Chapter 37 Family Reunion

The week of exams were brutal. It was our first year having to do them. Our first year they were cancelled because of Quirrell and the Philosopher's Stone, and our second year, the Chamber of Secrets being opened and all. And this year, no sight of any Voldemort meddlings so we had to take exams.

Transfiguration, we had to change a teapot into a tortoise. I had managed to do so, but the teapot's flower pattern was clearly seen on the shell and I knew I lost points for that, but Hermione was asking if hers had looked more like a turtle than a tortoise.

Flitwick did test us on Cheering Charms. Luckily for Hermione, I performed mine on her first and she knew exactly what to do when she cast the charm on me.

Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid had looking over flobberworms for our test. He didn't seem to be putting his heart into the exam and I couldn't blame him. Buckbeak's appeal date was coming up and it was looking bleak.

We had to make a Confusing Concoction for potions, and I didn't see what Snape put down for my score but I think I passed it.

Astronomy was at midnight, for some stupid reason. I was grumbling the way up there and Hermione was as irritated as I was.

Wednesday morning we had our History of Magic exam, and I was thankful that Harry and I did our homework with Florean Fortescue because our exam was about the witch-hunts.

Herbology we had to finish planting the puffapods so that they can be harvested next year for the future third years.

Thursday morning we had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lupin had done a sort of obstacle course for us. We had to wade through a pond with a grindylow, cross potholes containing Red Caps, and then cross a squishy marsh with mist, making sure to ignore the hinkypunks who were trying to mislead us. The last thing we had to do was climb into a trunk and battle with a new boggart.

I climbed into the trunk and waited for the boggart to come at me. I let out a slight scream of shock when Gerturde appeared and her head looked weird.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no." I shook my head.

"Baby." Boggart Gertrude said, taking a step towards me.

"Riddikulus!"

A large boot covered her head and she struggled to get it off.

I left the trunk and Lupin pulled me out.

"Full marks." He gave me a kind smile.

I smiled back at him and joined Harry and Ron.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked when he saw my face.

"The boggart changed and I wasn't ready to see it." I said, keeping my answer vague.

Harry nodded like he understood and we watched Hermione get into the trunk. But not a few seconds later did she come back up, screaming.

"Hermione!" Lupin was quick to pull her out. "What's the matter?"

"P - P - Professor McGonagall!" Hermione pointed back into the trunk. "Sh - she said I'd failed everything!"

It took a bit of time to get her to calm down, but she finally did. Ron was teasing her about her boggart. Before a full argument could break out between them, we ran into the Minister of Magic.

"Hello there, Harry!" He greeted Harry.

He was sweating slightly in his robes.

"Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?" The Minister asked.

"Yes," Harry nodded.

Hermione and Ron stood there awkwardly. I made sure to stay out of view by hiding behind them.

"Lovely day," Minister Fudge said, looking over the grounds. "Pity… pity…"

He didn't seem to notice me, which I thought was a good thing.

"I'm here on an unpleasant mission, Harry. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation, I was asked to step in."

My nostrils flared at the sound of Sirius' name, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Ron interrupted, stepping forward, causing me to try and hide behind Hermione instead.

"No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon," Fudge looked at Ron curiously.

"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!" Ron said stoutly. "The hippogriff might get off!"

I pulled Ron back towards me, keeping my face away from Fudge's when two wizards joined our group.

"Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this… Two o'clock, isn't it, Fudge?" An ancient looking wizard asked, looking across the grounds.

The second wizard, he had a black mustache and he was running one broad thumb over a shining ax hanging on his belt. I didn't see what Ron did, but Hermione pulled him back and tossed her head to the Entrance Hall.

"Why'd you stop me?" Ron asked angrily as I made sure I didn't draw attention to myself. "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can't go saying things like that to his boss!" Hermione said, but she looked upset too. "As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak."

I opened my mouth, but caught myself.

'They won't execute Buckbeak, he'll escape.'

When we sat down for lunch, I pulled out my journal and scribbled the note, ignoring the folded up piece of parchment from Lupin's office the other day.

Ron, Harry, and I made it to the spiral staircase where the rest of the class was doing last minute studying.

"She's seeing us all separately," Neville informed us, he had his Unfogging the Future open to crystal gazing. "Have any of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?"

"Nope," Ron and Harry answered.

"Once, but it was just the mist taking the shape of a bird." I answered, sitting next to him.

"You never told us that." Ron said, checking his watch.

"Something happened with Trelawney after I saw it." I said, opening up my book the crystal gazing to study with Neville.

The line moved along and each student that came down refused to answer our questions of what she asks on the exam.

Neville came down from his exam paler than usual.

"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" Neville said as Harry, Ron and I reached the landing.

"That's convenient," Ron snorted to us. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her," he jabbed his thumb at the trapdoor over our heads. "She's a right old fraud."

"Yeah," Harry checked his own watch. "Wish she'd hurry up…"

Parvarti came down, glowing with pride.

"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer," she informed us. "I saw loads of stuff… Well, good luck!"

I rolled my eyes when she started down the stairs.

"Ronald Weasley." Trelawney's voice said from above us.

Harry and I sat together on the landing, waiting for Ron to finish his exam.

After twenty minutes, Ron's feet reappeared on the ladder.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked, standing up.

"Rubbish," Ron rolled his eyes. "Couldn't see a thing, so I made some stuff up. Don't think she was convinced, though…"

"Meet you in the common room," Harry muttered as Trelawney called him up.

"Good luck." I said as Ron headed down and Harry headed up.

I must have fallen asleep, because Harry gave my shoulder a nudge and Trelawney was calling me up.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Something was bothering Harry.

"I'll tell you in the common room." Was all he said.

I walked up and Trelawney was fanning herself, muttering something about Harry accusing her of saying something.

"Good day, my dear." Trelawney was trying to make her voice soft. "If you would kindly gaze into the Orb… Take your time, now… then tell me what you see within it…"

I leaned back in my air and tried to clear my mind of thoughts of Sirius Black, Scabbers, and Buckbeak.

'I need to practice more.' I sighed as I looked into the crystal ball.

I breathed the hot air into my lungs and let my mind loosen.

"Do you see anything?" Trelawney's voice was far away.

I waited so watch the mist.

"I see - a bear, no wait, it's a dog."

"The Grim?" Trelawney gasped.

"No, I don't think so. This dog is friendly, his tail is wagging." I said, watching the dog trot in the orb.

"Where is he going?" Trelawney sounded disappointed.

"He is going to the Whomping Willow, there is a cat waiting for him." I said, letting my mind relax and the orb seemed to retract the scene.

"Somethings happened. He's pulling someone to the tree, he's got them by the arm." I said, not sure what I was seeing.

"Yes?" Trelawney encouraged me.

The mist swirled a bit more before foggy up the glass again.

"I lost it." I said, leaning back into the chair in disappointment.

"Oh dear. Would you like to try again?" She asked, also sounding disappointed again.

"Can I?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Of course." She nodded.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, emptying my mind again.

I opened my eyes and tried again. But this time I didn't see anything in the mist.

"That's okay," Trelawney said, making a mark on the clipboard.

"You did wonderfully." She smiled as she lead me to the trap door.

"Thank you, Professor." I said and stepped down the ladder.

When I got to the common room, Harry and Ron were both wide eyed.

"Have you seen Hermione?" Ron asked when I came in.

"No, I didn't pass her." I answered.

The portrait opened again and Hermione came in breathless.

"Harry! Oh, Harry it's gone!" She said.

"What?" Ron and Harry both sounded upset.

"It wasn't in the statue!" Hermione sounded distraught.

Something in my mind flashbacked to when I got Harry's Invisibility Cloak. I had completely forgotten to give it back.

"I have it." I said, speaking up before they could start fretting.

"You don't even know what we're talking about." Ron turned to me.

"Harry's Invisibility Cloak, I grabbed it earlier this week and I completely forgot to give it to you. Harry, I'm so sorry!" I said turning to him.

"It's okay, I'm just glad Snape didn't get a hold of it." He said, sounding relieved.

"I'll go and get it." I said.

I came back down and Hermione was looking flattered. She whispered how Ron had complimented her on her rule breaking this last year.

"What are you guys planning?" I asked quietly, ignoring George when he looked at me as he came in.

"Oh no! We forgot to tell you!" Hermione gasped and handed me a piece of parchment.

'Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.

Hagrid'

"Oh no!" I gasped after reading the letter.

"We're going to go down and visit him, try and comfort him." Harry whispered to me.

"We all won't fit under the Cloak." I nodded to it.

"No," Ron agreed.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll wait until dark to meet up with you." I said.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it'll be easier for me to sneak around in the dark." I said, nodding to them.

"If you're sure." Hermione said, chewing her lip.

I was the only one to return to the common room after dinner. I made sure to go straight up the girls dormitory and to lock the bathroom door. I was going to fake taking a bath, but decided to actually take one anyways.

So after I got out, I tapped my hair with my wand and felt it braid itself. The easier to keep it out of the way.

I wore my black shorts, and was grateful for the warm summer nights because I didn't want to wear a black shirt. I went for a black sports bra and had to morph my breasts down to fit into it. It was hard trying to keep them realistic because I didn't know what size they should be. I didn't pay attention to them when I was under the Magigas potion.

I got down the staircase. Parvarti and Lavender weren't in the room yet, which I was grateful for. It would have been extremely difficult to explain where I was going dressed the way I was.

I waited by the portrait hole for it to open again and managed to sneak out past Percy who was about to head out again to perform any Head Boy duties he had left for the night. I managed to keep my snigger in as I realized the irony of me sneaking past him. And he prided himself in catching people sneaking out of the common room.

I was making my way to Hagrid's when I saw a strange sight. Harry and Hermione were leading Buckbeak away? So I made my way to them, freezing when the group of adults came out of Hagrid's hut.

I was grateful that the moon hadn't risen yet, because if they looked close enough they would see my eyes.

"Where is it?" A reedy voice asked. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" The executioner was furious. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," Dumbledore spoke up, and he sounded amused.

"Beaky!" Hagrid's voice was husky.

There was a swishing noise and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have wrong it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and Hagrid started to howl through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

I watched the forest, looking for a sign of Harry or Hermione. There was a little more rustling in one area, but it stopped long enough for it not to be suspicious.

"Someone untied him!" The executioner snarled. "We should search the grounds, the forest - "

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" Dumbledore was still amused. "Search the skies, if you will… Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O' - o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in…"

I waited until I didn't hear anything outside the hut. I moved along to where Harry and Hermione were.

"Now what?" Harry whispered, looking around.

"Harry? Hermione?" I asked.

Hermione gave a frightened gasp, and when Harry went to turn around, Hermione grabbed him and kept her back to me. Buckbeak gave me his eagle stare and so I bowed to him. He sunk his knees and got back up. Putting his beak to the ground, he started to look for worms.

"What -" I stopped.

"Oh, I wasn't supposed to see you, was I?" I chuckled dryly.

Harry shook Hermione off and turned around to face me. He opened his mouth to say something.

"Don't!" I said shaking my head. "I know about Hermione's secret. And if you say anything to me, it could change what you've been through."

Harry closed his mouth but he looked pained.

"I'll see you soon, and then maybe you can tell me what happened?" I smiled at them.

I heard the commotion at the Whomping Willow. I turned to watch and saw a struggle.

"I better go. Do not be seen again!" I warned.

I changed my body to match the grass and hurried over to the Whomping Willow.

"What happened tonight." I asked myself as I got to the Willow.

I waited in the grass and wasn't surprised to see Lupin come to the Willow. He pointed his wand at the Willow and it stilled for him.

"Remus?" I called out to him.

He gave a start and looked around and I revealed myself to him.

"Cassie! What are you doing out here?" He asked, looking back to the Willow.

"Following my instincts, let's go." I said and slithered down the hole.

Lupin and I didn't say anything as I let him ahead of me. I knew he knew the path better than I did, and if I stumbled it could be bad for anyone at the end. Lupin got us into a sad and dusty looking building.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione's voice suddenly screamed. "WE'RE UP HERE - SIRIUS BLACK - QUICK!"

Lupin and I didn't wait a second, we were both running up the crumbling stairs to her voice. Lupin burst through the door first and I was right behind him. I saw Ron lying on the floor, Hermione cowering by the door, and Harry standing over a crumpled Sirius who had Crookshanks on his chest.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.

Harry's wand flew out of his hand, along with the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them and Sirius and I shared a look.

I gave a subtle nod and he blinked letting me know he understood.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Luping asked.

I watched as Sirius as he slowly raised his hand and pointed at the struggling rat Ron was holding. I stayed behind Lupin, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"But then…" Lupin muttered, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless -" Lupin came to some conclusion in his mind. "- Unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?"

Sirius gave a slow nod.

"Professor," Harry interrupted their moment with a loud voice, "what's going on -?"

Lupin started to lower his wand, and in two seconds had walked to Sirius and pulled him by his hand and gave him a hug.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

Lupin let go of Sirius, but I can see that Sirius hesitated in letting him go.

"You - you -" Hermione was struggling to find her words.

"Hermione -" Lupin said calmly.

"- you and him!"

"Hermione, calm down -"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering for you -"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted.

"False!" I shouted, bringing everyone's attention to me. "Hermione told me a few months ago. But I haven't told anyone." I gave Hermione a pointed look.

She flushed for a second before turning back to Lupin.

"I trusted you," Harry suddenly shouted, "all this time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong." Lupin and I both said at the same time.

"I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now - Let me explain…"

"NO!" Hermione screamed, again. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too - he's a werewolf!"

I rolled my eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me, Hermione. If he had wanted Harry dead it would have been done by now. And him being a werewolf has nothing to do with anything! He's got a monthly condition he can't control! Much like ourselves!" I gave her a pointed look.

She had a flash of guilt on her face but then something started to dawn on it.

There was silence after my say.

"Not at all up to your usual, Hermione," Lupin spoke up, his face paler than usual. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead…" He shivered before he said this next part.

"But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron made an effort to get up, but fell back again. Lupin and I both went to help him.

"Get away from me, werewolf!" Ron snarled.

I did get to Ron though, and I gave him a slap on the back of the head. He turned to glare at me and I returned it back.

Lupin stopped at what Ron said, and with obvious effort, turned to Hermione.

"How long have you know?" Lupin asked.

I checked Ron's leg and saw that the funny angle was just a shadow. I looked around the room and got to making a splint for him. I found two pieces of wood and I had to conjure up some rope to tie the pieces to his leg so that it wouldn't be jostled.

"Ages." Hermione whispered, trying to keep an eye on me and the two men in the room. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay…"

"He'll be delighted," Lupin's voice was cool. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant… Did you check the lunar chart and realize I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me."

"Both," Hermione said quietly, turning away from me when I walked back to the middle of the room.

Lupin gave a forceful laugh, "you're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," Lupin said.

"The staff?" I asked, looking at him.

Lupin nodded.

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"

I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Some of the staff thought so," Lupin nodded. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy -"

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry shouted. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" Harry pointed at Sirius.

Sirius suddenly walked to the bed that was in the room and sank down on it. Crookshanks jumped on the bed with him, purring. Ron tried to edge away from them, dragging his leg.

"I have not been helping Sirius," Lupin said firmly. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look -" Lupin tossed the wands back to their respective owners.

He put his wand back in his pocket and held his hands up, "there. You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

I walked over to Sirius and patted his shoulder, making everyone gasp. Sirius looked up at me, looking extremely tired.

"Treasure." He grinned at me.

It was the first time anyone's actually called me that, and it made me warm inside.

"Dad." I grinned back.

We got our kitten neutered! The little shithead has been peeing everywhere, (there's a girl cat outside who was in heat and he was trying to get to her). Surprisingly, he still loves me!

Shout out to Awritingbookworm and Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!

Awritingbookworm: I forget which chapter I post so I had to go back and reread this last one like the dunce I am. But thank you for for the knee thing.

Pamela Hutchins: Thank you! I have been toying with idea of her ending up with Fred, and that will have a conclusion of its own. And George will realize his stupidity in time LOL. As for Sirius! Things have to happen in such a way for the story to flow the way it needs to go. I agree, Cassie needs a win, buuuuuuuut you'll have to wait and see what happens! (I want to write more in response to your review but I don't want to spoil anymore!)