Lily's eyes were the size of saucers. Her heart-shaped face drained to deathly white. I turned and stared at Professor McGonagall, sure that I was frozen to the floor in shock and terror.

Her hawk-like eyes narrowed at me. "Now, Miss Harkstone."

Go. Lily mouthed at me, looking shaken.

Hands shaking, I forced my feet to follow Lily's Head, who turned swiftly on her heel and swept down the stone corridor. My ash wand was slicked in sweat from my hands.

"Put that away, Miss Harkstone." Professor McGonagall ordered. "There is no need for students to practice magic outside of class."

Feeling sick with guilt, I hastily stowed my wand into the folds of my robe. Professor McGonagall marched all the way to Ravenclaw's tower, walking so quickly I needed to take two sides to match one of hers. My eyes zeroed in on the spot where Peter Pettigrew had lain just hours before, a broken and bloody heap on the marble floor.

"I told Filch we would have students falling off of these one day." She muttered, ascending the spiral staircase at a frightening speed. I pressed close to the edge of the wall, not even trying to keep up anymore for fear that I would plummet through the air like Peter had.

Professor McGonagall had already answered the riddle at the door. I hurtled in after her just as the door swung shut.

The common room was mostly deserted. One lone girl sat by the fireplace, poring over a thick textbook.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. Startled, the girl looked up, took one look at McGonagall, and slapped her book shut. She hurried out of the common room and down the stairs before I had time to catch my breath.

What if she's going to make me leave school for hexing Sirius? I thought, feeling sick. Sweat broke out on my upper lip and forehead. My hands felt cold and clammy. Hadn't McGonagall been the very one to want to have me expelled in the first place?

She gestured to the recently vacated armchair. "Sit down, please, Miss Harkstone."

Would it be the last time I sat in this chair in Ravenclaw tower? Why would she have taken me back to my own House unless she was going to have me thrown out?

Shaking hard, I obeyed.

Professor McGonagall remained standing. She pursed her lips. The fire behind me crackled loudly.

"This afternoon, Hogwarts received a letter from your parents."

"My… parents?" I managed, my throat tight.

She nodded stiffly. "Yes. Specifically, your father."

Of course. Mother never had much to say to me, unless it was scathing criticism.

Professor McGonagall sighed heavily, suddenly looking very tired. "You have been called home at once. A family emergency."

Virginia. My heart stopped.

Professor McGonagall looked troubled. "You will pack your bags at once and board the Hogwarts Express home tomorrow afternoon. You will be accompanied by your Head Girl, Lila Habenstarf. You will be expected to attend your morning classes and partake in lunch. At one, Miss Habestarf will meet with you there and accompany you down to the train and remain with you during the duration of your journey. You will return to Hogwarts whenever you are fit to do so. In the meanwhile, your homework and assignments will be delivered to your daily by owl."

"What… why isn't Professor Flitwick telling me all of this?" I said, the first thought out of a million that swam in my head.

"The Headmaster felt you would take the news better from me."

I didn't tell her that it didn't matter who I heard the news from. Man or woman, it was still ill tidings that did not bode well.

"As you know, if you absent from classes for longer than a month, you will unfortunately be deemed an academic failure. You will be dismissed from further classes this year and reassigned to your current grade the following fall."

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. One of the few things that bothered me more than illness was personal academic failure. Tears blurred my eyes. "You mean I'll be held back?"

Professor McGonagall nodded once.

I bit my lip hard, barely reigning back the torrent of tears. "I won't let that happen." I choked out. "I will keep up with my classes. I'll… I'll send everything in on time. I won't fail."

"You may not have that option, dear." Professor McGonagall said, more gently.

I shook my head hard. Oh, Virginia. I didn't want to think of how serious her bout with illness would have been this time if I was called away from school.

Professor McGonagall looked grim. Almost sad. "Is there any else you need, Miss Harkstone? Perhaps I can call your friend Lily Evans here."

I stood from the armchair, going to stand by the window overlooking the vast lake and the dark forest beyond. The moonlight reflected on the clear water in a silvery white mirror. All I wanted to do was dive into that mermaid-infested water and fight those she-devils, armed with nothing but my wand and my fists. I wanted to take this anger and pain out on them.

"Miss Harkstone?"

"I'm fine." I lied. I'm fine? I thought miserably. My sister is probably dying and I could fail this year. Of course I'm not fine!

"Well, please… Do not hesitate to ask if you need anything." Professor McGonagall began to move towards the door.

"Professor." I said suddenly. "Is Peter Pettigrew going to be alright?"

She blinked once. "Oh, yes. He suffered a broken arm and a fractured skull, but Madam Pomfrey will have him back to normal by tomorrow." She made an odd face. "You are the one who first called for aid, aren't you?"

I nodded, hardly caring about my involvement. All I wanted to know is that for someone, I had made a difference.

A hint of a smile pulled at her thin lips. "You may have very well saved his life. I will be speaking with Dumbledore about this. Perhaps we can grant you a penalty-free extension on a leave of absence."

I shrugged. All I wanted to do was curl up under my covers and sleep. Pretend that she had never brought me this bad news.

Professor McGonagall gave me one last, long look, and then left the common room quietly. I was alone.

The fire snapped behind me. The heat of the flames warmed one side of my body. I stared out the window, suddenly wanting to jump out of the glass and fall to the ground. I wanted to sprout wings at the last second and fly to safety. I wanted to be stronger than gravity, stronger than illness, stronger than death.

I returned to my room and threw what I needed together into a suitcase. I had no idea how long I would be away, nor did I care. Hogwarts wasn't home, but it was beginning to feel like it. If anything, it was a sleepover camp, like the one Mother and Dad had sent me away to last year.

I changed out of my robes into my Muggle clothes. I zipped on a jacket and pulled on my farm boots, the sturdy waterproof ones that I wore year-round on our rural property, and left the common room without a sound. The blood was pounding in my ears, the walls closing in. I had to get out of here. I had to get outside of these crushing stone walls. Otherwise, I would go mad with restlessness.

I walked carefully down the treacherous spiral steps and walked briskly down the deserted halls. My eyes scoured the walls for any sign of a door, an exit. Anything.

One painting in particular was a panora of the lake. It was almost the exact same image I had seen from the window high in the tower above. The moon shimmered on the surface of the water, just like the view had. When I closed my eyes, I could almost smell the rich scent of lakewater flowing over my face.

Holding up my wand, I gently shook the frame of the canvas with one hand. It didn't budge.

Password…

My head snapped up. I looked left and right sharply, but no one was there. It was just me in this long, dark hallway, surrounded by endless moving paintings.

Password…

I wasn't imagining it. That sound was coming from the painting of the lake.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, racking my brain. Come on, Amber… think of something. Anything.

"Bernie Bott's Every Flavored Beans." I said randomly. "Pumpkin pasties. Aloha mora. Incendio."

The picture remained stationery.

I stamped my foot out of pure frustration. Why did everything have to go against me?!

"Curse you!" I swore out of unleashed rage. "Curse you!"

There was a subtle clicking noise. I paused, anger momentarily forgotten. Could that have been…

I touched the edge of the painting again, tentatively.

It moved.

Heart beating excitedly, I pushed the painting harder, and it slowly slid open, stuck to the wall but opening like an Oriental door. Behind the painting was a low tunnel, completely dark. But I could feel a strong breeze blowing through, smelling just like the lake and pine trees.

"Lumose." I whispered, and the tip of my wand glowed faintly. The ceiling of the tunnel was low, but not so low that I couldn't walk through stooped. Hunched over, I held my ash wand ahead of me, illuminating the way. I heard the painting softly close shut, shutting me inside.

The first pulses of panic washed over me in hot waves, but I gritted my teeth and pushed on. I stumbled twice over loose rocks. Parts of the old tunnel had fallen into disrepair from lack of use. But the smell of the outside was getting stronger, and five minutes later I stepped onto grass.

The nearly full moon bathed the grounds of Hogwarts in silver light. The moon was partially concealed behind a thin veil of gray clouds. A chilly wind blew, sending more strong scents of pine over my face. I breathed the fresh air deeply, my pulse already calming just from the knowledge that I was outside of the stone prison.

"Nox." The tip of the wand died out. The moon was so bright I didn't need any extra illumination. I followed the worn grassy path down the lake, standing on the edge of the lapping water, the smooth stones clattering around my boots when I stepped down onto them.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on just the feel of the wind in my hair, the smell of cold lake water, the exhilarating freedom of sneaking out. I glanced behind me at the profile of Hogwarts. Almost every little square pane of yellow was lit tonight. I made it my mission not to return until only a quarter were left burning.

I left the edge of the lake and wandered around the property, walking farther than I ever had before. The dead grass crunched beneath my boots, but most of the sound was muffled by the near-constant wind blowing off of the lake. The castle remained in sight.

I squinted my eyes slightly at the shape in front of me. It took me a moment to realize it was a large, solitary tree. Outlined by the soft moonlight, I made out countless lengths of lank branches. It was a huge willow tree.

It shivered in the breeze, its bare branches scratching and rattling against each other. There was something oddly sinister about the large willow.

I felt a warning prickle a moment before it happened. A chill ran up the base of my spine to my head before I whirled around, wand out, all sense on high-alert. There was nothing, just moonlit grass and trees.

Behind me, there was a loud groaning and snapping noise. My head turned back sharply just as the huge willow smashed itself forward, missing me by just ten feet, leaving a gash in the dirt. Its whip-like branches snapped through the air, causing something I couldn't see to yelp in pain.

A new sense of fear swept over me as I whirled around, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It had sounded dog-like. But it was just me and the tree.

The willow lurched forward again, this time going straight for me.

I jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crushed by its vast knob. High on adrenaline and a little mad from Virginia's bad health, I threw caution to the wind and decided to play a game with the violent tree. It seemed attracted to anything that moved. It had probably seen a coyote or a wild dog and tried to squash it. And it had been scared off.

But I had nothing to lose. I was facing possible academic failure, possible death of my younger sister, and time away from Hogwarts. Maybe if I was injured, I would be confined to the hospital wing. Confined to Hogwarts. Protected and kept away from the cruel realities of life.

The willow swung forward again. I leapt out of the way just as the knob crashed down. The impact was so close it made the ground shudder.

The branches whipped around, furious. The willow was actually trying to hurt me! Giddy with the power of evasion, I dodged every blow. I was so caught up in my game that I didn't notice anyone coming.

"AMBER!"

Caught, I spun around, wand poised and ready. A shape hurtled across the grounds. "Get out of there, Amber! Run!"

"Oh!" I threw back my head and laughed, dodging another lethal branch. "Nice of you to join the fun, Remus!"

He was close enough now that I could see the faint scars on his face. "What are you doing?! RUN!"

Deaf to his fear, I danced with the angry willow, loving the control, relishing my own agility. "Don't be such a nun, Remus. I'm only having a little fun."

"Are you mad?!" Remus shouted. "You're going to get killed!"

"Nonsense!" I said cheerfully. "Just don't get hit and-"

One of the thin branches wrapped around my ankle. It threw me to the ground with such force that I lost my breath. I lay gasping for air on the ground, winded.
"Amber!" Remus yelled. "MOVE!"

I couldn't breathe, let alone tell him off. I tried to stand, but I had dropped my wand. I felt around for it feebly, my head a little fuzzy.

There was a shadow over me, the moon's light unable to reach me. I glanced up, suddenly paralyzed with terror. The largest knob of the willow was coming straight for me.

My arms were yanked so hard I thought they'd been torn from their sockets. A second later the tree slammed into the ground with such force that it left a three-foot-deep indent in the earth. Still angrily snapping its tendrils, the willow creaked and moaned in frustration that I was still alive.

I was just beginning to catch my breath when Remus lit into me. "What were you thinking?" He demanded, tossing me my wand. "You almost just died, Amber!" He swore loudly and dragged a hand through his hair.

I stumbled to my feet, shaking hard with adrenaline and cold. "You hurt my arms." I said petulantly.

Remus stared at me, shocked. Then his face contorted with fury.

"You almost died, and you have the nerve to complain about your arms hurting?! I just saved your life for the second time!"

I rubbed my sore shoulders. "Well, I guess I owe you." I tried to down play how much that near-death experience had shaken me. But Remus didn't look fooled.

"How did you even get out here?!" He went on furiously. "It's past dark! The gates are locked!"

I lifted my chin a notch, defiant. "Really? Then how did you get out?"

Remus opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Then his green eyes narrowed. "I have special permission to be on the grounds after dark."

I barked out a laugh. "You are such a liar, Remus Lupin! You snuck out, just like I did!"

Remus only looked angrier. "I'm not a liar! Dumbledore said I could be here! Unlike you, I'm a responsible student! I don't go looking for trouble! You are just like James and Sirius!"

I stared at him, speechless. The willow creaked behind me, still clearly upset. "What did you just say to me?"

Remus didn't back down. "You are. All three of you… always going out, looking to push the envelope, get into trouble. And for what? Attention? Popularity? Feeling good?"

Hot tears of anger sprang to my eyes. "You have no idea who I am or why I do the things I do!" I shot back. "Did you think that maybe my life is just a little hard? Maybe I have to go out and do stuff, otherwise I'll go crazy!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Right. You have a bad, hard life. I'd love to hear the sob story, but you and I are going back to the castle. Right now. Before something else tries to kill you!"

I was too angry to ask him what his cryptic last sentence could have meant. I stormed after him, not because I wanted to obey him, but because I wasn't done yelling at him yet. "Now just wait a minute! What could possibly be wrong with you?! My sister is sick and dying and my own mother hates me, and you're the precious little class pet of Gryffindor who gets letters and gifts from Mommy and Daddy every week!"

I hadn't meant to reveal this much to him. I realized the words were out of my mouth and slammed the gates of my teeth down, trying to shut up the rest of my words before they escaped. My spoken words hung in the night air.

Remus was silent for a minute. "Your sister is sick?"

Great. He'd heard them, after all. I chewed on my lower lip hard, almost drawing blood. "Yes. I'm going home tomorrow to see her."

Remus said nothing, studying me. I wanted to look away from those intense eyes, but I was transfixed. Finally, he averted his gaze.

"I'm sick, too." He confessed. "I'll never get better. That's why Dumbledore lets me come out here."

His revelation was the very last thing I could have expected to come out of his mouth. Stunned, I could only gape at him. "What?" I finally managed.

Remus looked haunted. He shook his head. "It's incurable. That's all you need to know."

He was closing off a part of him that he never let anyone else see. For a moment I had felt like he had allowed me into an inner sanctum. Now I felt like he had changed his mind and locked the gates.

I studied the ground, feeling ashamed and bereft. And tired. So, so tired. So much sickness. So much death. And why had I just played with fire? Wasn't it hard enough on my family without having to deal with two hurt children instead of one?

"My sister… Virginia… she…" I shook my head. "This illness… it's very rare. She was born with it, and she'll have it for life. She gets treatment, but it comes and goes. She could live to be a hundred, or she could…"

Remus's eyes darkened. "You don't have to say any more. I get it. It's bad. Trust me… I know."

There was something else, something deeper, something malevolent inside of Remus. I frowned slightly. He was sick too. But something told me it was more sinister than that. He wasn't just ill. He was infested by something. Or someone. I shivered, but not because of the cold.

Remus sighed, withdrawing again. I could tell by the guarded look in his eyes. "Come on. It's late."

"I'm tired." I realized suddenly, my eyelids feeling heavy. The full weight of Virginia's serious illness was on my shoulders again, crushing me with its burden.

Remus looked concerned, but didn't ask again about my younger sister and her health. He and I cast another glance at the violent willow tree, still twisting and snapping its branches threateningly.

"Why do they even have a tree like that planted here?" I muttered as we made our way up the grassy slopes towards the castle. I had been right; half of the lights had been extinguished at this point.

Remus shrugged after a few moments of silence. "Who knows. Maybe to protect students."

"Protect?" I snorted. "Try maim. Or kill."

Remus went quiet. He looked paler than usual. The nearly full moonlight made him look whiter around the gills than normal.

"You need to get more sun." I half-joked as we neared the secret entrance I had taken.

Remus grimaced. "If only it were that easy. Sun, instead of moon."

"What are you talking about? Divination?" Already, I hated the subject. Something felt so nefarious and wicked about it, though I didn't know what.

"Sure." Remus said, pausing as we reached the copse where I had exited. The entrance to the tunnel was concealed behind a large juniper bush. He followed me hesitantly as I pulled out my wand. "Lumos."

Remus arched a brow. His scars were much fainter by wandlight than in the moonlight. "You know those kinds of spells already? That's a third year level."

I felt heat climb into my cheeks. "I like to read." I answered honestly. "And I like to learn."

Remus walked side by side with me. He was so quiet. What was he thinking?

"You're smart, Amber." Remus admitted. "Smarter than I'd like to admit."

I slid a sly glance his direction. "Only one of us can be the head of our year, Lupin."

He chuckled softly. "I think your friend Lily might overtake us both. Especially if you keep getting into trouble like this."
"Me?" I said incredulously. "You're out here too! Sneaking around the grounds after dark!"

We had reached the end of the tunnel. I tapped the back of the painting. "Curse you." I said offhandedly.

"That's not very nice." Remus said, eyes sparkling with amusement. "I have special permission from Dumbledore. Remember?"

We climbed out of the tunnel as the painting sealed shut. "Well," I laughed, "it's a good thing only you know I was out tonight."

"If only that were the case." A rude voice drawled.

I turned sharply, wand out, pointing the bright tip right in the smirking faces of James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Busted." Black sang, and took off at a dead run down the dark corridor.