Chapter 13
There was no other incident for Angela after the boggart lesson and professor Lupin soon became everyone's favorite teacher as they learnt about red caps and then kappas. In comparison Severus was in a nastier mood than usual. The double boggart incident had people either mock him or say he was going soft for how Angela had clung to him.
Some had tried to make fun of Angela but the girl didn't take it without saying anything. Anyone who mocked her ended up with a lax bladder suddenly. However there was nothing that could prove it was her so she managed to escape punishment. People knew better than to provoke the sneaky slytherin.
While Angela was blossoming with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, Harry, Hermione and Ron were suffering in divination and Care of Magical creatures. After the incident that almost happened with Malfoy, Hagrid had started to show them how to take care of harmless creatures : flobberworms.
Then came halloween and with it the first Hogsmeade's weekend. Harry tried unsuccessfully to convince professor McGonagall to sign his permission slip. Angela had plans for that weekend and she was determined to see them through.
"Dobby!"
"Yes, Mistress Angela?" said the little house-elf, popping in front of her.
"I need you to look for a black dog near Hogsmeade, as soon as you find him I want you to bring me to him, understand?"
"Yes Mistress. Dobby will find the black doggy."
While the house-elf was looking for the dog, Angela did her shopping, putting everything she bought in her bottomless bag. She went near the Shrieking Shack to wait for Dobby. The house-elf popped in front of her, grabbed her hand and popped her in the forest near a cave. In the cave she could see the black dog resting.
"Hey doggy, how are you?" she said calmly, approaching one step at a time.
The dog growled and retreated more profoundly in the cave.
"I'm not here to hurt you doggy, I want to help you, I promise but I need you to let me approach you. I swear on my magic not to hurt you, so mote it be."
The dog paused and approached slowly, sniffing her.
"I have food for you doggy and if you'll let me I'll clean you, I have a lotion that will get rid of fleas for you, you must be uncomfortable like this aren't you?"
She chuckled when the dog nodded and his tail started wagging.
"Dobby! Bring me a bassinet with warm water! Bring me a brush too!"
"Yes mistress!"
The little elf popped away and came back with the requested items. Angela grabbed the brush and a bottle of potion from her bag. She then proceeded to thoroughly wash the black dog with the potion anti-fleas until the water ran clear and his coat was now smooth and shiny. She dried him with a warm wind coming from her wand before brushing him gently. The dog licked her hand in thanks.
"You're feeling better, aren't you? Dobby, bring food for our doggy friend and clean water for him to drink now that he is clean, you can take away the bassinet."
The house-elf brought back a plate full of yummy food and while the dog ate, Angela started arranging the cave. She transfigured a fluffy bed with a warm blanket after cleaning the cave. She then started carving runes all around the entrance of the cave and casted several spells.
"I warded the cave, I added muggle repellent wards, notice-me-not wards as well as several protective wards I know. I also used runes to keep the cave warm at all times so that you won't freeze to death."
She sat on the bed and looked at the dog.
"I still have time before I'm missed from Hogwarts so let's talk mister doggy. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Angela Schiffer, I'm in my third year and I'm a slytherin. Yes I know, a slimy snake like myself helping you is surprising, isn't it?"
The dog was sitting in front of her and looking at her intently.
"Now, more interestingly, I'm a seer. I know who you are but I also know you are innocent. I want to help you, Sirius Black."
In a blur she was pinned to the bed, Sirius's hands around her throat.
"Give me a reason not to kill you."
"I can help you get Pettigrew and protect Harry. I can give you back your freedom." she smiled, not scared at all. Sirius looked like he considered what she said before releasing her.
"What do you want in return? A snake never does anything for free."
She laughed. "My price is Harry's happiness. And a little favor."
"You know Harry?"
Angela nodded. "Ry' is my brother, we did a ritual to adopt each other as siblings during our first year. Right now he is at Hogwarts but during summer he is forced to live with horrible muggles who hate magic. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Lily's muggle sister. They mistreat Harry and I refuse to let that continue. That's where you come in. If you're free you can adopt Harry and have him live with you and be treated properly."
Sirius swore but nodded in understanding.
"What about the favor?"
"I want you to help me become an animagus." She beamed at him.
"It's a long process but I can give you tips to succeed."
"Perfect, we have a deal then! I have a plan but for it to succeed I need your cooperation."
"What do you want me to do?"
"For now, nothing. I'll send Dobby to bring you food everyday and will add potions to help you recover from Azkaban, both for Dementor exposure and for you to be able to put on some weight and come back to full health. You'd have to stay in this cave. I'll send you letters to talk to you about Harry and every Hogsmeade's weekend I'll visit you. I'll get you some proper clothes as well. Once you have your health back we'll capture Pettigrew and reveal the truth about that night. Meanwhile I'll make sure Pettigrew doesn't harm Harry."
"When will we capture the traitor?"
"End of may/early june. You need time to recover."
"Why not sooner!? I waited 12 years already!"
"If you come back now the way you are, no one will accept you getting custody of Harry! You need to be healthy first to be deemed fit to be his guardian! I have here a magical contract detailing the plan, I already signed it, you just have to add a drop of blood to seal it."
She rummaged through her bag and got a piece of parchment that she handed to him. He read through it, taking the time to make sure there was nothing suspicious before he bit his finger and added a drop of blood at the bottom. The parchment shined and Angela took it back with a smile.
"It was a pleasure talking to you mister Black."
"If your plan succeeds I will owe you a life debt, Angela Schiffer."
"I know." She smiled and her hair turned pink in satisfaction making the man pause.
"Are we related?"
She laughed. "Maybe generations back but no, the gene for metamorphmagus is also in my family."
The man nodded before clasping his hands. "Now young lady, tell me everything about my godson!"
Up until it was time for her to go back she told him everything she could about Harry, what he liked, what he was like, what they got up to and so on, Sirius drinking her words.
oOoOo
Angela winced during Snape's defense lesson on werewolves. She loved her cousin but damn could he hold a was honestly surprised that only Hermione would pick up on the clues Severus gave them.
Then there was the thunderstorm and the quidditch match. During the time out, Angela went to Harry and cast a warming charm on him before telling him to be very careful. But even with her warning, there was nothing she could do to prevent him from falling after the dementor swarmed so she ran on the pitch, wand drawn.
"ARRESTO MOMENTUM!" she bellowed her dark green hair floating around her head, putting all of her power in the spell to slow down his fall. She saw him slow down before everything went black.
When Harry woke up he was in the Hospital wing.
"What happened?"
"You fell. A fall from a good fifty feet." answered Fred.
"We thought you were going to die…" added a shaking Alicia.
Harry then saw the unconscious Angela in the bed next to his.
"Eli! What happened to her?"
"Magical exhaustion, she'll be fine but she almost burnt her magical core to slow your fall down. It was impressive, you should have seen her! She probably saved your life. Madam Pomphrey said she should wake up soon."
Harry nodded, thanking the girl silently. "And the game? What happened?" When he saw their faces falling he paled. "We didn't lose, did we?"
"Diggory caught the snitch right after you fell. He didn't notice what was happening. When he saw you on the ground he tried to ask for a rematch. But there was nothing to do, Hufflepuff won, even Wood recognized it…"
Harry became silent, his eyes on the still form of his sister, trying to squash the guilt building inside of him. With it being Wood's last year, he wanted to win the quidditch cup as a good send off and now because of him they lost.
A few minutes later madam Pomphrey came to shoo the team away, leaving only Ron and Hermione.
"Dumbledore was furious, he ran on the pitch and summoned the strongest Patronus I've ever seen. He chased all the Dementors away but he was so angry that they came inside the school." explained Hermione.
"Then he put both of you on stretchers and sent you two to the Hospital wing. Everyone thought that you were…" Ron trailed, unable to finish his sentence.
"Did someone get my broom back?"
Hermione and Ron shared a glance.
"When you fell, the wind caught it…" started Hermione
"And?"
"And it fell on the… Oh Harry, I'm sorry… it fell on the Whomping Willow."
Harry felt his heart break as he saw what remained of his loyal broomstick.
Madam Pomphrey kept both of them for the remainder of the weekend and Harry had plenty of visitors. From Hagrid to Ginny and even Wood who told him he didn't blame him at all. It was during the evening when they were alone that Harry confided in Angela.
"I saw the Grimm during the game." He whispered. "It's the second time I've seen it."
"Oh Harry, I'm sure it's not a death omen! I can promise you that Grimm is watching over you. You'll understand at the end of the year I promise. Until then I can swear that you have nothing to fear from the Grimm!"
"How can you be so sure? No, don't tell me… You know something again but you can't tell just in case?"
Angela nodded apologetically. "Sorry brother but at least you know you're safe."
Harry shook his head and smiled at her. "It's fine, I understand Eli."
Now what was left was the shame he felt every time he thought about Dementors.
"Say Eli?"
"Yes Ry'?"
"Could you teach me how to cast a patronus?"
"I'd do it but remember it took me over eight months to start producing mist… we should ask professor Lupin."
Harry looked pensive but then nodded. "Only if we do it together then."
Angela chuckled. "I wouldn't leave you alone Ry', you don't even have to ask, of course we'll do it together!"
After the next defense lesson, Harry and Angela stayed behind.
"Yes children?" Lupin had an eyebrow raised.
Angela took Harry's hand in hers and pushed him slightly.
"We had a favor to ask, professor… I don't know if they told you what happened during the game with the Dementors…" started Harry.
"I heard what happened, yes."
"We'd like to ask you to teach us the patronus charm so that I can defend myself against them."
Lupin looked at both of them and their linked hands, then back to Harry's determined face. He looked hesitant for a moment and then he sighed.
"Very well. I will try to help you. But it will have to wait next term. I still have a lot to do before the holidays, I chose a very bad moment to fall ill."
Harry beamed and both teens thanked him.
oOoOo
The second Hogsmeade's weekend came. Angela did all of her Christmas shopping before going to visit Sirius to check on him and keep him a bit company. Even if she knew he was there, she told him about the quidditch game incident and how Harry's broom was now destroyed. Sirius lit up like a kid at the prospect of buying Harry a new broom.
"Only if you let me buy it for you. You can give me the money back once you're free, how about it? We can't risk you getting captured now."
"I don't like it but fine. I'll pay you back as soon as I'm free."
Meanwhile the twins gave Harry the Marauders' map that Harry used with his cloak to sneak into Hogsmeade and join Ron and went to the Three Broomsticks and overheard the conversation the Minister had with several professors about Sirius Black.
Harry was angry at Angela for not telling him so he confronted her that evening.
"Why didn't you tell me about Sirius Black!?"
"Because there is more to the story than what you know! But even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me nor would anyone until I have proof! So that's what I'm doing! I'm collecting proofs to show the world the whole story!" she defended herself.
"What are you hiding Eli? You're always dealing with such dangerous things, don't do anything stupid please…" he begged her.
"I'm safe Ry' and so are you, that's all I can tell you. I promise to tell you the whole truth once I have proof to back up my words." Harry nodded and hugged her, basking in her warmth.
On Christmas's morning, Harry woke up to find a huge package at the bottom of his bed. He opened to find a Firebolt with a small card on which was drawn a black dog and a raven. On the back of the card was written in Angela's handwriting 'You are loved, merry Christmas.'. The girl had also bought a full brand new Quidditch uniform for him including new gloves and boots and robes that had a temperature regulation charm on them to keep him warm in winter and fresh in the warmer months.
"Mate, is that a Firebolt!? Who sent you that?"
"Eli, look, it's her handwriting."
"Wow, she must really love you! That's incredible!"
Hermione entered the dorm, Crookshanks in her arms.
"What got you laughing so loudly?"
"Angela gifted a new broom to Harry, look at this! It's the best broom one can buy at the moment, it's worth a fortune!"
They all admired the shining brand new broom that avoided suspicions thanks to Angela's card. She had silently vowed to tell Harry who it was really from as soon as she could. That afternoon the boys took turns trying the new broom and Harry gave the biggest hug ever to Angela when he saw her, making her laugh. Angela sent a letter to Sirius to tell him how happy Harry was about the broom.
oOoOo
It was time for Harry and Angela to have their first Patronus lesson. Lupin started by telling them the theory behind the spell.
"What does a Patronus look like?"
"Each Patronus is unique. It changes form depending on the wizard who cast it. Now, the incantation is Expecto Patronum."
Angela and Harry both repeated it before they tried with their wands out. Angela had a bit of mist on her first try and it took only two tries for Harry to form his own cloud of silver smoke.
"Of course you have to be a genius and succeed in only two tries, way to go Ry'!" she exclaimed.
"Very good! Are you ready to try on a dementor?"
The teens nodded and Lupin let out the boggart, Harry in front of it making it take the form of a Dementor. Harry tried to cast the charm but ended up fainting, Angela catching him as she casted her mist toward the fake dementor.
"Miss Schiffer, your memory is not happy enough, that's why your patronus is so weak, do you have any memory that would be stronger? Here mister Potter, eat this." He gave Harry a bit of chocolate while Angela shook her head.
"I want to try again." said Harry, looking determined.
"Very well, ready?"
Harry nodded and the fake dementor was back. Harry fainted again, unable to produce anything from his wand.
"Ry'! Wake up Ry'!" exclaimed Angela who had caught him once again.
"Eli… I heard dad this time… it's the first time I heard him, he tried to fight Voldemort to buy time for mom…"
"Oh Ry'... I know…" she whispered, hugging him as he cried on her shoulder.
"You heard James?" asked professor Lupin, looking slightly shaken.
"Yes.. Why? Did you know my father…?"
"Yes, yes indeed. We were friends during our years at Hogwarts. Harry, I think we should stop there for tonight. That spell is way too complicated, I shouldn't have tried to teach it to you…"
"No!" exclaimed Harry, back on his feet. "I want to try once more, I don't focus on happy memories enough that's all!"
When the fake dementor glided toward Harry, this time a cloud of silver smoke erupted from his wand, soon joined by Angela's.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin forced the boggart back in his chest before giving Harry and Angela a bar of chocolate each.
"Eat everything, else madam Pomphrey will be furious against me. Same time, next week?" he asked them and both teens nodded. "You should go, it's getting late."