This is the second part of 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'. Same warnings, same explanations and the same disclaimer as the last chapter. Enjoy.
Some things to remember are that I took a couple liberties with Werewolf lore. I'm using the Van Helsing Myth of the beasts to help aid the story. I'm not quite sure what limitations Rowling put on her Werewolves so I had to borrow.
Also, I took liberties with the age Harry was when his parents died. I'm not sure why but I did it anyway.
*ALERT*
This is where things change. My plot from now on skews from the story of the books. There are similarities (like the major plot lines) but reactions and ultimately the conclusions will differ. You have been warned.
Prisoner of Azkaban: Part 2
Eris tried to stop herself from noticing the bushy haired Gryffindor ever since class started but it was very hard to concentrate on the Boggart in the wardrobe when Hermione Granger was staring at you. Professor Lupin had ushered them into this room to teach them about Boggarts but Hermione seemed more interested in studying Eris. It was uncomfortable. Eris shifted closer to Draco. Despite their recent falling out, Eris felt more at ease around him than the scrutinizing eyes of Gryffindor's brightest witch. Draco looked at her from the corner of his eyes and pulled at her cuffs to get her closer. They were near the back of the group so evidently the blond boy wanted to talk.
"Why are you mad at me?" He whispered.
"I think that if you can't tell after all of the years we've known each other; that in and of itself is reason enough to be angry." Eris whispered back.
"I'm sorry, for whatever it is that I've done." Draco tried.
Eris frowned but kept her eyes forward. Perhaps Draco needed more guidance. She could coach him slowly and then eventually she'll be able to trust him enough to tell him her thoughts about his father. Even now, she had packed away every gift ever given to her by her Godfather. Including the brilliant knife she received as a Christmas gift her first year at Hogwarts. She thought about throwing it away but something inside her told her to keep it. She might need it in the future. It sits at the bottom of her trunk. Eris slowly turned to see Hermione still looking quizzically at her. Eris raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in question and it looked like Hermione was going to approach her when Harry, next to her said something and she hastily turned away. Shaking her head, Eris did the same.
Meanwhile in the front of the crowd, Neville stood face to face with the thing he feared most, Professor Snape. Apparently the Boggart made him an angrier and snippier Snape.
"Eris! Look, look! It's your father! Neville is scared of your father!" Pansy's voice rung out from somewhere in the middle of the crowd while Eris could plainly hear Blaise's distinct laughter with her.
"I, for one, am COMPLETELY shocked!" Eris faked outrage while the Slytherins had a good laugh.
A couple of them parted the crowd so that Eris could get a better view. Theodore offered her his arm and, deciding to get a better look, took his arm. Theodore almost fainted. As she was moving forward Lupin was teaching the "reddikulus" charm to Neville. Just when she could clearly see an almost exact copy of her father, Neville manage to properly cast the charm. Eris blinked. Her father was dressed in drag and awfully at that. His purple dress clashed with green stockings and a horribly over done hat. Feather and all. There were a few snickers but mostly everyone was looking at Eris for a reaction. Neville mostly, after ridding himself of his fear for the Snape Boggart, he was becoming increasingly scared of Eris. After all, he couldn't very well use the same charm on her. She was real.
"Oh, my…" Eris put her hands up to cover her mouth.
"That's it! Longbottom, you're going to get it!" Theodore growled and took a menacing step toward the upset Gryffindor.
Lupin was just about to step in when a completely foreign sound reached his ears. He'd heard similar sounds before but never from the girl in front of him. Eris was laughing. Not just laughing but peels of amusement escaped her lips like music. It broke the ice and soon everyone was laughing and pointing at the Boggart. Neville began to smile weakly before he too started to laugh. Theodore just scowled and glared at the Gryffindor.
Still in the back row, Hermione took in the sight with excitement. When she had talked with Dumbledore about her researching Eris' mother, she had felt lost. He'd given her some answers but had basically told her to back off. It was a shock to hear that but it had made her more curious. She had been fighting with herself over whether to keep researching or to follow the rules. Eris, when she was laughing, seemed to be approachable now. Perhaps Hermione just had to talk with the girl. Dumbledore couldn't ask Eris to stop searching for information about her own mother, could he? Eris, still laughing and with tears of mirth making her eyes shimmer, turned around and locked eyes with someone near Hermione. Looking around she saw Harry looking directly at Eris. The shared look was so electric that Hermione felt it and she was a third person.
"She really is something isn't she?" Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Always throwing people off."
Harry missed the sharp look Draco gave him but Hermione certainly didn't. Draco didn't approve of Eris being friendly with anyone but him apparently. Hermione frowned. The information she received from Dumbledore could explain that. Draco was a Malfoy after all. The Malfoy's had played an important roll in the disappearance of Maelstra Grindel. Or should she start calling her Maelstra Grindelwald?
"Alright, Ms. Snape. Since the last Boggart hit so close to home. Perhaps you would like to try the next one." Professor Lupin said.
The Boggart immediately locked eyes with Eris and her father's clone body twisted and grew. All the nearby students backed up and some even began to flee. Eris' Boggart turned into a snake. A very large snake. Eris' breath started to get erratic.
"You understand. You understand." The snake weaved menacingly in front of Eris, whose hands instinctually sprung up to her ears. She tried to block out the sound of the snake so she could concentrate on the charm. The snake wasn't helping. "You cannot ignore me, child. I will eat you and you will hear me forever."
"Leave her alone!" Another Parseltongue voice said from the back. Eris spun around and saw Harry approaching slowly. He wasn't looking at the snake, though. "You understand Parseltongue?"
"No, I cannot." Eris whispered. Harry looked down at her and shook his head. He knew she was lying. He had asked that question in Parseltongue. Was she afraid of the snake or of being able to speak to it?
"Eris, a Slytherin, afraid of snakes?" Someone whispered from the onlookers.
"A bit weird, isn't it?"
"I'd be afraid of a snake that large, too."
"Yeah, but she's SLYTHERIN!"
"You think she's afraid of their house badge?"
"You know…the Basilisk last year was larger…" Harry smirked still speaking in Parseltongue and Eris pursed her lips together. Harry had faced a larger snake than what was before her. She could do it if he could. She turned back and glared at the snake.
"RIDDIKULUS!" Eris hissed in Parseltongue, everyone around her immediately gasped, including Remus Lupin much to his dismay, and sprung away from Eris as if she was a dangerous beast. All except Harry, who was smiling proudly and watching as the snake writhed as it shrank into a worm. He had been shocked when the snake said that Eris understood but truthfully, he was pleased that someone else shared that skill. He didn't want to think about how. Didn't the heir of Slytherin have that skill? And wasn't Voldemort the Heir?
"That can't be right!" Hermione screeched from the back. Eris and Harry turned to look at her while everyone else took that opportunity to recover from their shock of Eris speaking Parseltongue. "You can't! It's not in your family line!"
"Granger, shut the hell up." Draco was immediately by her side and grabbing on her arm. "You don't know anything so shut the hell up."
"Let her go!" Ron yelled and stepped menacingly toward the Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle stepped up behind Draco and the blond smirked at the red head. Harry, Lupin, and Eris were already making their way to the commotion.
"Alright, alright. Enough all of you." Lupin said. "It was quite a surprise but I'm sure that is no reason to act hostile. Let's continue with the lesson."
As the rest of the students slowly began to get back to the task at hand, a small group had converged in the back. Hermione, Ron, and Harry on the Gryffindor's side; Eris and Draco on the Slytherin side. Theodore, Pansy and Blaise stayed on the outside with more than confusion going through their brains. Pansy and Blaise didn't know what was going on. The way Draco and Eris shooed them away told them not to get involved yet. Hopefully they'd get filled in later. Theodore was enamored even more with Eris than ever before. She was Slytherin in everyway. She was perfect.
"So, what do you mean, it's not in my family line. What do you know about my family?" Eris asked.
"It doesn't matter. She is obviously not well informed. You can speak Parseltongue. It has to be in your family." Draco glared at the Gryffindors. "Don't let them tell you otherwise."
"Shut up, Malfoy. Hermione is never anything BUT well informed!" Ron growled.
"Tell me." Eris, who had never taken her eyes off the other girl, said.
"I've been researching your mother." Hermione answered.
"You don't have any right!" Draco exploded, causing a few students to turn curiously toward the group.
"Draco, please." Eris pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know I could never get anywhere if I asked myself. Besides, you don't look particularly surprised by my ability. I don't believe I ever told you."
"Eris…" Draco looked concerned. "Some things aren't meant to be found out about."
"What are you talking about?" Harry and Eris said at the same time. They looked at each other briefly before turning twin stares at Draco. Hermione and Ron's eyes bored into him as well.
"I was told a lot of things this summer." Draco's eyes shifted around nervously before leaning in toward Eris to speak privately. "I don't want to talk about it here. Especially not with THEM."
"You're right. We'll talk later." Eris nodded. She looked at the Gryffindors then and nodded to them as well. "All of us will have to exchange information. It is MY life you all know something about, after all."
"Eris…" Draco started but a sharp look from Eris shut him up.
"Later." Eris whispered before rejoining the class. It seems like everyone has been doing research on her. She had no idea she was that interesting. Was this about something else bigger than herself? Maybe Eris could restart her own efforts for answers now.
::
"You think that I wouldn't know?" Severus Snape was angry. He just got news that his Gringotts account was charged at a pet shop at the beginning of the year. He knew HE didn't buy a pet. Only his daughter had a love for them.
"I never intended to keep it secret." Eris Snape was stubborn. She knew that her father was going to find out about her new pet eventually. It was only a matter of time but she was hoping it would have been after returning the creature wasn't an option. She needed until after Hogsmeade weekend before the return policy expired. So soon. It was next weekend.
Severus looked at his daughter and narrowed his eyes. She continued to look at him evenly and it reminded him of her mother. Merlin but did she look more and more like Maelstra everyday. He still remembered the day she arrived from Durmstrang. She was confident and single minded. Once she set her desires on something then no obstacle was too big. That was how she got him in the end. She didn't let Severus' minor infatuation with Lily Evans get in the way of her prize. It hadn't taken long. She had the same fire that Lily had in her spirit. Those two were a lot alike. Snape never knew what the beautiful girl saw in him. Not even to this day. Snape felt a deep pain in his chest at remembering her. When he thought about Maelstra, he thought about what had happened to her. It was always almost too much to bear.
"I never want to see the thing." Severus scolded. "I don't want it near the potion room, the ingredients, my room, reading room, OR the kitchen area. Don't smile! I also, don't want to hear it at all hours of the night! And you'll be staying here Hogsmeade weekend as punishment."
"Yes, father." Eris' fingers twitched. She felt the need to hug him but such affections hadn't been shown lately. She had grown up. She thought about her mother. She was going to know about her soon. Hermione and Draco hadn't been able to meet up with her yet but she knew it wasn't going to be long. Did her mother hug him? Acting on impulse Eris leapt up into her father's arms and kissed him on the cheek. He was so shocked that he just stood there. "Thank you, father."
"Uh…yes, well. You're still not going to Hogsmeade this weekend." Snape brushed himself off uncomfortably and whirled away in a flourish. Eris smiled fondly after him as he left.
"I saw that." Harry hissed from around the corner. "You acted human for a bit. Careful, someone who thinks you're an evil person could have seen that. It might harm your image."
"Just because I can understand you, doesn't mean I prefer that form of communication. Stop speaking Parseltongue. Do you know how unnerving it is for everyone?" Eris rolled her eyes.
"Do you know how much I don't care?" Harry strolled up to her and grinned. "Everyone has always looked at me as if I could either save them or destroy them at a single moment."
"What are you doing here?" Eris wanted to get to the chase. Casual chit chats with a Gryffindor are not on her list of fun things to do.
"I just overheard you getting grounded." Harry shrugged casually. "I can't ever go to Hogsmeade because I don't have anyone to sign my permission slip. I thought that maybe we could get together…um…during the weekend."
"You tried this before. It didn't work." Eris narrowed her eyes.
"Tried what?" Harry blinked innocently.
"Getting me to be your friend. It will never happen." Eris made a show of brushing her robe. "Just because we have one thing in common now doesn't mean that we can be all chummy."
"We have more than one thing in common and you know it!" Harry grabbed her arm and brought her closer. Eris was reminded how much he had grown over the summer. And how much she had not. She certainly did not like to look up into his eyes.
"Name another and I might not hex you for laying a hand on me." Eris growled.
"Maelstra." Harry simply said. "I dreamt of that name before I even knew she was your mother."
"What do you mean? Are you saying that YOU have the gift of sight?" Eris snorted. "I don't believe you. Now let me go."
"Eris…" Harry sighed and leaned forward. For one terribly frightening moment Eris was sure he was going to kiss her. She already felt herself tense up, waiting to feel his lips on hers. When he just buried his forehead in her hair Eris looked around frantically for anything to help her. It didn't even occur to her to take her wand out or to push him away. She just stood there and let him do it. His forehead was warm and she could feel his breath on her neck. "I don't know why but I feel a need to be around you. I've felt that way when I got my wand, when I speak Parseltongue, when I dream of Maelstra. I don't know why. I'm sorry if I bother you all the time."
"Harry. Please don't think too much of this." Eris' voice was calm and collected. She was amazed at herself. Inside she was asking herself all sorts of questions. He was comparing her to a wand? Why was he dreaming of her mother? Why was she drawn to him as well? Was it the sight like Professor Trelawney said? Suddenly, Eris pushed away from Harry. "Professor Lupin is coming. I think I ought to leave."
Harry watched her leave and also looked around for about two minutes for Professor Lupin before he heard distant footsteps coming down the hall. It was even longer until the tall figure of Professor Lupin made itself known. Eris couldn't possibly have heard his footsteps before. How did she know? The sight. Eris had seer powers. Did she know how to control it? Professor Trelawney said that she didn't.
"Ah, Harry. I was hoping I'd find you. Would you like to have tea with me this Hogsmeade weekend? I've heard you're spending it at Hogwarts." Lupin smiled kindly.
"Of course, Professor." Harry smiled back but then turned to look in the direction Eris retreated to moments before. He hadn't had a chance to talk with Hermione about what she knew of Maelstra yet. Perhaps now was a good time. "If you'll excuse me, Professor, I was on my way to meet someone. I'll see you this weekend."
::
"It wasn't well known that she was a seer but people talked." Hermione nodded. Harry and Ron sat in front of her completely at attention. Maelstra turned out to be as enigmatic as her daughter. "I talked to Dumbledore and he made me promise not to dip into that history anymore."
"Why would he do that?" Ron asked.
"Because he's hiding something." Harry knew that Dumbledore only offered information when he chose or when it was essential to helping a cause he himself only seemed to know about.
"Yes, and it turns out that it's something personal." Hermione lowered her voice conspiratorially "You see Maelstra's real name was Maelstra Grindelwald.
"Relation to Gillert Grindelwald!?" Ron burst out.
"Who was Gillert Grindelwald?" Harry asked.
"A dark wizard from Durmstrang that Dumbledore defeated when he was younger." Ron answered with a grin. "It's all on the chocolate frog cards, mate."
"Maelstra transferred to Hogwarts from Durmstrang because all of her living relatives were either dead or incarcerated. To avoid discrimination, Dumbledore took her in and renamed her Maelstra Grindel." Hermione said.
"Why would he do that?" Ron asked.
"Um, some people say that Dumbledore was in love with Gillert Grindelwald. I guess it was reason enough to be friendly to a relative. Maybe he thought he owed Gillert that much." Hermione shrugged uncomfortably. "It's just rumor, though. He told me he took her in BECAUSE she was a relative of Gillert but didn't give me another reason."
"Is that why he didn't want it well known? Why he asked you to stop researching? Because in some way Eris was related to a dark wizard? He wants to protect her? She's in Slytherin! If people found out about her heritage then she'll be applauded by her own house every time she entered a room!" Harry proclaimed. "I can't see why that would be such a shock. Gillert was defeated a long time ago, right? So, why does it matter?"
"I'm not done yet." Hermione's knee started bouncing nervously. "Maybe I should wait to tell Eris first."
"That bad?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, it's that bad." Hermione replied.
"Malfoy is probably already telling her if he hasn't already told her." Harry said.
"I don't think so. He seemed pretty bent on NOT telling her in Defense class, remember? I think that I should stay here over Hogsmeade weekend so I can meet up with her. It's my only free time." Hermione said.
"With all the extra classes you've put on this year, I don't understand how you find time to go to any classes at all!" Ron said.
"Um, yeah. I've had a lot to do this year…" Hermione nervously fingered the Time Turner in her robes.
::
"This was hardly necessary. Why couldn't we find time during a free period when school is in session?" Draco asked as he settled on the desk top in a free room. Eris, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed afterward and made themselves comfortable. Draco had to be coerced into spending Hogsmeade weekend in school but finally relented when everyone BUT him agreed to it.
"I, uh, don't have much free time lately." Hermione answered.
"She has three classes at the same time sometimes." Ron muttered. Draco snorted.
"You're an idiot, Weasley. That's impossible."
"Not entirely…" Eris half smiled and eyed Hermione. She had a hunch about the girl but all she needed was the shifty nervous eyes to solidify her intuition. Ah, there it was. Eris' smile grew and she nodded knowingly. The girl was going back in time. The how was limited to a time turner. How did she get permission from the Ministry to do so? "So, Hermione, tell me what you know of my mother."
"Ah, yes, well…" Hermione explained the Grindelwald affiliation to her in which Eris took rather well.
"So a distant relative is rotting away in Azkaban. Hardly something that sparks such a conspiracy."
"Well, maybe Malfoy could tell you the rest of it." Hermione bit out and glared at the blonde. With everyone's attention on him, Draco appeared to shrink.
"Before I start, I just want you to know that…" Draco looked over at the three others listening in. He sighed knowing that they weren't going to go anywhere. "I want you three to promise never to tell another living soul what I'm about to tell you."
"What like an unbreakable vow?" Ron asked.
"Yes." Draco was deadly serious. If his father found out he told ANYONE about Maelstra and what happened to her then he should consider himself dead now.
The three Gryffindors were gravely serious as they took a vow. Eris was practically jumping out of her skin with anticipation. This was big. This was really big.
"My father," Draco continued after they vowed. "With the help of my mother…kidnapped your mother before graduation in her seventh year."
"WHAT!?" four identical cries of outrage made Draco cringe.
"My father told me that the Dark Lord had taken an interest in Maelstra's seer abilities. My father had found out about her Grindelwald ancestry and figured she would join the Dark Lord of her own free will." Draco shook his head. "She vehemently and most certainly did not."
"Of course not." Eris shrugged as if this was to be expected. "I most certainly wouldn't."
"What are you talking about?" Draco was frightened that she would even say that. At the same time every Gryffindor present began to see Eris in a new way. However, Draco's father had put the fear of the Dark Lord in him last summer. He was expected to join, no questions asked. He was afraid of his father and his father was afraid of the Dark Lord. He knew that he was far below. When he looked at Eris though, she seemed totally calm, even confused that he would be afraid.
"If my mom didn't." Eris said simply. "I don't see why I owe the Deatheaters anything."
"And look what happened to her!" Draco cried. Harry was about to step in when Eris let out a little laugh. She pointed at Harry and smirked at Draco.
"Did you know that this boy has faced Voldemort…don't cringe! It's his name is it not?...he faced VOLDEMORT three times now and lived? Once when he was an infant and even defeated him in his efforts to regenerate himself twice." Eris let out another short laugh. "Are you afraid of Harry?"
"Of course not!" Draco exploded. Harry raised an eyebrow. Where on earth is she going with this? The way things are now, Draco might pick a fight with him just to assert himself.
"Well, if Harry isn't afraid of Voldemort and you aren't afraid of Harry. It wouldn't make sense to be afraid of this Dark Lord." Eris shrugged again. "Besides, I've never known you to lower yourself for anyone. You can't even stand to sit at a lower elevation to me."
Ron snickered and smirked at Draco's glare.
"This doesn't explain why you're so calm." Draco grumbled.
"My status was never in question. I am simply better than any dark lord." Eris smiled and Harry let out a little chuckle.
"Let's get back on track, what happened after your parents kidnapped Maelstra." Hermione asked.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked. "They kidnapped her; she went to the Dark Lord. My father said she was unruly and hard to manage. The Dark Lord isn't known for his mercy. You do the math."
"Hey! Have a little compassion!" Harry warned and Draco rolled his eyes. He knew Eris was tough enough to take it.
"She was alive for two years after her abduction." Eris said numbly. What had her mother gone through?
"That means that Professor Snape knew her whereabouts all along?" Hermione muttered to herself. Eris looked at her and frowned. Her father knew she was kidnapped and held prisoner by Voldemort but did nothing? When did he find time to father her if she was under Voldemort's thumb? Eris felt sick. She didn't want to think of the possibilities. Draco wasn't going to let her off easy, though.
"You speak Parseltongue." Was all he needed to say and suddenly the room they were in felt thick and hard to breathe in. Eris' already pale face got whiter. Harry looked at her with her long black hair and pale face. Suddenly the dream he had from a year ago came back full force.
"Oh my god…" Harry breathed out and Eris squeezed her eyes shut and let out a scream.
"He didn't…" Hermione tried to say but stopped. She didn't want to say it.
"I assure you. He most certainly did." Draco's voice was hard. Harry tried to judge his mood by his face but failed. Draco just looked stone faced. He wanted to punch the blonde. "My father—"
"STOP!" Eris had her wand out, tears fell freely from her eyes and she was shaking. "I don't want to hear about your rat of a father!"
No one stopped her when she fled. What would they say? What could they say? Draco stood where he was, completely tense and for the entire world regretting ever telling her what his father said. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He schooled his features and turned to the Gryffindors.
"This is not the way she should have found out." He said to them.
"What would you have done? Not told her?" Harry clenched his fists.
"She would have been happier that way!" Draco also clenched his fists. How dare Potter think he knew what's best for Eris. He knew her longer. After he had heard what his father told him he had vomited. He didn't want Eris to know because the thought was horrible. "She idolizes Severus Snape! What could be harmful about her thinking he's her father?"
No one knew what to say.
"This is…" Hermione was really uncomfortable now. She had gone into all this effort to find out about Eris' past and now that she knew she wished she would have left well enough alone. Dumbledore was right to ask her to keep off it. "This is bad."
"That's quite an understatement, Granger." Draco said.
"Now that you know your father's part in all of that what do you think about him?" Harry couldn't help but ask. Draco didn't look at him but let out a humorless laugh.
"He's my father. What do you think I feel?" Draco kicked a desk. "Betrayal is an awful emotion to experience. He made it seem so glamorous, what he had done. Like it was all for the greater good but all I could think about was how Eris was going to take the news."
"That's a step…" Hermione whispered. Draco, however horrible he was in the past, just showed an ounce of humanity.
"My father is all sorts of bad news." Draco furrowed his brows. He was just talking at this moment, not caring who was there. The Gryffindors were listening and that's more than he thought they'd do. "I told him about the incident with the beast in Hagrid's class."
"His name is Buckbeak." Harry spat out at the same time Ron yelled out "You did what!?" Hermione just groaned and put her head in her hands. This was going to be bad news.
"Shut up! At the time I just wanted to get Hagrid fired. It wasn't like he was going to leave Hogwarts or anything! I couldn't very well argue for the giant after all I've done in the past and the information my father trusted me with!"
"You should have done something the moment he told you, yes!" Harry roared.
"OH! Yeah! It would have been like asking him to kill me right then and there!" Draco roared back.
"He wouldn't have killed his only son." Hermione rolled her eyes but caught the look Draco gave her. "Would he?"
"If given a choice between the Dark Lord and a son that doesn't even measure up in his eyes in the first place, what do you think?" Draco was completely serious. He had that drilled into his brain since he was young enough to retain knowledge. It was such a part of his life that he didn't think it odd anymore. Draco's life wasn't as important as the Dark Lords, period. "Anyway, I think my father is going after Buckbeak as well. He's going to be tried and probably executed."
::
Eris went straight to Dumbledore's office. She was still crying and her sight was blurry. She had thought she saw something dark and the size of the Grim dog she had chased earlier going down the hall but couldn't be bothered to care. She mumbled the password to Dumbledore's office in between weeping and stumbled up the stairs to the old man. He was waiting for her.
"Did you know!?" Eris screamed out as soon as she saw him.
"Eris, please calm down…" Dumbledore started but Eris reached the desk and slammed her hands down.
"Don't tell me to calm down! I think I know when a good time to be calm is and when it isn't! This is not one of those times! Don't you dare tell me to calm the fuck down!" Eris screamed. Dumbledore waited patiently until Eris' breathing settled and she gave him a steely glare. "Did you know about my father?"
"We didn't know for sure. When we found out you spoke Parseltongue we were dismayed. Severus has been most distraught." Dumbledore opted for the honesty route. Knowing Eris for as long as he did, that was the best when she got this way. She was just like her mother. And in turn, she was just like Gillert. "We knew that Tom Riddle thought he loved your mother. He also wanted to use her seer abilities for his needs. To find out about the Order of the Phoenix as well as his future victories."
"Great. Who's Tom Riddle?" Eris took a seat and put herself in seething mode. She just seethed and took in information.
"That's Voldemort's real name." Dumbledore answered. "Tom saw the devotion Maelstra put into Severus. He wanted that same devotion directed at him. As soon as she disappeared, Severus found out who took her. At first he was told by Luscius that she had went of her own free will to his master's side. When Severus also joined to be closer to Maelstra, he found her there against her will. She was under the Imperius curse most of the time."
"What happened? Didn't my fath—I mean, Severus, didn't Severus do anything to save her?"
"It's alright to call him your father." Dumbledore said.
"Answer the question." Eris glared.
"He did. It took him several months to do anything. Apparently, Maelstra was quite disagreeable when she wasn't under the Imperius curse and was constantly watched by Deatheaters. Tom was the only one allowed to cast the curse on her. Tom didn't trust Severus around your mother, either. Severus, when he finally managed to, escaped with her to Ireland. They were there for close to a year before she disappeared one night. The next he saw of her, she had flooed to his residence, pregnant and near dead."
"How horrible." Eris had fresh tears streaming down her face.
"I thought that it was possible she was pregnant before she left Severus the second time…" Dumbledore shook his head ruefully. "When you spoke Parseltongue…"
"I see…" Eris didn't know what to think. For once in her young life she was completely still in her mind.
"With this knowledge…what will you do?" Dumbledore had a secret fear that she would embrace the dark side and join the Deatheaters if she had ever found out. He didn't want to lose her. There were dark wizards on both sides of her family, though.
"What will I do?" Eris asked herself. She let out a little laugh and looked Dumbledore in the eyes. What the headmaster saw in her eyes gave him hope and made him fear for her all at the same time. While he had a secret fear of her choosing the side of bad, Dumbledore also thought it a possibility that she will be so irate toward Tom Riddle that she would stop at nothing to destroy him. Eris was the kind of girl that would die trying to accomplish her goals. "What, indeed. I'll do the only thing I am able to think about right now. I'm going to kill my father."
"I was afraid of that. Listen, I must tell you more before you act hastily." Dumbledore made soothing hand movements to calm her down. "There is something you must know about Harry and a certain prophecy…"
::
Harry looked around the crowded hall for any sign of Eris. He hadn't seen her at all since they had talked in the empty classroom and she had run out. He wanted to talk with her. To make sure she was alright. It was strange that he wasn't even concerned about Sirius Black and his attack on the Gryffindor fat lady painting. Even now everyone was fearful for the safety of the students by herding them all together to sleep in the great hall and he was only worried about a girl finding out about her father.
"Looking for me?" Eris said. She held a pillow and blankets in her hand and was flanked by Draco, Pansy and Blaise. Harry assessed the way she looked. She seemed to be a little sullen but overall okay.
"As a matter of fact I was…" Harry started. He stopped when a blur of red shot past him Followed slowly by an amused Hermione.
"Eris, how are you feeling?" Ron asked as he gently took her free hand in his.
"I think I'll live." Eris' lips twitched a bit while Draco rolled his eyes and the other two Slytherins snickered. No one noticed everyone eying the group. It was strange to see Slytherins and Gryffindors…smiling…at each other.
"Did you want to stay here in this area tonight?" Harry offered and the four Slytherins eyed the area amongst Gryffindors warily. "I think it would prove to strengthen house unity if you would. Perhaps we can talk easier that way."
"Subtle, Potter." Draco inspected his nails but was smiling. Eris was already setting her pillow and blanket down next to Hermione's (With the help of Ron who seemed to think Eris was terribly frail now).
"So…we're staying here?" Pansy asked.
"Seems like." Blaise stretched his arms over his head. He didn't care one way or another. Blaise liked to go with the flow. Perhaps being around Eris AND the famous Harry Potter will add to the excitement.
"You." Ron mock glared at Blaise when he returned from helping Eris. The other boy paused and smiled smugly at the redhead. "We're playing chess. It's time you found a real challenger."
"Are you going to lead me to him?" Blaise chuckled but followed a very serious Ron toward his mat.
"Well, whatever." Pansy flipped her hair over her shoulder and strutted to Hermione and Eris. Harry blinked at how easy it was to convince her to stay. Even her friends were around and chatting comfortably. He looked over at Draco and saw mirrored in his eyes the same bewilderment.
"Well, Quidditch talk?" He offered the blonde. The Slytherin shrugged and settled his blankets down for the night.
::
Eris pursed her lips as she remembered the somber looking Harry as she left for Hogsmeade. He had been that way since the game. The first game Harry had ever lost. Eris had felt the Dementors closing in on him and cried out in alarm but it had been too late. Harry fainted again, lost the game, and broke his broom. Then he was never allowed to attend Hogsmeade weekend. With the addition of the attack on Gryffindor Tower by Sirius Black and the overload of homework by a very angry Snape, Harry's days weren't going well. She just didn't understand why Snape was contributing to Harry's bad time. She did get, however, why he had focused on teaching the defense class about werewolves though. She had pieced together that Professor Lupin was a werewolf the first month he took off on a full moon and when she saw Snape brewing a wolfsbane potion. She knew potions well enough to gather that was what he was making anyway. She didn't understand his personal crusade against werewolves but she guessed it must have been something to do with his school days. His dislike for werewolves and the fact that Eris hadn't really spoken to him in a while, might be what was making Snape so much more on edge. Perhaps she should try to patch things up with the man she thought was her father for so long. If only to make life easier for the rest of the students.
"Thinking about Potter?" Draco asked. They were sitting on a hill just outside Hogsmeade. They were able to see the city and ultimately the Shrieking Shack in the distance.
"That and other things." Eris replied. "I have a lot of things on my mind."
"When don't you?" Draco smiled. The two sat quietly for a moment before Draco decided to break the silence. "Do you like him?"
"Who? Harry?" Eris asked.
"Yeah." Draco looked sideways to see Eris' profile. She looked thoughtful.
"Perhaps sometimes. Sometimes I see him and he looks like the hero he's suppose to be." Eris shrugged. "Other times he looks completely lost and out of place here."
"I think he was raised by Muggles." Draco supplied. Eris made a noncommittal noise and they dove into silence again.
"Would you be horribly opposed to the idea of me kissing you?" Eris asked after a while and Draco's head whipped around.
"What was that?" Draco found Eris completely random sometimes. She looked at him with her big serious brown eyes and Draco found himself sighing. He had wanted to kiss her in the past but he never knew how to go about doing it. They had been together so long but only recently had they even thought about things like that. Draco licked his lips. He wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. "Um, sure, OK."
Eris' eyes fluttered closed and she leaned forward expectantly. Draco smiled at her face before leaning in as well. Her lips were soft and full. The kind of lips that were good for kissing. They were pliable, willing and completely wonderful. Except, Draco felt like he was kissing his sister. Eris made a sound of distress and leaned back. The look on her face told Draco that she felt the same way.
"You wearing cherry lip stuff?" Draco asked, trying to break the ice.
"Yes." Eris started to smile.
"Tastes good."
"Thanks." Eris' eyes shifted around. "You mind if we don't do that again?"
"Not at all." Draco smiled. "What is it with you girls and wanted to practice kissing on me?"
"What do you mean?" Eris half smiled
"Pansy asked me as well." Draco shrugged and leaned back on his hands.
"No, I think that one was the real thing." Eris chuckled.
"Hmm, perhaps I should ask her out." Draco thought aloud.
"Perhaps you should." Eris laughed.
::
When the group returned from Hogsmeade, Eris and troupe were greeted by a very irate Harry Potter. It had been found out, after he had snuck down to Hogsmeade, that Sirius Black was the betrayer of his family. Harry wanted retribution. Harry wanted blood. Eris told Draco, Pansy and Blaise that she would meet up with them later and decided to watch Harry incase he did something stupid in his anger. She knew about the prophecy and it would be incredibly stupid if Harry got killed before he could kill Voldemort. Both Ron and Hermione were grateful for the extra help. They decided to go see Hagrid for a bit of pepping up.
There was no pepping up at Hagrid's place. Eris found out about Buckbeak's trial then and stormed off in search of Draco. The three Gryffindors, with little help from a laughing Blaise and Pansy, had to pull Eris off of him. After the whole situation calmed down (and Draco nursing a split lip and a swollen eye) they decide to try and research past instances when magical creatures won trials. They found nothing hopeful.
Christmas day brought a bit of joy to Hogwarts. While Pansy and Blaise went home to their parents, Draco decided to stay with Eris. She was so proud of him. He apologized almost daily at causing Buckbeak's arrest. She eventually forgave him. They met up with the Gryffindors later and saw that Harry received the infamous Firebolt broom. Draco was envious. It was amazing that they were all getting along but Eris figured it was only a matter of time before something happened. The prophecy was nothing to joke about and Harry had quite a journey ahead of him. The least Eris could do was make it a bit easier on the hero. He was going to kill her father after all.
Hermione went to her in confidence after Harry received the Firebolt and asked if it was really safe for Harry to have. She was worried that Sirius Black might have given it to Harry with a curse on it. Eris assured her that while such things were possible, it would only take a few tests to insure the item was okay. The two girls, after convince Harry, set about doing just that. Afterward, they gave the broom a clean bill of health. No one needed to know about it after that.
At his first Quidditch game, Harry spun around confidently on his new broom. Eris silently cheered for him on the Slytherin side but scowled slightly when Harry flirted with the other team's seeker. Cho Chang or something. She had to remind herself that she didn't like Harry like that. It was only because of her interest in him as a hero. Not anything else. She was also amazed when Harry, catching sight of three robed Slytherins on the ground, cast a brilliant Petronis charm in their direction. He must have thought they were Dementors but Eris couldn't feel any in the area so she wasn't worried. The Slytherins, led by Theodore Nott, were punished for their joke.
::
"Neville Longbottom must be the stupidest boy on the face of the planet." Ron scowled. Not only was his pet rat, Scabbers, missing but Sirius Black tried to kill him in his sleep the night before.
"'Stupidest'?" Eris tossed a bit of her muffin in his direction. "I'm sure I can't think of a few others who fit the title better."
"Yeah, like Hermione! It was her cat who killed Scabbers!" Ron wailed. Pansy and Blaise looked at each other. How long was Eris going to amuse him? Hermione had stormed off after Ron's initial outburst and the Slytherins were left with the Weasley. Their good graces were far shorter than his other friends.
"Your rat was old. Perhaps it was a mercy killing?" Pansy smiled sweetly and Blaise and Draco laughed. Ron looked aghast. Honestly what did he expect from Slytherins? Comfort?
"That pet of yours bothered me." Eris twirled her ice tea lazily. The group was waiting for Harry to sneak out to Hogsmeade. Until then, she tried to be patient with Ron. "I didn't like him."
"You barely ever saw him!" Ron yelled.
"It's just a feeling." Eris continued. She figured if she continued to have a calm cool voice, Ron would eventually follow suite. It hasn't been working but Eris was hopeful.
"You should listen to her." Draco pointed his thumb at Eris. "She's a seer."
Ron snorted but just then a red faced Hermione ran up to the group. She was breathless but after a while they got the story from her. She met up with Harry and as they were talking about things (significant glance toward a grumbling Ron) they ran into Theodore, Crabbe and Goyle. Luckily Harry was under his invisibility cloak but as the three got increasingly violent and mean toward her, Harry stepped in and threw muddy snow at them. It was quite funny at first until Harry's cloak fell off and the trio ran to tattle on Harry. Harry had to run back toward school. Everyone decided to call it a day and go back to school after that. Ron went to give Harry an alibi and the rest of the group waited to hear the verdict.
::
It didn't take long. Later it was found that Theo and his new goons (Draco officially wrote them off) went straight to Snape with their findings. Snape apprehended Harry in the tunnels leading back to school but he didn't see the invisibility cloak. He did, however, find the map but was unable to make it work. Remus Lupin saved Harry from Snape but gave him a serious scolding. Harry confessed that Remus Lupin knew about the map and said that the map makers were trying to lure Harry out of the castle. Eris gave Hermione a significant look and the two girls made excuses to leave the group. Once out of ear shot Eris went right into her suspicions.
"You probably already know about Professor Lupin being a werewolf." She didn't waste anytime getting to it.
"Yes, I figured it out not too long ago." Hermione nodded.
"I think its odd that he would know the parchment was a map." Eris was told about the map shortly after Harry's first trip to Hogsmeade with it. After their night together in the Great Hall, the two groups were fairly close.
"What do you think? He's used it before?"
"He might need to have if he went to school here and was infected at the time." Eris nodded. "This is all speculation but I think he might be one of the original makers."
"What makes you say that?" Hermione was amazed at how insightful this Slytherin girl was. Did it have something to do with her seer abilities?
"Moony." Eris said simply. "It would make sense that a werewolf would be nicknamed Moony. Also, his Petronis is a spherical shape. Like a moon. Moony was one of the makers."
"Hmm. You might be on to something. I found out that Professor Lupin, Snape, Harry's parents and Sirius Black all went to this school at the same time when I was researching…erm…you."
"Same as my mother. Draco's parents as well. At the same time. Didn't the wizard that Sirius killed go to school at the same time too?" Eris asked. What on earth did they do back then? It would seem that the mess they made so long ago needed to be cleaned up by their children.
"Who?" Hermione asked. She didn't research Sirius Black as much as she should have. She was enveloped in a desire to learn about Eris at the time.
"Peter Petigrew." As soon as she said the words she heard a screeching in her head. The image of a rat went to the forefront of her mind. She clapped her hands over her ears and scrunched down on the ground as the screeching increased. "SHUT UP!"
Hermione was about to comfort her when all at once it ended and Eris stood up straight again. The two girls looked at each other. Hermione was about to say something when Eris shook her head in a tight 'no'. They decided silently not to talk about it.
::
Eris watched the curly haired girl rush in late to Divination. She looked exhausted and stressed out. Even though she could spot that she was, Eris couldn't find it in her to offer any sympathy. She knew the reason Hermione was stressed and tired. It was her own fault for taking on more than she could handle. Professor Trelawney was horribly accepting, however and barely made notice of the late girl. Hermione didn't stay long anyway and stormed out shortly after Trelawney found another grim in Harry's crystal ball.
The group was extremely solemn that day anyway. Professor Hagrid had announced that morning in class that Buckbeak was to be executed. There was nothing they could do. Draco was slumped in his chair, completely paralyzed with guilt since the announcement. Eris knew how Draco thought, getting a professor fired was one thing; killing was quite another and the boy felt like he was the direct cause of Buckbeak's sentence.
The depression of her longtime friend escalated to new heights when he lost the Quidditch game to Harry. Although, normally the blonde boy would blame someone else or say that Harry had cheated, he did neither. He admitted he wasn't into the game as much as he should have been and that Harry did a great job. It was the unmistakable evidence of his maturity that made Eris tell him everything she knew of his parents and the Basilisk in second year. Draco took it well with just a nod and a "I thought so". It broke her heart to know she had contributed to his falling spirits. She apologized but he waved it off. It certainly wasn't her fault that his parents were evil, he had told her.
Harry and his two Gryffindor friends went to comfort Hagrid the day of the execution while Eris and her Slytherin friends tried to talk to the executioners. They didn't have much luck. Especially when Eris got violent and started making threats. They were told to leave the premises. They stood on a vantage point up a hill to witness the proud Hippogriff stare down the axe. Eris ended up being enveloped into Draco's arms, her screams only slightly muffled as she was pressed into his chest.
::
Ron tried desperately to keep Scabbers still as the little rodent wiggled this way and that in an effort to escape. Hermione and Harry were trying valiantly to keep the invisibility cloak around them when they heard the thud of the axe. Everyone froze as they took in the information. Even Scabbers. Buckbeak had just been killed. The trio heard heart wrenching screams coming from atop the hill and looked up to see their Slytherin friends. Pansy was being hugged by Blaise as the two looked ashen faced and distraught but what really tore at Harry was the sight of Eris, weeping openly and clutching at Draco's robes for dear life. Draco's face was red, his brows furrowed and his jaw was visibly clenched in an effort not to succumb to tears as well. It was the sight that immediately had Hermione crying and running up the hill to join the group. Harry and Ron followed as well, invisibility cloak tucked away.
Just then, as if out of the blue, Ron was taken down by a big black dog and dragged into the forest. Everyone shouted in alarm. They raced toward the forest, hearing Ron's screams.
"What the hell just happened?" Pansy panted as they approached the Womping Willow just in time to see Ron's red hair disappear under the tree.
"That was the grim!" Harry shouted. Everyone attempted to get closer to the tree but in an effort to avoid the flailing limps, couldn't get far. Crookshanks, Hermione's cat trotted to where the group was and touched a knot on the tree that immediately stopped the movement. Eris turned toward Pansy and Blaise.
"Get help." Eris told them and they nodded. As an after thought, something she didn't question when it bounced in her head, added "Remus Lupin would be best."
As the two Slytherins ran off the three remaining entered the four. There was a pathway under the tree that the trio followed. It led to a dilapidated looking house that the three recognized as the inside of the Shrieking Shack.
"He's not here." Hermione whispered.
"Let's check around. He's got to be in one of these rooms." Harry said as he pulled out his wand. Draco and the two girls followed suite.
They found him in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Unfortunately, The grim, or rather Sirius Black, was waiting for them. He cast a spell that disarmed them. He certainly didn't expect Harry to immediately leap on him physically right afterward, though. Harry wrestled Sirius to the ground with the help of Draco and the two girls. After reclaiming their wands, Crookshanks moved protectively in front of Black. Harry wouldn't hex him when the cat could be hit as well so the four just stood there, pointing their wands at Sirius. Draco discovered that Ron had a broken leg so with the help of Hermione, he managed to maneuver the redhead to a comfortable position and away from Black.
Remus Lupin burst through the door immediately after the five cornered Black. He grabbed Harry's wand before he could kill Sirius with it, disarmed the other four and approached the escaped criminal.
"Where is he?" He asked Black quietly. Sirius nodded toward Ron and Lupin nodded. Then they embraced like long lost brothers.
"You're in on it!?" Hermione blurted out as Ron paled under the eyes of the two adults. "I can't believe it! After we kept quiet about you being a Werewolf! You traitor!"
"You knew I was a Werewolf? How very clever of you." Lupin started but Eris stepped forward.
"I think I'm beginning to understand." She said calmly. She looked over to Ron and gave him a comforting smile then looked at Harry and Hermione to do the same. Draco, she knew didn't need comfort, she knew he was glaring at the two. "Yes, Remus Lupin is a Werewolf but do you remember the other secret we talked about, Hermione?"
"I don't understand…" Hermione shook her head. "What does that…"
"Moony" Eris pointed at a startled Lupin. She swung her finger toward Sirius Black. "and…I'm assuming since your animagus form is a dog that you're Padfoot."
"You certainly are your mother's daughter." Sirius grinned adoringly. Eris narrowed her eyes in question but before Sirius could elaborate he was interrupted by a still irate Harry.
"It still doesn't change the fact that Sirius betrayed my parents and Remus is apparently helping him!" Harry spat.
"That simply is not the way of it." Remus offered calmly. "If you'll allow me to explain, there is a very complicated and convoluted explanation to everything."
Indeed there was. As it turned out both Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were very good friends with James Potter. The three friends, along with their other friend Peter Petigrew were collectively "The Marauders" and named Prongs, Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail. It was Peter, or Wormtail, that had actually betrayed the Potters and framed Sirius. He faked his own death and became known as Scabbers when he infiltrated the Weasley family. This story was interrupted by vehement denials on behalf of Ron which was hushed by the other teenagers as they wanted to continue hearing the story. Remus continued that his three friends had found out about his secret of being a werewolf almost instantly after they met and worked hard to becoming animagus's because of their desire to keep him company on the nights when he transformed. They succeeded during fifth year and the four were inseparable. He also explained why Severus Snape hated the group so much and why he would treat Harry with distaste. He said the Sirius wanted to play a prank on Snape and convinced him to go down to the Shrieking Shack on night when Remus was transformed. James rushed to save him before he reached the Werewolf form but the prank stuck with him. Snape always hated the friends before but after it was so much more.
"It was so much more than that!" A snarling voice yells out. Everyone present turned their head toward the noise as Severus Snape removes the invisibility cloak he was hiding under. "You left this at the base of the tree, Mr. Potter"
Snape immediately put Lupin in a full body bind and pointed his wand menacingly at Sirius Black. The children were at an odds. They weren't completely sure that they trusted Remus and Sirius but if it were true, they needed to stop Snape from harming them.
"Severus, please, we were explaining…" Sirius started.
"Shut up! I don't care about your excuses! This isn't about the Potters! This isn't about some stupid school yard bullying! I want retribution for Maelstra!" Snape screamed.
"My mother…?" Eris whispered but Snape was too far gone. He didn't hear her speaking.
"What could I…?" Sirius was shaking his head.
"You could have protected her! You could have kept her from going!" Snape yelled.
"She knew what she was doing!" Sirius started shouting too. "I trusted her! You should have too!"
"What the hell is going on!?" Eris screamed. This involved her too damn it. Why won't they look at her? Snape's free hand jutted out a finger in her direction. Sirius' eyes followed the movement to lock onto Eris.
"She wouldn't have been born to that monster if you and James Potter had told her mother not to go!" Snape yelled and Eris gasped. Sirius looked down guiltily. Harry had had enough and as it appeared, so did Hermione, Draco and Ron. All four of them cast stupefy at the same time and sent Severus back with so much force that he was out cold.
"You have SO much more explaining to do." Eris growled and glared at Sirius. Sirius exchanged looks with Remus and sighed.
"Your mother was as much a part of the Order as Harry's parents were. We all were. The Order was a group of witches and wizards who were fighting against the hold of Voldemort at a time when doing so would surely ensure your death. She was one of the first people involved because she felt it would be instrumental to the future. You mother was a very gifted seer. Before she was kidnapped she told me that she would be taken. When I offered to protect her she denied me. Maelstra was sure that being with the Deatheaters was important to the future as well. She said that nothing bad will happen to her but that she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of chaining her down. She would never submit to them and that in itself would protect her. Being volatile meant that the Deatheaters wouldn't use her for…certain things. And since she was abnormally resistant to the Imperius curse that meant that only their dark lord could keep her down for any length of time. She didn't foresee Snape following her though. I'm also unsure why she escaped with him when she did. I know she came to me again right before going back to the Deatheaters. She said she had a dream that if she didn't go back to the Deatheaters that Voldemort may never be vanquished. Her presence within the ranks would ensure victory for the Order later in the future. I'm sorry to say that both James and I told her to go back to the Deatheaters. She never told us that she would be killed. She never told us anything other than it was important for Voldemort's defeat to go back. I'm so sorry."
"Where does Peter fit into all of this?" Eris was on autopilot. She'd have to reassess everything later.
"Is he really disguised as Scabbers?" Harry, taking the cue to continue asked. Ron had Scabbers firmly in his hands and looked down at the rodent as it squirmed vainly.
"Yes." Sirius snarled. "A couple months after Maelstra left to join the ranks of the Deatheaters, Peter betrayed the Potter family and joined them as well. He told Voldemort where to find them and how to get in to them."
"How!?" Harry yelled.
"Peter was the secret keeper. He was the one who knew everything. All he had to do was tell Voldemort." Sirius replied.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I don't care. Its enough that he did. I'm going to kill him for it."
"I think he means, why focus on the Potters." Draco interrupted. The two adults blinked and looked at each other.
"The prophecy…" Eris offered. It shocked Remus and Sirius that she would know about it. "How did Voldemort find out about it?"
Sirius looked down again. Eris turned her focus on Remus who also looked down at his feet. They didn't need to say anything. She had a feeling what the answer was going to be. Her mother was a seer after all. Under the Imperius curse, she could have told them a lot of things. Her mother was the reason Harry lost his parents. She felt ashamed.
"Its…Its alright…" Harry's jaw was clenched and he looked upset. He made the same connection as Eris. "She must have been under the Imperius at the time."
"She made the choice to go back." Eris whispered.
"Enough." Harry said sternly and walked toward Ron. He grabbed the rat by the neck skin and thrust the screeching rodent at the two adults. "Here's the real culprit. Change him back so I can look at the traitor."
Peter was a short, balding man with nervous jitters. He tried to explain his reasoning behind the betrayal at first then took to pleading. He was met with steely resolve from all sides. Sirius, Remus, and Eris all wanted to kill the man right away but were met by opposition from Harry. Hermione and surprisingly Draco agreed that they shouldn't kill the man.
"My father wouldn't want his two best friends to become murderers." Harry explained. Draco shrugged.
"Besides, getting the real criminal might free this Black fellow's name." He added. Everyone looked at him with appraisal.
They tied Peter up, picked up a still unconscious Snape and started along the pathway that led out of the Whomping Willow. Sirius explained to Harry along the way that he was given guardianship over him as Godfather and that when this was all over he would like Harry to live with him. Harry was ecstatic. As soon as they exited into the night they heard a pain filled groan from Remus as he clutched at his belly. As one everyone turned to look up at the sky. Sure enough a full moon was present.
"Hurry! Run!" Sirius yelled before morphing into his dog form as Remus transformed into his Werewolf form. Peter yelled for help as everyone scattered but paid him no head. He was tied to the Werewolf. Remus wiggled out of the restraints and was about to leap at the running kids when he was tackled by Sirius in his dog form. The Werewolf ran deeper into the forest followed by Sirius.
"We have to help him!" Eris yelled. Both her and Harry ran toward the direction of the two beasts.
"Draco, Hermione and Ron. Watch the rat!" Harry yelled as the two disappeared.
Peter was inching toward Remus' dropped wand when Draco stepped on his hand. He looked up to see three wands pointed toward his face. Ron, Draco and Hermione smiled down at him.
"Ah, ah, ah." Draco smirked. "What on earth were you thinking you little rodent?"
::
"Harry!" Eris gasped. "I feel them! Dementors!"
Just as she said it they heard a yowl further in. Harry immediately dashed in the direction of the noise, leaving Eris behind. She tried to tell him to wait but the other boy was gone. Did he not remember his usual reaction to Dementors? Just when Eris was about to follow Harry in the same direction there was a rustle in the bushes directly in her path. Eris' heart stopped and her breath froze as she saw the Werewolf Lupin emerge from the bush. He sniffed at the air and eyed her with a predatory gleam. Eris turned tail and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She could hear the creature behind her gaining ground. Who was she kidding? She couldn't outrun a Werewolf! Eris spun around, wand at the ready and prepared to face the oncoming beast.
"Don't kill me. Don't kill me. Don't kill me." She repeated under her breath as Werewolf Lupin approached her. There was a large flash of light in the direction Harry had run off to that momentarily distracted the Werewolf. Eris twirled her wand. "Wingardium Liviosa!"
She didn't wait to see how far he flew and took off running again. It was only a matter of time before the Werewolf took chase again but she wanted as much distance between them as she could before then. She was almost to the edge of the forest when she heard the panting of the beast nearly upon her. His warm breath was on her neck. Thinking fast, Eris fell to the ground just as the Werewolf leapt at her. His fur grazed the side of her cheek. The Werewolf skidded on the dirt and rounded on her again. Eris back crawled in a vain attempt to put distance between them again, her heels dug into the dirt for traction. The Werewolf must have decided she wasn't going to go anywhere so it slowly approached her again. Eris raised her wand but the beast batted it away, scratching her hand in the process. Eris yelled out in pain and alarm. The drool from the beast dripped on her bare leg. Numbly she hoped her legs were clear of cuts. She certainly didn't want to get infected. She was so scared she didn't even think about the possibility she might not live through this encounter. Suddenly the Lupin Werewolf made a strange gurgling sound and started to jerk around. Eris' fear muddled brain pieced together that he was changing back. Letting her head fall back on the ground she looked directly up to see the moon pass behind a mass of clouds. Lupin Werewolf crawled slowly up her body as he transformed back to human. Eris lay completely still, panting heavily as Remus Lupin finally collapsed on top of her.
"Ugh…" Remus Groaned and tried to forget the pain in his head. He slowly opened up his eyes to stare into glazed brown ones directly below him. At first he thought he had killed someone. The horror crept into his being like ice. Then the person slowly blinked and Remus scrambled off of the person to see Eris Snape lying motionless on the ground. The horror crept into him again. "Oh! Oh no! Oh, please say I didn't bite you! Please say you're alright! Eris. ERIS!"
"You're naked." Eris got into a sitting position and pointed at Lupin's exposed area. Remus immediately curled up to hide himself. Eris eased out of her robes and handed them to her professor. She was pale and stoic. It worried Remus. Eris Snape was in shock.
"Did I bite you? Do you remember anything?" He asked as the girl got off the ground and dusted herself off. She was inspecting her legs but Remus saw her bloody hand. "Oh no…I did, didn't I?"
"No. Thankfully you're an over confident Werewolf." Eris walked in the direction she remembered her wand flying. "If you would have attacked me right away instead of slowly crawling up my body then it would have been over and you would have woken up to my corpse staring at you."
"What about your hand?" Remus got up as well. Eris' robe reached just to his knees and was really tight around the shoulders but it would do. He closed the clasps to insure complete modesty. "You're bleeding a lot."
"Just a scratch. You did it when you knocked my wand from my hand." Eris shuffled around the bushes for her wand. "Ah, here it is."
"Uh…" Remus didn't know what to do. Eris paused staring at her wand clasped in her bloody hand. She let out a breath and turned her glistening brown eyes toward him.
"I was scared." She whispered. Remus was awed by the control this petite wisp of a girl. The whisper was all that was said before she took a deep breath and smiled. "I guess now I know why there were teeth in my tea."
"I'm so sorr—" Remus started.
"Save it. It's not like you have control over it. I don't need your apologies." Eris sat down on a rock and took off her shoe and one sock. She wrapped the sock around her bleeding hand and replaced the shoe. "I have a question you can answer that might make things better."
"What is that?" Remus approached the girl.
"When my mother visited Sirius and James, were you present?"
"I was." Remus nodded.
"Was she pregnant?" Eris asked bluntly. Remus blinked and tried to remember. "I mean, the timeline doesn't make sense. I was born about the same time as Harry was. If she went back to the Deatheaters several months before Harry's parents were killed she couldn't have gotten pregnant while she was with them. Not if I was carried to term. She was only gone six months."
"You're a very smart girl." Remus smiled.
::
When he woke up in the infirmary after the events of the previous night Harry was dismayed to find out they had let Peter Pettigrew go. They said there just wasn't enough evidence to keep him but Harry was sure that Luscius had something to do with it. For the time being, Black was still a wanted man and was taken into custody. Luscius, once again pushed to give him the "kiss". It was granted. It was then that Hermione told him about her time turner and with the blessing of Dumbledore the two traveled back to save both Buckbeak and Sirius. Ron, Eris and the rest would have to be filled in later.
Afterward, with Sirius atop of Buckbeak's back and flying away to freedom, Harry thought about the consequences Remus might be going through for attacking students. As it turned out, he resigned as Defense teacher. He told Harry that he just couldn't be trusted with the safety of the students when three nights out of the month he was a danger to them. The attack on Eris had really shaken him. He was glad she was okay but he couldn't risk it happening again. Snape was credited with finding and capturing Black. He would have outted Remus to the authorities too if it weren't for the vehement denials of Eris. She said that she had cut herself falling down and there was no Werewolf involved. Snape knew better but there was no proof. He let it go but was in a sour mood for the rest of the school year. Eris was going to have to have a little heart to heart with her father during the summer.
Harry was determined not to go back to the Dursley's ever again so he made plans to spend the summer with Ron at the burrow. The group said their goodbyes and promises to write during the summer. Eris convinced Draco to spend the summer with her and he sent word to his family saying just that. There would be consequences but they'd deal with them later. Draco was securely on Eris' side and Eris was on the side of Harry Potter. Voldemort must die.
