Chapter 4:

The next day, Kristin was cleaning the cottage, with a little assistance from her wand. She just sat there reading her book, for the hundredth time ever, without a care in her world. She didn't know that her father wasn't in London yet, being held captive by a monster. Nor did she know who was lurking outside the house, waiting to disturb her peace.

"Peter, go into the forest and find me a deer. We're going to need one for the wedding feast," Sirius ordered his friend. Peter began trembling wildly and pleading to not send him into the forest. "Peter, the forest, now!" Sirius gave Peter a shove in the direction he wanted him to go, and then turned back to the three crying Gryffindor Sisters.

"Why are you doing this incredibly stupid thing?" Sister One said, tears streaming down her face. "It's absolutely horrid!" Number Two continued, shrouding her face in black lace. "We won't let you do it!" the third burst out. The three continued crying on and on.

"Girls, girls, girls—I'm not going to my death. I'm only getting married!" Sirius said, trying to calm his fan club down. They kept going on with their tears, puddles starting to form at their feet. "I'm only getting married," Sirius repeated. "Who says a little thing like that is going to prevent us from spending quality time together?" The girls suddenly stopped crying and gasped. "Kristin will never know, she doesn't come around to Rosmerta's. Besides there's so much of me to go around, I think Kristin would feel greatly relieved to no she doesn't have to handle most of me."

The Gryffindor Sisters calmed, Sirius sent them on their happy way so that he could propose in peace and quiet. He strutted up to the door and knocked loudly on the door. He waited a few minutes before knocking again and again and again and again and…


Kristin was jolted from her story by a consistent knocking. She realized it was coming from her door and she quickly read her tea leaves. It didn't look well according to her cup, and she dragged herself to the door, fearing the worst on the other side.

And the worst was on the other side. Sirius stood, leaning in what others would've thought as a sexy pose against her door frame. "Hello, Kristin, my you are looking beautiful today," he said. "May I come in?" And without waiting for the response, he pushed himself in.

"So, Sirius," Kristin said, trying not to lose her cool and curse the man, "what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Sirius turned and smiled, causing Kristin's blood to run cold from fear.

He walked over to her, draping his arm around her shoulders. "I have decided it's time to settle down and take a wife," he announced. Kristin tried to stifle a wave of giggles and nausea. "And I want you to close your eyes and picture this. My wonderful house, me sitting by the fire, telling the little ones my latest brush with danger in the Forbidden Forest and how their dear old dad fought them off with his magic. And out of the kitchen comes my beautiful wife—and guess who she is?"

As much as Kristin knew who that "beautiful wife" was, she didn't want it to be true. So, she ventured another guess. "Gryffindor Sister One?" she said. Sirius started laughing hysterically, shaking his head. Kristin inwardly groaned and then covered up her mistake. "I know, that was just to play with you. It's me, isn't it?"

"We have a winner!" Sirius announced, using his wand as a pointer. "So, Kristin, what do you say? Will you marry me and become the luckiest girl on the planet?" he asked, magically placing a ring on her finger. And she hadn't even agreed yet!

Kristin tried to stall and get Sirius to the door. "Well, Sirius, I just don't know what to say! Your offer has just knocked me off my feet," she said, trying to keep him moving. Along the way, she grabbed her wand from the table. "I'm flattered you would think me as possible wife material," she stalled, magically opening the door when Sirius was distracted. When he attempted to kiss her, Kristin pushed him out of the house. "But I'm afraid I have to decline your offer," she told him, slamming her door. The next thing Sirius knew, his ring was tossed in his face.


The Gryffindor Sisters came back at that unfortunate moment. "Sirius! Are you okay?" they cried in perfect unison, rushing over to help the object of their affection. They saw him in the dirt, with a ring at his feet. "She turned you down?!" they exclaimed, encircling him. "Oh, you poor dear! She's deluded," Gryffindor Sister Two comforted. "Indeed, she's definitely missing out," Sister three agreed. "Come, let us help you get over this blow," the First Sister said. Sirius allowed himself to be helped up and led back to town.


Kristin used her father's Foe Glass to check to make sure that Sirius was gone. "Thank Merlin!" she cried. She tossed out her tea leaves. "Thanks for the warning," she told them. "I can't believe he asked me to marry him! Whatever gave him the idea that I would even agree to it?" she asked herself aloud. "That man is missing something—common sense, that's it."

At that moment, Peter returned without a deer but with a machine. He was relieved to see that Sirius was nowhere to be seen, meaning he wouldn't be yelled at for not getting the deer. But Kristin burst out of the cottage at that point, rushing to Peter's side.

She had seen the smaller man coming in the Foe Glass and had immediately recognized her father's tractor. This worried her as she remembered she hadn't heard anything from her father since he left. "Peter! Where did you find this?"

"In the woods. Where's Sirius?" he asked, confused by Kristin's behavior at the sight of this new machine.

"I don't know and I don't care. But where did you find it, Peter?" she asked. He hesistated to answer her. "Please, it's imperative—," she checked her vocabulary, "important that you tell me where you found this!"

"In the Forbidden Forest, just at the edge before that spooky castle. Can I go now?" Peter asked, starting to cave under Kristin's intense stare.

"Certainly. Give me back the tractor though. It's my father's," she said. Peter willingly jumped off and ran towards town. Kristin ran into the cottage and packed a small bag—some bandages, a scarf, and her book. She threw on her cloak, driving the tractor back into the forest.

She came on the legendary castle people said was haunted. She parked the tractor near the castle and walked up, never minding the eerie feeling that was arising. She knocked, causing the door to open on its own. She cautiously stepped inside, unsure of what she would find inside. "Hello? Anyone here? Papa?" she called inside, walking carefully past a clock and a candelabra.


"Remus, Remus, did you see who just went by?" James asked his friend, who was still seething over the other visitor.

"Another busybody in the castle, yes I saw it. Oh, the Master is going to kill us this time around," Remus moaned, fully prepared to meet his death.

"Yes, it is another busybody, as you said, but this time, it's a female busybody!" James said, excited. "A girl! Fate has smiled on us and sent us a girl to finally be free of this curse!" He began to spin a shocked Remus around.


Soon, word spread around the castle about the girl who had arrived. "Mama," Billy said, jumping around. "Mama, there's a girl in the castle!" Mrs. Weasley turned him around and gave him a smile. But her son could read that smile and replied, "But Mama, there really, really is a girl here! I think that man the Master imprisoned is her father!"

"Now, Billy, don't go and spread untrue stories," Mrs. Weasley scolded her son. "It isn't nice to get people's hopes up."

At that point, Lily burst into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was trying to get her protesting son into a bath (the sink). "Mrs. Weasley! Did you hear? There's a girl in the castle!"

"See, I told you!" Billy said to his mother. "Lily, is she as pretty as James said she was?"

Lily huffed and crossed her arms. "I didn't see her. And I hope he doesn't think she's prettier than me," she said.


Meanwhile, Kristin had finally made her way to the North Tower. She pulled down the stairs and walked up. "Papa? Are you up here?" she called out, hoping to find her father finally.

Much to her relief, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. "Luminos!" she said, holding her wand up. There, in a prison cell, was her father. He looked cold and ill, coughing uncontrollably. "Papa!" she cried again, rushing to his side. "We have to get you out of here."

"No, Kristin," Arthur cried, suddenly worried about his daughter. "Leave me here. Go, save yourself!" he said, eyes darting around. "Go, before he finds you!"

"Before who finds me?" Kristin asked, concerned. "The person who put you up here in this cold tower?" she asked. Arthur wouldn't answer, he couldn't answer, for at that point, a loud growl was heard at the door.

Kristin turned to face the stairwell, where a shadowed figure stood. "Who are you? Why did you imprison my father?" she asked, feeling very angry towards the figure. No, not anger. Loathing. Utter loathing and she hoped he could tell that. "Well?"

The figure didn't move at all. "He trespassed on my castle! He was uninvited and now, he's my prisoner," came a calm voice, smooth as silk.

"Well, why don't you release him? Can't you see he's sick?" Kristin argued back, ready to fit for her father.

"I told you, he's my prisoner for coming into my castle uninvited," the figure shot back, the smoothness in his voice lost. Now, Kristin could tell he was upset. Good, maybe he could understand how she was feeling towards him at that moment. "There is no way I am going to release him," he went on, angering Kristin even more.

"How could you not! He's sick, he needs attention, he needs for YOU to release him!" Kristin yelled. The figure didn't respond, which Kristin figured meant he wasn't going to budge from his position. She sighed and decided on a drastic plan. "What if I asked you to let me take his place?"

This statement shocked Arthur and the figure as well. "Kristin, no, I'm old—you're young, you have your whole life!" her father pleaded. "I will not allow you to do this for me!"

The figure spoke again. "You? You would take his place as my prisoner?" he asked, amazement in his voice. Kristin nodded. "You do realize that means you promise to never leave this castle?" Kristin nodded again, while her father continued to plead with his daughter not to agree.

The figure stepped out of the shadows and Kristin saw what she was getting herself into. The Beast moved to release her father, but before he did so, turned to the woman. "But first, I need your word," he growled, fixing her with a glassy gaze. Kristin nodded to show he had, and the Beast finally released his prisoner. Kristin and Arthur embraced, most likely for the last time they feared. The Beast grabbed the older man and ordered him to leave the palace immediately. Within a few seconds, Arthur was gone.