Disclaimer: Please see previous. I do not own HP and make no profit.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews and feedback! Here's a new one, even a little longer than last time. Can't wait to see what you think!
Chapter 8: Strange Even for Hogwarts
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The Headmaster seemed convinced the girl had felt sympathy for a stray dog— Hagrid had, apparently, mentioned she shared his soft spot for all things furry and multi legged. She had picked up Black's scent taking him some food, Dumbledore insisted, as if there could be no other explanation. Naturally, Remus could not argue with that. What possible reason would the child have to purposely aide the convict?
She was born after the war, after Harry, after Sirius went to prison. She had lost her family, so it wasn't their influence. What's more, her knowledge of Black's animagus form would go no further than the room, for obvious reasons. She was not going to tell anyone, and if she did, she risked being punished for aiding and abetting a criminal.
He was powerless against the old man's sure smile.
Nonetheless, he was on his way to test her for lycanthropy in his office when they were intercepted by the aloof blonde Ravenclaw in Harry's year.
"Oh, there you are," Luna Lovegood smiled vaguely at Anna. "Professor Flitwick is looking for you. Excuse us, professor." She extended her hand to her housemate.
Anna looked up at him, gold eyes wide and innocent, asking if it was okay, if he was angry with her. He gave her a reassuring smile and pushed her gently towards her friend. "Go on, then."
As the girls walked away- both shoed this time, he noted- he heard the older girl ask, "Where have you been anyway?" He shook his head. Did she honestly expect a reply?
With little more information than when he'd set out, Remus Lupin redirected his aching, now tried legs to the dungeons. He located professor Snape, who was none too happy to see him, in the potion master's store room.
"Professor?" He asked as friendly as he could. Snape paused mid stocking to acknowledge his presence, nothing more. Remus continued, "I wondered," He cleared his throat, looking around to make sure no one was hanging around. "If you had brewed what you had been so good as to brew for me for anyone else in castle recently?"
"No of course not," The man all but spat. He stopped short of placing a nasty looking jar on his store shelf. "Why? Do you suspect we have another…afflicted amongst us?" He asked quietly.
"I thought it was possible," Remus said with a shake of his head. "But things have been so strange this year, haven't they, even for Hogwarts?" He leaned against the wall behind him. Snape glared, as usual, but it was a thoughtful glare.
"Indeed," he finally agreed. "Even for Hogwarts."
"The headmaster thinks I needn't worry, but there's something he's not saying. I only want to help the student to be responsible, if I'm write in my suspicions."
"Who do you suspect?"
Remus contemplated not telling Snape his inkling. The poor girl has enough to put up with very much by herself, not unlike Harry. Still, letting help discerning whether she needed their help might not be a bad idea. It was not as if he were revealing his original worry—that the girl had someone helped Black get into the castle.
"Anna Green." He said. Severus Snape's eyes flashed for a moment with something that instantly disappeared; shortly thereafter, so did he, with a spin of his robes and his door pulled shut with a snap. What had that glimmer of emotion been, Remus wondered. He knew he recognized it. Was it ...anger? No. Betrayal?
Remus shook his head again.
Things were strange even for Hogwarts.
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Aloysius Grant was a very small first year Hufflepuff. He wasn't sure exactly how he'd gotten into that house, but he wasn't complaining. Aloysius did not really complain. Then again, maybe that's why he was in Hufflepuff.
The other students seemed to think of Hufflepuffs as happy-go lucky, evergreen, optimistic, cheery types. They were born in sunshine like their house color and preferred to see things through rose colored glasses.
From being at Hogwarts only a couple of short months, Aloysius knew that was not the case. Hufflepuffs were often born in homes where things were no to so happy go lucky or bright. That's why they sought out the friendliness and comradery, the sunny color.
He was a pureblood, so he could have been in Slytherin like his dad, but his mom was a Gryffindor, so he could have been in that too. He knew he was not especially Ravenclaw material. The fact his parents were in rival houses was little known in the school; he was much more interesting than most people knew. Most Hufflepuffs were.
There was more to Anna Green than most people knew, Aloysius thought. He had seen her levitate an entire room once, for starters, after Charms one day. He also knew that people who never said anything, like his Gran or Anna, usually had a lot to say. He didn't like the way some of the students hid her shoes like they did Looney Lovegood's or made fun of her. Then, he saw her hand a cat toy to Mr. Filch. The man mostly yelled at her, or as much as he could through his wheezing, but it didn't reduce how pleased she looked with herself. That type of behavior wasn't just interesting-it was downright weird.
That's why he followed her into the woods.
She wasn't afraid of the half giant Hagrid or his massive dog as he often spotted them together while he was out walking the grounds with his friends. And who walked into the forbidden forest alone? But she wasn't a Gryffindor, he also noted, so there had to be a reason. There had to be something she was afraid of, something more to her.
He followed her step by step a few paces behind, jumping behind a tree when he thought she might catch sight of him. When he stepped out from behind one big Ash tree, she was gone. He walked around the tree slowly. There was no sign of her.
And he realized he was alone in the forest.
And he was not, he reminded himself, a Gryffindor. He inched back towards the direction he'd thought they'd come, where there seemed to be more light.
A face appeared in front of him, hanging upside down. He gasped and fell backwards. Anna giggled, hanging by her knees from a tree branch.
"Yeah ha ha," He tried to scowl, standing and dusting himself off. "Very clever. How'd you get up there, anyway?" He asked, looking up in the tree, curious.
She bent at the middle, reaching up and grabbing the branch with her hands. Dropping her legs, she dangled there by her arms like an ape. It was not particularly high, but he knew from experience the drop would hurt her knees. Without hesitation, he grabbed her around the knees, hugging them to him. She let go; he felt from the weight change, and he let her go, planting her on her feet.
She stared at him as if he was a very interesting plant, then put her hand to her chin. She extended the hand from there a moment and dropped it back to her side.
Realization dawned. She had signed 'thank you'. He knew a little sign language from his Gran, so he said "you're welcome". She smiled, looked up at the branch where she had hung, then tugged his yellow scarf playfully.
"Yeah," He laughed tentatively, believing he knew what so meant. "I am a Hufflepuff after all I guess."
He followed her meandering through the trees again. "So what are you doing?" He called. "How'd you get up there?"
Of course, she didn't respond. He had hoped for some answer, even if it wasn't spoken. Instead, he followed her on through the woods though he started to get swatted by branches and kicked up dirt around his ankles. It was over a mile, he guessed, that he followed her. He wondered if they were going to be late for dinner. Still, he followed because if she was leading him somewhere, she must have something to show him. He bet it was going to be interesting.
There was a weird noise to his right, rustling in the brush that sounded like something big. He jumped, gasped a little, felt the need to sprint, but she didn't.
"Are you sure you're not a Gryffindor?" He asked.
She nodded, shooting him a smile over her shoulder.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Abruptly she made a left turn, beating her way through brush for a moment, then they were in a clearing of mostly ferns. In the center was a huge tree of some kind—not every Hufflepuff knew herbology— with wide, sprawling, low hanging limbs. It was the most tempting of climbing trees.
He rushed forward, racing her and winning. They climbed the tree, stretching out on one of the fattest branches. He sat with his back on the trunk, legs out. She laid on her belly, legs crossed behind her. From their height, they could see the lake. A few spiders hung around them like décor.
"Best tree?" He asked, hands folded behind his head.
She nodded and smiled again. She was pretty when she smiled. Well, she was pretty anyway, Aloysius thought with a slight blush.
"So what are you afraid of?" He pressed.
She considered it a minute, then indicated their surroundings with a swing of her head. "The woods?" She made the smallest inclination of the head.
"Why?" He asked. She couldn't say, of course. They watched it grow dark. It was only then he realized they were trapped outside. In the forest. After dark.
The air grew cold, and he shivered. He told himself it was just the cold.
The sounds that came out of the forest were worse than the creaking of trees and hooting of birds. Things screamed, actually screamed. There were crawling sounds too, like dozens of spiders scurrying in the black around them. There was howling in the distance and a thundering sound like hooves.
He was swallowed by the darkness, and all that was left was he sound of his breathing and hammering heart. He tried to keep his footsteps quiet. That's when he lost her.
"Anna!" He whispered urgently into nothing. "Anna!" A small hand grabbed his and led him blindly.
Ahead there was a crash. A big one. Anna froze. The sound grew louder, closer, like something was demolishing the trees ahead. His hand sweat. A bright light broke through, blinding him.
"There you ar'!" The groundskeeper's dog barked. Letting out a relieved sigh, Aloysius broke into nervous laughter. Hagrid led the pair back to castle with some lighthearted admonishment. Aloysius was not afraid. There was something about traveling with a big man, a big dog, and a friend that made him feel immune to the dangers.
Once safely inside the castle, it was far past dinner. To repay her the favor of sharing a secret place, Grant took hold shyly of Anna's hand and to her surprise led her somewhere. The fat friar greeted them cheerfully overhead as he took her to the portrait of fruit near the Hufflepuff common room and tickled it, opening the kitchens.
While the rest of the castle slept, the elves were still excitedly working. A few stopped to pipe a happy greeting. The boy led her directly to a pile of snacks. The two munched happily while elves offered them cakes, which they politely declined.
That is until one pointed to a giant chocolate in the middle of the room. Each tier was lined with strawberries.
For a moment, the two gapped. "Strawberries." He moaned, wondering if she shared his weakness.
Looking at him mischievously, she licked her lips. They attacked the cake together, smiling over mountains of sweet chocolate and juicy berries. It took a while to make a dent in it, but there were not shy. He thanked the elves as Anna slipped over to the side again, perhaps snagging something for later.
He wiped her face of the evidence she missed. Her lips were bright red. Again, she touched her chin, pulling her hand away from it.
"You're welcome." He said.
They entered the corridor, parting ways as new found friends. When his back was to her and he was about to turn the corner, he heard behind him a meow.
"What have we here, my sweet?" Filch the detention happy squib had crossed paths with her. Young Mr. Grant hid behind the corner wall, watching ready to jump in and save her if the occasion called for it, but to his surprise, Filch saw the girl alone and sniffed, "You best get out of here, Miss." Mrs. Norris brushed against her ankles. "Someone might see you and then you'll be in trouble."
His eyes widened.
She had befriended the enemy-of-all-students through his cat, and it had paid off; kindness was a source of power. The Dark Lord knew blood and connections brought power, like and Slytherin, and he probably guessed brains and bravery could, but kindness had the advantage of always being underestimated.
He rolled his eyes, heading to his common room. What a Hufflepuff move.
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It was the cold that got to him. The cold bit and gnawed, like a hungry, living thing. The wind howled, the water soaked through to his bones, it seemed. But it wasn't as bad as it had been.
The loneliness was worse. The loneliness pressed on his chest like a stone, ripped holes in the rags of what was left of him like he was Swiss cheese. But it wasn't as bad as it had been.
Certainly, when his oldest friend had been close enough to hear, his godson close enough to smell, he'd nearly howled with aching. But he could see the sky where he was now, even if those things did cross it soundlessly, making him shudder, but their cold breath wasn't wrapped around him constantly, bearing down on him all the time. At least he could breathe. He still shivered, but he stretched out on his back full length, peaking at the stars when the curtain of clouds shifted.
Out there, in that free, cold air where he could run miles, see for miles, he would breath his fill of freedom, until he finally got the chance to kill that filthy rat he'd been imprisoned for killing, and maybe, just maybe, he'd tell Harry the truth. He deserved the truth, Remus too. The hunted man's stomach writhed and moaned against his ribs. Patience a little while longer, he told himself.
Patience was never Sirius Black's strong suit.
Being not in his dog form, he did not smell anyone coming. He heard the brush disturbed but by then it was too late to run. He grabbed his rags about him, wishing for the millionth time he had his wand.
A small girl came into his clearing. He breathed a sigh of relief. Here wand was out, but she looked barely big enough to attend Hogwarts. Still, she walked towards him unabashed.
"Careful there," He warned her, but his weak form could only hope to intimidate her by seeming mad. Seeming? He let out a sharp laugh. "I'm dangerous, you know?"
He wasn't about to run from this runt looking at him with all the curiosity one watches a butterfly. She approached him unfazed as he backed up against a tree trunk.
"Now, I—I'm warning you." He cringed at his own desperate stutter. He was not really going to hurt a child, and he knew it. This foolish girl was probably planning on taking Black in and becoming a hero. Gryffindor, no doubt, he thought. He'd be kissed before he had a chance to explain. Perhaps Dumbledore would even let Harry and Remus watch. The last image he saw would be the hate in their faces.
She was close to him then, very close. He could see her eyes were gold like her hair, not brown but gold. Strange. So this was how it ended, some tiny girl with lion eyes marching him half naked up to the castle, wand at his throat—if she could even reach his throat.
She stopped. He looked down and saw in her hand the most miraculous thing he'd seen in twelve years: a small cake and a fat sausage.
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A/N: Plot thickens. As always, reviews needed. Recognize my little Hufflepuff from before? Let me know what you thought of him, Siruis's appearance, Severus weird behavior, and if you're ready for more!