To my surprise Sirius invaded my thoughts many times over the summer, though I was careful never to mention this to Gen who to this day doesn't think that much of him.
First thing that comes to mind when I think of my third year at Hogwarts is Hogsmade. I remember how hard it was to get Gen's mom to sign her form to let her go, we must have spent about two weeks trying to talk her into it. In the end Gen's dad came home and signed it for her. Gen told me afterwards that her mom was furious about the whole thing.
Something new that year was a couple of the courses we'd be taking, stuff that actually interested us. We'd decided to take care of magical creatures and divination.
"Too bad we can't drop potions though," Gen said.
"It's not that bad."
She snorted, "You only say that because you could run into a table with the ingredients for a potion on it and they'd all fall into the caldron and mix themselves in the right order."
"You have me confused with Snivellus," I replied.
"Don't call him that."
I gave my friend a strange look, "why not?"
"It's mean. He's never done anything to you."
I thought about saying what James always said – 'well he exists, you know' – then thought better of it and went back to the book I was reading.
It seemed like some cruel twist of fate that the first person we saw when we stepped onto platform 9 ¾ was Regulus. He was busy showing his new broomstick to his Slytherin friends.
"The other seekers don't stand a chance, this broom is twice as fast as all theirs."
Something told me twice as fast was a bit of an exaggeration, however I couldn't help saying, "Yeah, well if you attached a pair of hands to it then it could catch the snitch for you."
Regulus spun around to face me, "just you wait mudblood, Griffendor wont know what hit them when we play them."
"The only thing that might hit us," I reply, "is you out of control."
He pulls out his wand as if about to hex me but a woman steps in front of him first, "Ruth Dawson, I presume."
I recognise the voice from somewhere I just can't place it. "That's right."
She smiles but it's not a kind smile, "stay away from my son, unless you want to meet a nasty end."
Well I could finally put a face with the voice that made the great hall tremble every time Sirius got a howler. "Is that a threat?" I asked calmly.
She glared at me.
I smiled a smile containing about as much warmth as Mrs. Blacks. "See you in school, Regulus, where you wont have mommy protecting you." With that I marched towards the train with Gen in tow.
"That was Sirius' mother?" Gen said to me once we're out of earshot. "Jeez she's foul. You shouldn't have made her mad though."
"My life is full of shouldn't haves," I reply lifting my trunk into the back of the train.
Gen just shakes her head as she puts her trunk beside mine.
We wandered through the train trying to find an empty compartment, unfortunately it looked like all of them were full. Secretly I was hoping to find James and Sirius before we found an empty compartment but since Gen didn't think much of them I didn't tell her that.
Eventually we found a compartment that was almost empty save for Snivellus.
"Err, lets go find somewhere else," I muttered.
Gen gave me a withering look and went in and sat down.
'Great', I thought sitting down beside her. Snivellus glanced at us over the top of the book he was reading but other then that didn't move. I considered telling Gen that this wasn't one of her better ideas but had a feeling that it wouldn't do any good and would possibly only get her angry with me. I tilt my head to look at the title of the book Snivellus is reading, a potions book, go figure. I yawned feeling bored and wish I'd thought to bring the book on Aurors I'd just bought with me. I figured I'd be fine just as long as Gen doesn't do something stupid like try to start a conversation with him.
I'd just finished that thought when Gen asks, "What's that you're reading?"
I almost groaned out loud, but settled for banging my head back against the wall of the compartment.
Snivellus looked over the top of his book at her. "It's a book on advanced potions."
"You're good at potions then?"
'Either she doesn't listen to anything Sirius and James say or she's actually trying to have a conversation with him,' I thought. 'Just as long as she doesn't expect me to talk with him'.
"Yes," he said in a tone that suggests he wasn't enjoying the conversation any more then I was.
"Ruth's good at potions."
I glared at my so-called friend.
To his credit Snivellus didn't say anything, he just glanced over at me then went back to his book.
"Will you give it up now?" I asked Gen.
She glared at me then pulled out a book of her own to read.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling wondering who I offended to get into this situation in the first place.
Things seemed to progressively get worse from the moment I had to spend the trip to the school with Snivellus. Not only did Regulus have a new broom to show off but the entire Slytherin team has new brooms, the exact same model as Regulus.
"My mum got them," Sirius said gloomily. "Regulus was strutting around the house for weeks talking about how Slytherin's going to cream us in Quiditch this year."
"You're families a bunch of gits," said Clyde a seventh year beater and the new team captain.
"Yeah I know."
The change room is dead silent for a long time.
"So what's the plan then?" I ask breaking the silence.
Clyde grunts "find someone who'll give us new brooms."
Sirius' face went deep red. "I can't help what my mother does!"
"Well it certainly doesn't help us."
"Sure it does," I said. Everyone turns to look at me. "The only way the Slytherins got new brooms is if they took Regulus as their seeker and he's not that good. James'll beet him any day and we saw last year how much better we were, new brooms wont make that much of a difference epically since other then mamas boy the teams the exact same."
"She has a point," James agreed.
Clyde sighed running a hand through his hair. "Time to get out and practise."
Sirius didn't perform up to par all of that practise, I know it's not easy on him with all that's happened I just wish there was some way to make him feel better. Though the best way would be to beet the Slytherins.
I think the entire school was there the day of that match. I personally wouldn't have been at all surprised to hear that a fight broke out between Griffendors and Slytherins the tensions were just that high.
The brooms made more of a difference then I'd thought they would have allowing them to intercept many of our passes. It didn't help that Sirius had developed a bad case of nerves and was dropping passes too. Clyde screaming at him to play better didn't help either.
It was the longest game of Quiditch I'd ever played lasting well over an hour. About half way through the game I developed a strategy where I could zigzag through the Slytherins and score. It pulled us ahead by almost a hundred points.
I had the quaffle in my grasp when I saw James dive. Regulus saw him too and dove to catch up. I couldn't watch, I didn't have the time, weaving through the Slytherins I looked for someone to pass to or a path to the hoops. I couldn't find anyone in the open, but I did see an open space, which I darted into. I was just about to throw the quaffle when someone yelled "look out" and a bludger struck me full force in the back knocking me from my broom.
I cursed as I fell then suddenly I felt someone grab me around the waist. I looked over my shoulder to see Sirius with a grim expression on his face.
James had caught the snich and the Griffendor's were going crazy, in fact it seemed like the only people who weren't cheering were the Slytherins.
"Thanks," I said to Sirius once we'd reached the ground.
He shrugged, "at least I did something right today."
"Huh?"
He sighed, "it's my brother that gave the Slytherins their great brooms and my fault the Slytherins got the quaffle so many times 'cause I was playing so lousy."
"You didn't buy the brooms for them," I pointed out. "So I can't blame you for that. But I wont deny you're performance today was less then stellar, so you can remain miserable."
He smiled a little.
"Families suck, just ask Gen, hers isn't as bad as yours but it's pretty bad."
He chuckled, "tell that to Clyde. He's going to kill me for today."
"No he's not, we won. He only would have killed you if we lost."
"Well I hope you're right."
"I'm always right."
He laughed at that, and then again later when I was proven right and said to him, "told you so."
There was a howler for Sirius the next morning, nothing unusual about that. Most of the Griffendors simply put down whatever they were eating and plugged their ears, not that it did much good since Mrs. Black's voice could be heard clearly outside of the great hall.
"MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A BLACK," her voice roared causing the great hall to become completely silent since you couldn't really talk over her anyway. "YOU BRING SHAME ON THE ENTIRE FAMILY. AFTER WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY TO REGULUS IT HAS BECOME CLEAR TO US THAT YOU HAVE STOOPED TO AN ALL TIME LOW EVEN FOR YOU. I NEVER WANT TO LAY EYES ON YOU AGAIN IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU DIDN'T EXIST." With that the howler burst into flame.
Sirius sat there staring at his plate a blank expression on his face. The great hall was completely silent, free of even the murmurs of conversation that normally occurred after Mrs. Blacks howlers.
Then laughter erupted from the Slytherin table.
Suddenly Sirius jumped up and fled from the great hall with the Slytherins jeering after him.
James leapt to his feet with his wand in hand but for once even he didn't seem to know what to do.
Then the laughter stopped. I looked up to the head table to see Dumbledore on his feet, but he wasn't looking at the Slytherins, he was looking past them and through the still open door that Sirius had fled through. Then without a word he simply walked out of the great hall following Sirius' path of flight. James raced after him and Remus, Peter and I followed.
Sirius was sitting down by the lake his face buried against his knees. Dumbledore simply went and sat down beside him. The four of us stopped a ways away, we could hear Dumbledore talking but we couldn't hear the words. After a while he looked back at us and from his look we could tell he wanted us to head back up to the castle.
We joined into the stream of students heading to class. I had transfigeration first which normally I would have enjoyed but I couldn't get the image of don't-mess-with-me-or-you'll-end-up-in-the-hospital-wing Sirius Black who Gen often called a bully sitting down by the lake crying. 'If Gen had seen him like that she'd be less inclined to call him a bully' I thought.
Halfway through the period Dumbledore walked in and spoke quietly with McGonagall.
"Ruth, would you go with the Headmaster please," McGonagall said to me.
I nodded and followed Dumbledore out of the room.
Once the door to the classroom had closed he turned to face me. "You're friends with Sirius."
It wasn't a question but I nodded anyways.
"He needs friends who are going to stand by him these next few years."
"Why do you say that?"
Dumbledore smiled gently. "As you may have noticed he doesn't quite fit in, shall we say, with the rest of his family. I have a feeling that the next few years will be particularly hard for him and he's going to need friends who will stand by him."
"Why me?"
"You followed him down to the lake, did you not."
I nodded. "Yeah, but so did James, Remus and Peter."
Dumbledore nods. "I have talked with them as well, but I thought it was important to talk to you since you seem to like him."
"He's nice," I said cautiously.
Dumbledore chuckles, "that's one way I never thought I'd hear a Griffendor describe a Black. Though Sirius isn't exactly your average Black." He got a distant look in his eyes and murmured, "I wish it was possible to ban that owl from the castle."
"Pardon?" I said not sure I'd heard correctly.
"It's best you get back to class."
I nodded understanding he's not going to repeat what he just said.
"Oh and Ruth, don't mention this to anyone."
"I wont," I replied. And to this day I haven't, not even to Gen.
I spend a lot of time after my talk with Dumbledore hanging around with the muraders. As a direct result I spend less time with Gen who can't stand James and Sirius though she admits that Remus is "all right". There was something a little strange about him though that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
The big event that year that everyone was talking about in the weeks leading up to it, was the trip to Hogsmade on Valentines Day. I hated Valentines Day actually I still hate it. Who ever decided that we needed a holiday that revolved around the colour pink should be forced to die a slow painful death. All the girls constantly talking about who they were going to Hogsmade with and who they wanted to go with was also driving me mad.
"Who cares if you have a date or not," I ranted to Gen one evening. "Hogsmades fun either way, in fact it would probably be more boring if you were forced to spend the entire day sitting around with the same person."
"I think," Gen said, "that you are completely missing the point of Valentines Day, which is to spend time with the person you love."
"Well they needn't turn the whole world pink to annoy those of us who aren't."
"Not everyone hates the colour pink as much as you do."
"It burns my eyes. And all this obsessing about having to go to Hogsmade with a guy is burning by ears." Actually it wasn't entirely true. Deep down I'd hoped that Sirius would ask me but seeing the crowds of giggling girls – all older then me – that followed him and James around the school my chances of being asked were next to none. That was probably also part of the reason I was in such a foul mood. James displayed no interest in going with anyone other then Lily who he must have asked about a dozen times. James was persistent; actually Remus might have been more accurate when he said James was dense.
With the visit to Hogsmade only two sleeps away I'd retreated to my room before dinner instead of hanging out in the common room. Gen had joked earlier that if anyone sent me a valentine they would meet an unpleasant fate. I wasn't sure if that was entirely inaccurate given my current mood.
I waited until the last possible minute to head down for supper so that there wouldn't be anyone in the common room. But as I came down the stairs I could still hear voices. It was Sirius and a sixth year girl by the name of Dara who seemed determined to go to Hogsmade with Siruis.
"Why won't you go with me?" she asked as I crossed to common room trying not to hear the conversation.
"Because I'm already going with someone."
'No surprise there' I thought as I went to open the portrait hole.
"Who?" she demanded.
"Ruth Dawson."
I stopped to look over my shoulder in surprise, he hadn't asked me. Then a thought struck me, he'd just thrown my name in to get her to leave him alone. I jumped through the portrait hole just as she said;
"Why do you want to go with her, she's only a third year and not even pretty."
"None of your business," I heard him say just before the portrait closed.
I headed down the stairs towards the great hall. I head hurried footsteps behind me then Sirius landed beside me having jumped over the last few stairs.
"Why'd you have to throw my name into the conversation," I demanded trying not to sound as hurt as I felt.
"Because I wanted to ask you but I never had an opportunity, 'cause whenever you're around it's always with a huge group of people." He looked embarrassed. "I should have asked you before I threw your name into the conversation especially since you're probably going with someone else."
"I'm not." I paused, "I'll go to Hogsmade with you if you want."
"Really," he said smiling, "great."
I forget to mention this to Gen until the morning of the trip.
"Well for someone who was so down on the idea of going with someone you sure changed your mind," she said grumpily.
"Well he asked, I couldn't really have said no."
Gen just rolls her eyes. "Well have a good time with your date. Next thing you know is you'll start liking Valentines Day."
"I am never going to like Valentines Day. Too much pink."
James being James walks over and asks Lily on the walk there.
"For the twentieth time, Potter, NO!"
I laughed.
"Come on," said Sirius. "If we run we'll get to spend the day free of James."
I half expect someone to run after us but no one did.
Once there we went into the coffee shop that Gen and I had always avoided like the plague because it was where couples always went. Sirius buys us both a cup of hot chocolate and we sat down near the window. We've hardly been there for any time at all when Regulus and his Slytherin buddies strolled up the street. Sure enough they saw us and with Regulus in the lead they marched in.
"Well, well what's this? A Black and a mudblood."
Suddenly Sirius is on his feet with his wand under his brothers chin. "If you don't get out of here now there wont be any of you left for your buddies to drag out of here."
Regulus swallows and backs away, personally I don't blame him, I've never seen Sirius this mad before and it's kind of scary. Just before he goes through the door Regulus said, "Mother will here about this." Then he and his friends are gone.
Sirius sat back down putting his wand away and looked miserable.
"He's not your fault," I reminded him.
"It's not just him. My whole families like that. We all have to be Slytherins, and until me we always had been, even the sorting hat commented on it, 'another Black, but you're not like the rest where should I put you'. I suggested Giffendor and to my surprise it actually did put me there. I don't know who was more surprised about the whole thing, the Slytherins or the Griffendors." He ran a hand over his eyes. "I still remember how silent it was in the hall, no cheering like for all the other kids. When I was half way to the table I remember hearing clapping and turning around to see that it was Dumbledore. Of course some of the Griffendors clapped after that feeling guilty about the whole thing. Then when James got sorted he ran over, sat down beside me and said, 'I guess you're the black sheep of your family then, or would it be the white sheep in your family'." Sirius shakes his head at the memory. "Then Remus who was sitting across from us said 'the great thing about Dumbledore is he'll accept anyone'. It took me a long time to understand what that meant."
I wondered if it had anything to do with why Remus disappeared for a day each month.
"Then of course my mum shows up at the school the next day, marches into the great hall and demands I'll be resorted. Dumbledore simply explained that you can not be resorted but since she's come all this way would she like a cup of tea in his office." Sirius smiled bitterly at the memory. "Dumbledor is the one person she hates more then she hates me."
"Why's she hate Dumbledore?"
"He's a good wizard, exact opposite of Voldermort."
"You're parents are death eaters then?"
He shook his head. "No, but they might as well be."
"Yeah well, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your relatives. If you could you wouldn't be the only person choosing a different family, believe me."
He chuckled, "yeah, I guess you're right."
Despite all my earlier rants to Gen I did have a good time. Once out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Gen with Snivellus, but I didn't dare turn and look because I had a feeling that if Siruis saw Snivellus he wouldn't be able to resist hexing him.
The next morning when the Black family owl swooped down towards the table to drop a howler on Sirius' plate I was reminded of Regulus in the coffee shop and was filled with a sudden unease. Sirius looked like he wanted to take the howler and run out of the great hall with it but it exploded first.
"JUST WHEN I THOUGHT YOU COULD STOOP NO LOWER I RECIVED AN OWL FROM YOUR BROTHER." Sirius looked like he wanted to slide under the table and disappear. "DATING A MUDBLOOD, THAT'S LOW EVEN FOR YOU. I CAN'T BELIVE YOU WOULD EVEN THINK OF DOING THAT YOU SHAME OF ON MY FLESH." With that the howler disappears in a burst of flames.
Regulus was laughing on the other side of the great hall and the other Slytherins joined in.
"I'm sorry," Sirius muttered.
"It's not your fault," I replied, but the words sounded hollow, even to me.
To make matters worse we had double potions first. My caldron was only a few feet away from Regulus' and as a result I could hear him insulting me all period.
"Just ignore him," Gen muttered.
I was fairly proud to say that I was. Then he started insulting Sirius.
"Shut up," I snapped at him unable to take it anymore.
"Excuse me," said Regulus turning to look at me.
"I said shut up." The table next to my caldron with my potion ingredients on had started to shake. Anyone who had gone to school with me before Hogwarts knew that when objects started shaking around me I was about to completely loose my temper.
Regulus just laughed pulling out his wand. "Aww, is the mudblood…"
To this day I still don't know what the rest of his sentence would have been because I simply pulled out my wand and said, "stupefy." Regulus fell backwards into his own caldron which tipped over and hit the caldron next to his causing the contents of both caldrons to pour out onto him.
Professor Tragally came over then. "What is going on?" she roared. Then seeing Regulus she quickly ordered two other Slytherin boys to take him up to the hospital wing. Then she went up to the fire, threw some stuff in it and muttered something before walking back over to me. "Wand away Dawson, we're going to see the headmaster."
I should have felt worried, but all I felt was anger as I jammed my wand into my belt.
The door to the dungeon opened and Snivellus walked in.
"Ahh, Severus," said Professor Tragally. "Would you kindly watch the class wile I deal with this miscreant."
"With pleasure," he replied.
If I hadn't put my wand away I would have hexed him too just for the look he gave me.
"Come on," Professor Tragally said grabbing me by the shoulder.
"Don't touch me," I snapped, even she looked shocked but removed her hand.
As she marched me up to Dumbledores office I began to worry that I might be expelled. We stopped before a stone gargoyle and she said with a huge amount of distaste in her voice, "lemon drops."
The gargoyle sprang aside and we descended the stairs into Dumbledores office. The headmaster was pacing when we walked in but immediately went to sit behind his desk while Professor Tragally explained what "happened". Half the time I wanted to yell out and protest that what she was saying wasn't right but I kept my mouth shut. After she'd finished she left to go back to class leaving me standing there feeling numb.
"Sit down, Ruth," Dumbledore said gently. "And tell me what happened."
I sat down and immediately started telling my version. It was actually the first time anyone had asked me for my version of what happened normally I was just punished.
He was silent for a long time after I finished. "You need to control that temper of yours," he finally said gently. "Because if you attack another student again I will have to expel you and I would hate to loose such a talented student."
I nodded feeling a great weight lift off my shoulders.
"You used a stunning spell, you say."
"Yes sir."
He looked at me over his half-moon glasses. "We don't teach those until fifth year, where did you learn that?"
"A book. I read a lot about spells because I want to be an Auror." I felt a little foolish telling my dream to Dumbledore, after all I was only in my third year.
"An Auror you say," he smiled. "Yes I can see you being good at that."
"Sir, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did, but you may ask another."
"Is that a phoenix?" I asked pointing to a bird sitting on the perch behind him.
"Yes, that's Fawkes," as if on cue the bird flew over to the desk. "You may pet him if you like."
I stroked the birds head a little in awe after having read about phoenix's.
"It would be best," said Dumbledore, "If you were to go back to class now."
I nodded, "thank you sir."
He raised an eyebrow, "For what?"
"For not expelling me."
He simply chuckled.
The story about me stunning Regulus into his caldron was talked about around the school for weeks. It seemed like every Griffendor came up to me in the common room to congratulate me on it. In fact it was still a good story by the end of the year.
A/N: wow, that part was way longer then I'd planned. Next bit will be shorter I promise.