, is Harry here? I promise you, I'm not trying to kill him, I only want to know that he's not here, in the midst of all this. The boy has already had too many dangerous encounters with Voldemort," said Sirius.
Arabella hesitated, chewing her lip, wondering how much was safe to tell him. "No, he's not here," she said finally. "But you will understand that I do not feel safe telling you where he is."
"I understand of course," said Sirius. "Thank you, that was all I needed to know." He turned to leave.
"Sirius," said Arabella, he turned. "Be careful."
He smiled. "You know me."
"That's why I'm worried."
"Good point."
She turned away to hide her smile. No matter what, he always had that effect on her. She gasped as she remembered Mundungus. Sirius had always been better at healing than her, and she wasn't sure if Madam Pomfrey would be in the hospital wing or not . . . she considered both options carefully and made up her mind.
"Sirius, Mundungus is hurt really bad, do you think you could . . ." she trailed off.
"Anything to help a friend," said Sirius, walking over to the stretcher where Mundungus lay. He pointed his wand at him and muttered a few choice words and Mundungus woke up. He groaned and moved a hand to his head then opened his eyes and saw a familiar face above him.
"Sirius Black!" he spat, trying to get up but he groaned again and fell back onto the stretcher.
"Mundungus," said Arabella. "Sirius could have very well just saved your life. If he was as evil as everyone thinks he is would he not have killed you?"
"Arabella, it's okay," said Sirius. "I should have known I wouldn't be so lucky as for Mundungus to hear my side of the story."
"It's NOT okay, Sirius, if I can trust in you he can, too," said Arabella.
"Why do you trust in him?" said Mundungus. "Your affection for him is blinding you again. Arabella, accept the truth already!"
"I trust in him because I saw the genuine concern in his eyes as he helped you and as he prayed that Harry was not here on the battlefield. I know Sirius better than you do, Mundungus, I know he is not evil," said Arabella.
Sirius looked up at her, would she go so far as to believe him if he told her Pettigrew was the evil one? He decided to tell her another time, preferably when they weren't in the middle of a battle with deadly spells flying everywhere. That is if he saw her again. It probably wouldn't blow over well if Arabella, an Auror, was caught having a nice, friendly conversation with a convicted murderer.
"Well, I must go, Harry'd have my head if I got caught out here," said Sirius. "That boy worries about me nearly as much as I worry about him . . ." he laughed slightly, shaking his head.
"Thank you, Sirius, for helping Mundungus. I think he should be the one thanking you," she paused, shooting Mundungus a look, "but I don't think it's gotten through that thick skull of his yet."
"Anytime, Arabella, if you need help, all you have to do is ask," said Sirius then he ran off, turning into Padfoot on the way.
She watched him go with a smile on her face and heard Mundungus mutter "Aw, isn't that sweet? I think I'm gonna puke."
She turned around to scowl at Mundungus; "You're such a child."
"You should open your eyes and see that he's only trying to trick you. You say you saw concern in his eyes, but you are too blind to see what's really there."
"I know what I saw, Mundungus," she said firmly.
"Well I do, too, and I saw an evil man who is trying to win you over like he always could do," said Mundungus.
"So what if he's charming? He knows how to make me smile, is that so wrong of him? He's not evil, Mundungus, he can't be," said Arabella.
"Is that desperation I hear in your voice? You know you're wrong, Arabella, you just won't admit it."
She shook her head. "Someday I'll prove it to you, Mundungus, Sirius Black is an innocent man."
"We shall see . . . we shall see," said Mundungus then turned and headed back into the crowd of people to capture more Death Eaters. Arabella almost tried to stop him, to make sure he was really okay before he just charged into battle. Almost. She turned and headed in the opposite direction, Stunning Death Eater after Death Eater.
'Someday, Sirius . . . You're going to show me that you're innocent in a way that we can show the Ministry, and you'll be free.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Awww . . . don't they make such a cute couple? ^_^
shdurrani: Thanks.
John BlackL: I would have updated sooner but FF.Net was being stupid . . .
I ThInk I FeLL: Thanks, Cookie Fan, I'm glad you're not gonna have nightmares no more. Although I'm probably gonna have more scary cliffhangers . . . oh well, they've stopped for now. ^_^
Captain Phoenix: Your name sounds familiar heheh . . . anywho, thanks.
hyper_shark: Well, like I said for John Black, I would've updated sooner but FF.Net was being stupid. And tell me you don't really think I'm gonna answer that . . .
Shadun: Yep you got it right. And yeah, I know, Arabella and Sirius romance seems common, but I like it.
Cho-Chang: You were, in fact, 179. ^_^
Cookie Fan: o.0 Two reviews for one chapter, under different names huh, Cookie Fan? Well, I'm better now, and I'll keep the updates coming. ^_^ And really, Cookie Fan, don't kiss my shoes. Gosh, I'm not superior to you or anything, despite the "Master" in my title of "Cookie Master" . . .
Venus: Yeah, cliffies bite until you're writing the story lol. Thanks for your review.
::Gives all reviewers a cookie:: Thank you all so much!