Unknown Secret
Chapter 12, Missing
Harry found Hermione yelling out the portrait hole, trying to stop someone. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh, Harry, I…you see…Skyla, she-she ran off because the girls in the dormitory were yelling at her to leave and-and I couldn't explain because, well, I didn't know and…" She blundered.
Harry cut her off and said, "I suppose I owe you an explanation." Just then Ron came down the stairs and stood to hear what Harry had to say. "You see, last night I found Skyla on the floor with a knife in her stomach, and I took her to Dumbledore. He fixed her and then she explained that Draco had found out she was spying on him to get information about his father and he stabbed her. Dumbledore told me to take her here because she couldn't go back to the Slytherin dormitory in case Draco was waiting for her or something like that."
"Ohhh." Said Ron awkwardly and Hermione nodded her head in comprehension.
"We'd better get down to breakfast, maybe she'll be there." suggested Harry.
But Skyla wasn't there, nor was she in her usual classes and her friend said that she hadn't seen her since yesterday. They asked Kaira where she could have gone and she told them that Skyla sometimes visited Professor Avaeran, so they decided to stop in to her office during lunchtime.
The Professor was sitting at her desk correcting papers when they entered the classroom. "Hello," she said pleasantly, "What can I do for you?"
"We were just looking for Skyla," Harry explained, "She's been missing since this morning and we were wondering if she was here?"
Professor Avaeran gave a thoughtful frown and replied "I haven't seen her since last night. Why would she have run off?" So they told her what had happened since the night before and in reply she frowned even more. "This seems serious, I'd better inform Professor Dumbledore at once, you three 'd better come with me." She turned to the door and they followed her to the headmaster's office. "Acid Pops" she told the statue and it jumped aside. The Professor walked up to the headmaster's desk and said "Excuse me Professor Dumbledore, but these three have informed me of the happenings last night and I thought it best to tell you that Skyla has been missing since this morning."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful and asked "Has the castle been searched?"
Harry stepped forward and said "She ran off this morning and wasn't at breakfast or any of her classes. Her friend Kaira told us that she hasn't seen Skyla since last night."
"I see, I see." Dumbledore replied and turned to one of the paintings. "Could you alert the castle paintings to be on the look out for Skyla Auren? She's a tall first year Slytherin with blonde hair and blue eyes." Then he redirected his attention back to the visitors. "Well this may actually be a convenient time for her to get lost, since I happen to have a guest visiting who would easily be able to find her trail."
At this, something emerged from behind the desk. It was large, black, and furry. The black dog perked his ears forward and changed back into a human with long black hair and eyes with the faintest haunted look. "Sirius!" Exclaimed Harry and Professor Avaeran at the same.
"Harry…Saerenna!?" He cried and hugged them both, stopping to look at Professor Avaeran. "It's been so long." he said and hugged her again.
"I know," she replied with a grin on her face, "What, sixteen years?"
"At least." he smiled and turned to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who were looking confused. "Saerenna here is my cousin, Dumbledore told me she was a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, but I hadn't got a chance to see her until now." He turned back to her "You've grown."
"And you haven't?" she said sarcastically. "Dumbledore told me that you visited sometimes, I was hoping to see you. And an Animagus too, you could have said something." she said with mock scorn.
"What're you going to do about it, give me detention little miss teacher now?" he taunted.
She folded her arms and glared at him. Then suddenly she shot out her hand and pushed him over and he fell onto the desk and almost hit Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled and looked over the rim of his glasses. "Now if you two would stop trying to taunt each other, we have another matter on our hands just now. The disappearance of Miss Auren."
"Right." said Sirius getting up and shooting one last glare at Saerenna before turning to Dumbledore with an air of standing at attention. Hermione snickered behind her hand. "What do you need me to do?"
The headmaster put a calm look on his face. "I would like you to see if you can smell where Skyla went. If you need a smell reference, Skyla was lying on this desk yesterday."
"No problem." said Sirius and changed back into the large, black dog that was his animal form. The Dog put his paws onto the desk and sniffed deeply.
"Do you have the scent?" Harry asked. The dog gave a soft 'woof' and walked to the door sniffing the ground.
"I believe we should start where Skyla was last seen." Dumbledore suggested.
"The Gryffindor common room." Said Hermione and led the way up to the Gryffindor Tower. They got to the Fat Lady and Sirius applied his nose to the ground. He gave another soft 'woof' and started down the hall, the others following. Classes were in session, so there were very few people in the halls.
They followed Sirius all the way down to the grounds, where the dog stopped for a bit to regain the scent, then continued onward toward the lake. They followed him about halfway around the lake. Then he stopped, sniffed around a bush and shivered, reverting back to human and uttering one word; "Lucious"
Chapter 12, Missing
Harry found Hermione yelling out the portrait hole, trying to stop someone. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh, Harry, I…you see…Skyla, she-she ran off because the girls in the dormitory were yelling at her to leave and-and I couldn't explain because, well, I didn't know and…" She blundered.
Harry cut her off and said, "I suppose I owe you an explanation." Just then Ron came down the stairs and stood to hear what Harry had to say. "You see, last night I found Skyla on the floor with a knife in her stomach, and I took her to Dumbledore. He fixed her and then she explained that Draco had found out she was spying on him to get information about his father and he stabbed her. Dumbledore told me to take her here because she couldn't go back to the Slytherin dormitory in case Draco was waiting for her or something like that."
"Ohhh." Said Ron awkwardly and Hermione nodded her head in comprehension.
"We'd better get down to breakfast, maybe she'll be there." suggested Harry.
But Skyla wasn't there, nor was she in her usual classes and her friend said that she hadn't seen her since yesterday. They asked Kaira where she could have gone and she told them that Skyla sometimes visited Professor Avaeran, so they decided to stop in to her office during lunchtime.
The Professor was sitting at her desk correcting papers when they entered the classroom. "Hello," she said pleasantly, "What can I do for you?"
"We were just looking for Skyla," Harry explained, "She's been missing since this morning and we were wondering if she was here?"
Professor Avaeran gave a thoughtful frown and replied "I haven't seen her since last night. Why would she have run off?" So they told her what had happened since the night before and in reply she frowned even more. "This seems serious, I'd better inform Professor Dumbledore at once, you three 'd better come with me." She turned to the door and they followed her to the headmaster's office. "Acid Pops" she told the statue and it jumped aside. The Professor walked up to the headmaster's desk and said "Excuse me Professor Dumbledore, but these three have informed me of the happenings last night and I thought it best to tell you that Skyla has been missing since this morning."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful and asked "Has the castle been searched?"
Harry stepped forward and said "She ran off this morning and wasn't at breakfast or any of her classes. Her friend Kaira told us that she hasn't seen Skyla since last night."
"I see, I see." Dumbledore replied and turned to one of the paintings. "Could you alert the castle paintings to be on the look out for Skyla Auren? She's a tall first year Slytherin with blonde hair and blue eyes." Then he redirected his attention back to the visitors. "Well this may actually be a convenient time for her to get lost, since I happen to have a guest visiting who would easily be able to find her trail."
At this, something emerged from behind the desk. It was large, black, and furry. The black dog perked his ears forward and changed back into a human with long black hair and eyes with the faintest haunted look. "Sirius!" Exclaimed Harry and Professor Avaeran at the same.
"Harry…Saerenna!?" He cried and hugged them both, stopping to look at Professor Avaeran. "It's been so long." he said and hugged her again.
"I know," she replied with a grin on her face, "What, sixteen years?"
"At least." he smiled and turned to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who were looking confused. "Saerenna here is my cousin, Dumbledore told me she was a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, but I hadn't got a chance to see her until now." He turned back to her "You've grown."
"And you haven't?" she said sarcastically. "Dumbledore told me that you visited sometimes, I was hoping to see you. And an Animagus too, you could have said something." she said with mock scorn.
"What're you going to do about it, give me detention little miss teacher now?" he taunted.
She folded her arms and glared at him. Then suddenly she shot out her hand and pushed him over and he fell onto the desk and almost hit Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled and looked over the rim of his glasses. "Now if you two would stop trying to taunt each other, we have another matter on our hands just now. The disappearance of Miss Auren."
"Right." said Sirius getting up and shooting one last glare at Saerenna before turning to Dumbledore with an air of standing at attention. Hermione snickered behind her hand. "What do you need me to do?"
The headmaster put a calm look on his face. "I would like you to see if you can smell where Skyla went. If you need a smell reference, Skyla was lying on this desk yesterday."
"No problem." said Sirius and changed back into the large, black dog that was his animal form. The Dog put his paws onto the desk and sniffed deeply.
"Do you have the scent?" Harry asked. The dog gave a soft 'woof' and walked to the door sniffing the ground.
"I believe we should start where Skyla was last seen." Dumbledore suggested.
"The Gryffindor common room." Said Hermione and led the way up to the Gryffindor Tower. They got to the Fat Lady and Sirius applied his nose to the ground. He gave another soft 'woof' and started down the hall, the others following. Classes were in session, so there were very few people in the halls.
They followed Sirius all the way down to the grounds, where the dog stopped for a bit to regain the scent, then continued onward toward the lake. They followed him about halfway around the lake. Then he stopped, sniffed around a bush and shivered, reverting back to human and uttering one word; "Lucious"