I'm BACK! Sorry it has been so long since my last update. Things in my life got suddenly very crazy.

Chapter 52

Meredith turned over in her bed and punched her pillow. She would get no sleep that night. God, how could this have happened? How could Patricia have turned on

her like this? Meredith lifted her hand to her chest, trying to massage away the terrible ache she felt there. It felt like part of her heart had been ripped from her chest.

She didn't know which hurt more. That she had lost her best friend, or that Patricia could have said the things she did. Giving up on sleep Meredith sat up and rested

her chin on her knees. She had no idea what time it was. The other girls had come up a while ago after McGonagall had broken up the party in the common room. She

assumed Patricia had come up with them but she'd been so angry she had just drawn her bed curtain around her, shutting out everyone. She rubbed her eyes, which

she knew had to be red from crying. God how did something that was so good turn so bad so fast. Meredith had never had the easiest life, far from it but she had

always had her constants. Solid unmoving constant things in her life that she never doubted would be there to keep her steady. Her dad was one of them. Patricia had

been another. Now she'd lost one of her constants and she felt unsteady, shaky, as though the rug had been ripped out from under her. What she wouldn't give for a

time turner right now. The chance to go back in time and change things. But would it do any good? She would still know what Patricia had said, how she felt. What she

had accused her Dad of. Merlin, even if they could be friends again, it could never be the same between them. Meredith wasn't naïve. She couldn't deny that her dad

and Sirius Black had been friends when they were in school. But he was not helping Black get into the castle. She was as sure of that as she was of her own name.

She had seen how her dad acted around Harry. Caring, protective, almost paternal. He would never in a million years put Harry in danger. She was sure of it.

Meredith must have drifted to sleep because the next thing she knew she was being ripped from her sleep by a horrid ruckus.

"What the bloody….what are those boys doing….I'll hex em….If it's those Weasley's…" Meredith shook the fog from her eyes and seized her wand. She got out of bed

and found the other girls pulling on dressing gowns and muttering amongst themselves. Assuming her prefect stance Meredith left the dorm and went down to the

commonroom pushing through the other girls who were likewise trying to get into the common room to see what the commotion was about.

"Back to bed," she snapped at them. No one paid her much mind. When Meredith reached the common room she found the Gryffindor boys also assembled. At the

center of the mass was Ron, red hair tousled with a terrified expression on his face.

"What is going on here!" Meredith shouted above the racket. "Percy!" Percy was trying rather unsuccessfully to get everyone back to bed.

"It's nothing!" Percy shouted face red with frustration. "Ron's just had a nightmare. Everyone just go back to bed!"

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Ron protested. "He was there! Sirius Black was standing over me with a knife!" Meredith felt a chill go down her spine. Black? In Gryffindor

tower? She could feel Patricia staring at her back and turned. Meredith clenched her fist around her wand at the smug look on Patricia's face. Meredith sent her a

warning look to keep her mouth shut. Wisely, Patricia remained silent.

"Really now," McGonagall's voice broke into the din. The crowd parted as McGonagall clad in a dressing gown pushed through.

"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match but enough is enough!" McGonagall scolded. "Percy, Meredith I would have expected better of you."

"I most certainly did not authorize this Professor!" Percy said indignantly. "Ron had a nightmare and I was telling everyone to get back to bed!"

"It was not a nightmare!" Ron shouted. "Professor I woke up and Sirius Black was standing over me holding a knife!"

"That's ridiculous Weasley," McGonagall said. "How could Black have gotten in?"

"Ask him!" Ron said pointing at the portrait hole. McGonagall gave Ron a suspicious look and went to the portrait hole. The Gryffindors stared at each other in confusion

as they heard McGonagall speak to Sir Cadogan.

"Sir Cadogan," McGonagall said. "Did you just let a man into the common room?"

"Certainly good lady!" A stunned silence fell over the room. They all stared at each other. Everyone had been perfectly ready to believe that Ron had been dreaming,

or making it up to get attention, or just gone barking but….it was true.

"You…you did?" McGonagall sounding as shocked as they all felt. "But the password?"

"He had them good lady," Sir Cadogan said. "On a little piece of paper. The entire week's worth." Meredith's knees were shaking so badly she had to sit down on the

arm of a sofa. All around her people were muttering. They stopped as McGonagall re-entered the common room. Meredith had never seen her head of house so

furious.

"Which person…" She said through pursed lips. "Which foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around the castle?" Meredith felt slightly

sick. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew who the culprit was. Her fears were confirmed when she heard a terrified squeak and turned to find a trembling Neville

with his hand in the air.

No one slept in Gryffindor that night. Everyone stayed awake in the common room while the castle was searched. McGonagall returned at dawn to tell them that Black

had escaped again. Everyone was talking about it the next day. All over the school security was being tightened. Sir Cadogan's portrait had been removed and the Fat

Lady put back in her place. Neville was given detention and banned from future Hogsmeade visits. This was not nearly as bad as the punishment he received from his

grandmother which came in the form of a howler. But Neville's misery could not compare to Meredith's. Every time she saw Patricia in class or in the Great Hall she was

met with an icy look of contempt. She tried to pretend it didn't bother her. Patricia was the one who was being thick-headed and prejudiced. During the days she could

keep herself from thinking on it too much. The Professors were getting them ready for NEWTS and many of the spells and charms required her entire focus. Nights were

the worst. She had taken to studying in the common room till the wee hours of the morning when she was sure Patricia would be asleep. She knew that people were

gossiping about it.

"Those two used to be joined at the hip….Must something big for them to not even be talking….Friends do drift apart….Lupin's applying to hospitals where's Patterson gonna go….better for them to make a clean break…not like they ever had anything in common."

Percy and Oliver knew something was up and were trying to stay out of it, not choose sides. They were both busy anyway. Percy, when he wasn't studying, was with

Penelope. Oliver spent most of his time preparing for the Quidditch final coming up in a few weeks. The worst was her dad. He could not help but notice that the two of

them no longer sat together in class, did not make eye contact and did not speak. She was grateful that they were done with Occlumency and were reviewing so as to

get ready for NEWTs. She could block him now but Patricia had never mastered it and she did not want him to look into Patricia's mind and she the contempt she had

for him, what he was. She did not want him to know that his condition was the reason she and her oldest friend were no longer speaking. He already felt too much

guilt because of it. Several times when she pushed back during Occlumency lessons she had seen traces of his thoughts, nothing like before just glimmers really. She

saw the guilt he felt that his condition made him unable to keep a job forcing him to rely on her inheritance to keep them fed. She saw how it hurt him that she had to

lie to her friends to keep his secret. He tried to catch her eye several times after class but she hurried away as soon as the bell rang. The next Hogsmeade visit he

cornered her as she was headed up to the dorm. She was in no mood to go to the village.

"Could I have a word?" he asked. The grip he had on her arm told her she really was not going to get to say no. She nodded. It had to happen sooner or later. They

walked silently to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They went up to his quarters and he sat her down on the couch.

"Well love, I've let it go cause you're seventeen and technically an adult now. But you're still my daughter and I can see your in pain. So tell me love." Meredith sighed

a buried her face in her hands.

"Patricia knows," she said.

"Knows what?" She looked up at him with a meaningful look.

"Oh," her dad said. "I see."

"Snape made the third years do an essay on how to recognize a werewolf."

"Ah, yes," he said. "I heard about that."

"Well, Granger being the over achiever that she is did it. She figured it out. Patricia overheard us talking about it."

"I take it she wasn't very happy you kept this a secret from her," her Dad said. Meredith sighed.

"If that was all it was I could understand. But Dad, the things she said. She sounded like Umbridge at the trial. It was all that nonsense about werewolves being

vicious mindless killers." Her dad looked sad.

"I'm so sorry love." Meredith's head snapped up. She knew that look too well.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this! Don't you dare! This isn't your fault. It's hers." She bit her lip till she tasted blood.

"And mine," she said.

"Oh love," he said wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry that you lost a friend. I know how that feels. There's no greater pain than losing someone we care about."

Meredith rolled her eyes.

"You're friends died dad," she said bitterly. "They didn't betray you." She felt him tense but he made no reply. Suddenly the fireplace flamed green and Snape's voice

was heard.

"LUPIN! I WANT A WORD!" Her dad groaned.

"What could he possibly want," he muttered. "I'll be back in a bit love." Meredith nodded as her Dad went to the fireplace and vanished. She leaned back against the

couch and closed her eyes. Lord, how did life get to be such a mess? She couldn't wait for the year to be over so she could get out of here. She didn't know how long

she'd sat there when she heard the classroom door slam open. She jumped up and pushed the door to the quarters open just a crack. She saw her dad leading Harry

and Ron behind him. Her dad looked furious.

"Professor…" Harry was trying to speak.

"I don't want to hear it." Meredith's eyes widened as he held out what looked to be an old piece of parchment.

"Now I don't know how this map came to be in your possession, yes I know it's a map, but quite frankly I am astounded you did not turn it in. Particularly after what

happened last time a student left information about the school lying around. And I can't let you have it back." Meredith was intrigued. What was this all about?

"I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously Harry, but your parents gave their lives for you and it's a very poor way to repay them risking your life for a bag of magic

tricks. Now I will not cover up for you again. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes sir," Harry and Ron said hanging their heads. Meredith couldn't help feel the tiniest bit of pity for them.

"You're dismissed." The two boys hung their heads and left the classroom. Meredith quickly moved away from the door and sat down on the sofa. Her dad slammed in

a moment later. He seemed not to notice she was still there as he tossed the parchment down on his desk.

"Dad?" she said carefully. Her dad looked up in surprised.

"Oh, sorry love I forgot you were still here."

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes, fine. Just a bit of trouble with some students. Nothing for you to worry about." Meredith bit her lip. She knew that her dad was lying and whatever that

parchment was it was causing a great deal of tension.

"You better get back to your dorm love. I've got a lot of work to do." Meredith nodded and left the room. She was more confused now than ever.

Unable to concentrate in the common room or the library Meredith took her notes out to the lake and sat under a tree. For awhile the sound of the trees and the light

ripple of the lake calmed her mind enough to focus on the words in front of her but it did not last. Her mind started to wander. Lord, why did life have to be so hard.

"Hey," she looked up and saw Oliver leaning over her.

"Hey," she said setting her notes aside.

"Thought I'd find you out here," he said plopping down next to her. "You okay?" Meredith sighed.

"Patricia and I are having a bit of a row," she said glumly.

"Yeah," Oliver said, "I assessed as much from the glaring, and the not speaking. Any chance you'll work it out?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't think so." Oliver wrapped an arm around her and held her to his side. She smiled a little. He always seemed to know what she

needed. At least she still had one good friend. At least for now. She sighed. How would Oliver react if he knew the truth? Could she bear it if he were to turn on her as

well? She had to. They had been through too much for her to keep lying to him.

"My father's a werewolf," she said her heart pounding. She had said it. Now to wait for the fall out.

"Yeah," Oliver said. "I kind of knew that." Meredith sat straight up and stared at him.

"You knew?" Oliver shrugged.

"I had suspected for awhile," he said casually. "I wasn't really positive till he came to teach. All those times he was too ill to teach. Right around the full moon."

Meredith's eye widened in amazement. He had known.

"You never said anything," she said quietly.

"I figured you had your reasons for keeping it a secret. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." Meredith leaned forward and placed her chin on her knees.

"You don't mind?" she said. "I mean…that my dad is…"

"Mere," he said tilting her chin up. "I know your dad too well to think badly of him because of some prejudice that a bunch of ignorant people have over something that

can't be helped." Not since the day he'd saved her in the prefect's bathroom had Meredith felt this much gratitude toward Oliver.

"Patricia, doesn't seem to share that view," Meredith said. Oliver shook his head.

"Yeah well," he said running a hand over his hair. "Patricia can be a bit dumb about some things." Meredith chuckled.

"Thanks Oliver," Meredith said. "I'm glad you're my friend." Oliver got a funny look on his face but it vanished quickly.

"I'll always be your friend Mere," he said squeezing her shoulder. The bell for dinner sounded and they got up and headed for the castle.

"So this row you and Patricia are in won't keep you from coming to the Quidditch final will it?" Oliver said. Meredith grinned.

"I would never miss the opportunity to see Flint humiliated," she said. Oliver laughed. Some things would never change. Thank Merlin.