I don't own Harry Potter, his world, or his friends/enemies. That belongs to J.K. Rowling.

The Patronus

Ella returned to the school with a spring in her step and in much better spirits than what she left with. Her time with the Weasleys was perfect, in Ella's humble opinion. She and Ginny spent a majority of the time talking to each other, but if they were apart the twins would take over with cluing Ella into their business ideas. The only thing that saddened Ella was that her sleeping draughts were all used up. She wondered how awful her dreams would seem now that she'd spent a month without them.

"Hullo, Ron! How was break?" The twins asked their younger brother entering the Common Room. He and Harry were sitting together, but Ella noticed Hermione was nowhere in sight. Something was definitely off.

Ron huffed, "It was fine." Fred and George shared a look, but decided against asking anything more. Instead they turned to Harry.

"Find a broom yet?" George asked Harry, which only seemed to make both boys moodier.

"I had a Firebolt, but Hermione got it confiscated," Harry pouted.

Ella looked at him, "Well, did she have a good reason for getting it confiscated?"

"No," Ron said, "she only thought Sirius Black bought it for him. How would he have been able to send Harry an expensive broom while on the run? Why would he even? That doesn't seem his style."

She frowned, "It seemed like she was only worried about Harry's safety, and while you have some good points, you shouldn't be angry with Hermione for doing what was probably right. You're not ignoring her are you?" Both boys refused to meet her gaze. "You're as idiotic as these two." Ella then left the Common Room to go find Hermione and see if she was alright.

Hermione was sitting with a large stack of books in the library. She was reading through one and looked up when Ella came in. The bags under her eyes were much too deep for an ordinary third year. Ella took a seat across from her and noticed the books were all dealing with magic creature court cases. She was looking for something to help Buckbeak.

"Hi," Ella said softly.

The girl gave a small smile that seemed like more of a grimace, "Hello, I suppose you've heard that I'm public enemy number one for tell McGonagall about the broom?"

Ella nodded, "Oh yes… Boys are stupid, aren't they?"

Hermione let out a slight chuckle, "I suppose they are. You don't hate me too do you?"

"Of course not! You did the right thing telling a Professor about a broom being given to Harry by no one. It's definitely suspicious," Ella told her, even though she knew nothing was wrong with it. She'd have done the same thing if she hadn't already known better.

Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes, "Good, because I can't handle the two of them being so cold towards me. I've been working on all my homework and there's also Buckbeak's trial and I can't keep up with it all."

"Shh, it's okay. Let me help a little with the trial for now. I can be your temporary friend while they act like prats. Hagrid and I are still here for you," Ella assured her. Hermione nodded too choked up to say anything. Ella helped Hermione with her work load for a bit before convincing her to return to the Common Room.

Despite her urging, Hermione skipped staying with the others to go upstairs to bed. Ella felt bad for her, but figured the boys would see the error of their ways. This wasn't her battle to fight. No one seemed to want to stay up too late that night with the knowledge of the start of term looming over them.

As Ella crawled into her bed she slid her arms under the pillow and they came in contact with something. She grasped a small box and pulled it out. Who would've put that there? She unwrapped the little gift and opened it to see a letter.

Dear Ella,

I wasn't entirely sure what to get a girl who you only know because she can see the future. The food you give me and the company helps keep me sane and for that I thank you. I had the cat get this for you in Hogsmeade. The cat was under orders to get the most useful thing he could find for you, since you gave me the necessities to live I wanted you to receive something you needed as well. I'll admit I wasn't impressed at first by what he brought back, but after figuring out how it worked, well, I'm confident it will be of use to you.

Ella picked up a smooth stone that was smaller than the palm of her hand. Her first thought was that a rock wouldn't be useful in her everyday life, but Sirius had thought the same. At the very least, it was a pretty stone with a deep purple color and black tendrils looping around it.

This is called a Desiderium Stone. Simply brush your thumb over the surface of it and the words you need to see most will appear to you and only you. At first, I found it useless then I realized the things you may see with your dreams and the words no one can say to you if you have to hide everything. Encouragement can be as necessary as food or water when it comes to someone's wellbeing.

Happy Christmas,

Padfoot

She brushed her thumb along the smooth surface and small ray of light beamed out of it in front of her. Little floating letters read: Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater. Ella gently placed the stone in the box and put it in her trunk. Then, she rested her head on her pillow and fell into a deep, dark dream.

"Smella! Smella!" Allison's voice hadn't reached Ella's ears in over a year, but Ella saw the ten year old version of Allison and herself in their neighborhood. Ella sat in the mud in her torn dress that she'd worn that day. She had tears in her eyes while Allison and her friends merely cackled at her. Ella wanted to stick up for herself, but it was a dream. She was brave now, but she couldn't turn back the clock and give herself more of a backbone.

The scene changed, progressively becoming darker. She watched her father hurl a vase at Professor Snape. He grew older and was insisting a mistake was made at the hospital. It was every moment her parents had insulted or disowned her. But why was she seeing all this? She'd already lived it –she remembered it with absolute clarity.

"GET OUT!" A voice shouted and Ella stumbled slightly. The vision grew dark, but she could feel a wind whipping around her.

"Kill the spare!" Someone rasped from deep in the darkness. Ella turned towards it but there was no way to see.

She cried out, "Kill who?"

Another voice shouted, "He's back!"

"Avada kedavra!" A jet of air shot past Ella just missing her.

"What's going on?" Ella screamed to the void.

Voldemort's voice echoed in every direction, "Tell me…tell me now you stupid girl."

"I won't tell you anything," she said defiantly. A fierce wind was blowing around her wiping up her fear.

"Don't you want to change what you see? Don't you want to be in control? I could give you that control…" Voldemort cooed.

Suddenly, Ella could see where she was and what was blowing past her. No face was recognizable, but the battlefield was. Hogwarts stood in shambles. There were flames and ruble from the castle walls littering the area she was in. Great blasts tore the precious walls apart, and Ella saw people falling all around her. Her breathing hitched and her heart clenched.

There were green jets of light flashing around everywhere –the killing curse.

Where were her friends? Where was she? The green kept shooting around and hitting people and walls. She saw a burst heading towards her and closed her eyes not wanting to move away anymore. She couldn't imagine seeing her school like this. Ella didn't want Hogwarts to be destroyed or so many people to die.

Ella didn't move immediately after opening her eyes. She laid on her back and kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. In the back of her head she could see the green lights and the people dropping like flies. It was awful –the worst dream she'd ever had.

"I will put a stop to it, but I'll do it without your help," Ella vowed under her breath.

Over the next few days, Ella juggled getting reused to her classes, the renewed horror of her dreams, her usual group of friends, and now being friends with Hermione. She could tell that the younger girl missed Harry and Ron a lot, but she wasn't going to go back to them just yet. Ella was fine with it, though, the two Muggle-borns had a lot in common –certainly more than just blood.

On Thursday, Ella had class with Professor Lupin. The night before she had only one clear dream and it was Harry's Patronus lessons that night. While everyone else left talking happily about that lesson and now knowing the stunning spell, Ella remained behind to see the teacher. This wasn't the first time she had done this. Normally, she'd stay behind and just discuss little things like the weather or sometimes Lupin would tell her about his time at Hogwarts –his versions seemed more realistic than when Sirius told her.

"So, you're giving Harry a lesson tonight?" Ella asked him. Of course she already knew, but most people needed an introduction before she dived into something she wasn't supposed to know. It was an icebreaker, in a way.

Lupin looked up from his work, "Oh yes, he wanted to know how to fight off dementors. I'm still not entirely sure if I should subject him to this. He hears Lily when the dementors come close."

"It's not a fun thing to hear…" Ella said knowingly. "But it'll only get worse every time he encounters a dementor. He's too determined to have the lesson in any case. Harry's not going to take no for an answer."

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing? I don't know if James would want me to subject him to hearing that," Lupin said with a far off look in his eye. Ella knew it well. He always got that look in his eye when he thought about his friends. Times like these made Ella want to confess everything she knew about Sirius and Pettigrew, but she refrained herself. If she wasn't telling Dumbledore, she couldn't tell Lupin.

Ella looked at the professor and reminded herself that he was a lot younger than he looked, "James would be thrilled that you're teaching his son something that will surely come in handy in the future. As for my opinion, I definitely think you are. Hearing Lily's voice like that…it's not pleasant in the slightest."

Her professor looked at her startled, "Ella, can you hear Lily's voice as well?"

She looked towards the floor, unable to meet his eyes, "Sometimes I wish I couldn't dream because the past and future sometimes seem equally horrifying."

Lupin looked at her sadly, "There are times I forget that unfortunate circumstances circle everyone. At times I can be rather selfish and only think about my problem, I forget that others are fighting their own battles. It's what makes us all human. Your dreams make you stronger, Ella, but your dreams do not control you. Much like my illness."

After that, Ella met with Hermione in the library. There were books covering the table where she sat, and Ella figured that she'd mainly be helping with homework now. Hermione barely looked up, but knew Ella was sitting across from her. No one else would be so bold. Not when Hermione was such a time bomb with her rising stress level.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked not unkindly.

Ella shrugged, "I was talking with Professor Lupin. He's looking much better than he was earlier this week."

Hermione huffed, "You must know what his illness really is. I wouldn't expect you not to. Even if you haven't seen it in your dreams, you've got to be smart enough to decipher the signs."

"I admit, I know," Ella merely stated without much care.

The girl looked at Ella in shock, "But aren't you worried that he could be dangerous? I've done a lot of research on creatures like that. They can be extremely vicious!"

"His condition does not define him as a person. He's not that by choice, he didn't have a choice. I trust him with my life, you should too," Ella told Hermione confidently.

"All right…" Hermione began, "I'll cover for him. I was wondering if I should tell anyone."

She shook her head, "He'd never be allowed to return. The other parents would be in an uproar that he was teaching us even if he's the best teacher we've had yet."

Hermione frowned, "He is the best teacher we've had in that class. I'd feel bad if I were the reason he had to leave."

"Besides, Dumbledore knew what he was when he hired him. He wouldn't have given him the job if he hadn't trusted him," Ella informed Hermione who seemed to physically relax before turning back to her work.

"I won't tell anyone…it'd be wrong."

Ella relaxed as well thinking, "Crisis averted."

A week after the start of term, Ravenclaw played Slytherin. It was a difficult match for Ella because as much as she wanted Cho to win, there was no way she wanted the Slytherins to lose and get the Gryffindors kicked out of the running. Hermione decided to stay inside the castle and use the silence to her advantage. Ella went with her friends to see the match and ended up sitting with the Gryffindor team. She felt bad for leaving Lee, but he understood.

It was a narrow loss, but Slytherin came out on top. Cho looked sad, but Ella thought she played excellently. She would've had the Snitch if a Slytherin Beater hadn't sent a Bludger at her. The team all looked towards Oliver when the match had ended.

"What does this mean?" Ella asked him.

Wood looked towards the team and announced, "This is good news for Gryffindor. If we beat Ravenclaw then we'll be versing Slytherin in the final and can still win this. That's why I'm increasing our practices to five times a week." The twins groaned, but they didn't argue. The manic look in Oliver's eyes was enough to shut even them up.

As the time passed, Hermione became more and more unhinged as the stress of her work load began piling on her. She was on the verge of tears more often than not and Ella could hardly keep her calm. Hermione needed Harry and Ron back, but the boys were just as stubborn as they had been earlier in the term. Every night without fail, Hermione would sit in a corner of the Common Room with books stacked higher than the Weasley twins were tall. There was only so much Ella could do with her own work load piling ever higher.

Some nights, Ella would send Hermione to talk with Hagrid about plans for Buckbeak's trial. Hagrid informed her at one of her Care of Magical Creature lessons that Hermione normally ended up in tears at some point during these meetings, but Ella confided in him that she hoped it would happen. She didn't mean it in a rude way, but Hermione bottled things up for as long as she could. Ella thought that these moments where she let it all go in Hagrid's hut were more than beneficial to her mental health and stability. Even so, Ella did her best to help out when she could. There was no possible way to improve anything –Ella was having enough trouble just keeping her own spirits up much less Hermione's.

Each night a myriad of terrors would descend upon Ella and nearly suffocate her until she woke up. She felt twitchy when she walked around the school. There was no way to fully get the images out of her mind. The ruins of the dream reverberated in the back of her head while she walked through the school. She couldn't image something like that happening. What was worse was that she couldn't stop the dreams without an immense amount of effort on her behalf. The curse was blocking her –it seemed to be doing more harm than good. Ella was slowly becoming fed up with it all.

Ella reached a Divinations class a little later and noticed McLaggen sitting by himself.

"Where's Cho?"

Cormac looked up, "Didn't you hear? She got injured during a Quidditch practice. They're not even sure she'll be able to play."

Her eyes widened, "That's horrible!"

"For Ravenclaw, it's not so bad for Gryffindor," McLaggen stated loftily.

"She's still our friend. Don't you feel slightly bad about the fact she's hurt?" Ella questioned with a pointed look.

"Course I do! But that doesn't mean I'm completely against the idea of an easy win going to our team. We deserve to win!" He exclaimed and Ella couldn't help but roll her eyes. Such a typical boy.

The clock seemed to be ticking towards the Ravenclaw match and despite the bitter weather; the team was out on the pitch five nights a week. They'd come back shivering and splattered with mud. Ella grinned at the sight of the twins as they came through the portrait hole.

"Well look at the two of you! Am I friends with humans or mud monsters?" She laughed.

George rolled his eyes, "Very funny… How would you like a hug?" He leaned towards her and she backed up as far as she could manage.

"I'm fine! I'm fine. Please don't hug me!" Ella cried out and Fred joined in. "Don't make me curse you two into oblivion!"

"Mud monsters aren't affected by your spells. We're unstoppable!" Fred cackled acting like an odd cross between a vampire and werewolf. Both boys tightly hugged a squirming Ella all the while ignoring her pleas.

She crossed her now muddy arms when they let go and huffed, "Thank you both for the wonderful experience of being crushed to death by two smelly and dirty boys." They grinned before heading off to shower. Ella couldn't help but grin slightly, though. They always could cheer her up –even in the most obnoxious ways.

That night, Ella decided to take a break from the awful nightmares and visit Sirius. It was becoming increasingly difficult to meet with him because she was always so tired because of her classes. Today was the first day in a while that she managed the feat. Crookshanks rarely ever came to the Common Room anymore.

"Hello Ella," said Sirius as she transformed back into herself. He was petting Crookshanks in a chair that was positioned in the corner of a room with a small bed.

Ella smiled slightly, "Hello Sirius, how's your planning going?"

Sirius grinned towards the cat and cryptically informed, "Oh, we believe we've got quite the plan laid out. It should come into action in a short while."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. That's wonderful news," Ella told them. Crookshanks purred loudly.

"Do you want to hear it?"

"No, you can just surprise me," Ella mumbled looking around the small room. It was shredded from years where Lupin would howl and cry out while being a werewolf. Sirius decided to tell her the tale of almost getting Snape killed until the sun was nearly ready to rise and they said goodbye. Ella could understand Snape's loathing towards Lupin so much more.

The rest of the week seemed relatively calm until the Thursday night before the Quidditch match arrived. Ella and her friends were all relaxing and listening to Fred, George, and Lee tell them about the first prank they did together at Hogwarts –a story that got more absurd each time they told it. The portrait hole had swung open mid-story and Harry, Ron, and Neville entered with the Firebolt.

It suddenly seemed like every single Gryffindor was surrounding them at that very moment. They were all asking Harry where he got the broom and saying how great it'd be against Ravenclaw. Ella's excitement mingled in with everyone else's. The twins were practically bouncing on the balls of their feet. All of her friends got to hold it and even Ella, who knew nothing about brooms, knew it had to be amazing.

"Can you imagine that?" George said excitedly.

"We've got a real Firebolt on our team now!" Fred exclaimed to his brother and friends.

Angelina was beaming from ear to ear, "Those Ravenclaws won't know what hit them! They'll be completely shocked."

"We're going to win this year for sure now!" Katie nearly shouted.

Ella shook her head, "Don't become cocky, but you're right. It looks like an amazing broomstick!"

Lee scoffed at her, "Amazing doesn't even cover it! I've done my research, it's astounding. It's –"

A strangled yell came from the boy's dormitory at that exact moment. The entire Common Room seemed to fall silent.

"That…sounded like Ron…" Fred said with a hint of worry. Footsteps began thundering down the stairs quickly and growing in volume with each step. Ron finally appeared in the room with a great leap. His bedsheet was in his hands and a look of fury was etched across his face.

"LOOK!" He roared striding over to Hermione's table. Ella tried to take a step forward, but George held her back. "LOOK!" Ron bellowed once more shaking the sheet in Hermione's face.

"Ron, what –?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

Ella's forehead creased in confusion. What had happened to Pettigrew? Had Sirius and Crookshanks succeeded in getting rid of him?

Ron continued shouting, "BLOOD!" The distressed third year showed the sheet the stunned Gryffindors. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"

Hermione's voice trembled, "N-no."

The boy threw something down on her rune books and the two leaned in to see it. Hermione looked ready to burst into tears and went to the girl's dormitory without bothering to take any of her books. Ron looked so distressed that he just carried the sheet back upstairs without looking at the crowd around him.

Ella took a few tentative steps forward. All eyes in the Common Room turned to her. She peered over Harry's shoulder at what Ron dropped on the book and saw several long ginger cat hairs. They were so obviously from Crookshanks that she nearly cheered that Pettigrew was gone. She was safe from him revealing her secret. Sirius could move away and restart his life somewhere else and be safe as well. He probably already had. The whole situation was practically perfect.

Keeping her voice even as possible, Ella announced to the room, "His rat got eaten by her cat." And everyone went back to their own conversations.

A/N: There's the latest chapter! :) How was it? The reviews from last time were excellent! Keep them up and I'll keep up with these updates!