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"How was your summer Harry?"
Seated in the third to last compartment with his two best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry James Potter couldn't help the sad smile that appeared on his face.
"Interesting." He shrugged looking out the window at the moving scenery.
"Interesting how." Hermione pried, dog earring her book and shutting it firmly giving him her full attention.
"Believe me," he sighed heavily "Interesting Snuffles told me something about him."
Both Ron and Hermione sat forward looking at their friend, though Sirius was only Harry's Godfather the both of them and Harry included had grown to care immensely for the wrongly convicted man.
"What."
"Dumbledore kept coming to Grimmauld place almost every day, pulling Sirius into another room and every time he left Snuffles would be depressed more so than normal." He explained.
"Do you know what they talked about?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't at first, I never asked I guess if I was meant to know they would tell me right?" Hermione nodded fiercely while Ron shook his head disgraced which earned him a horrible look from his girlfriend "Anyway during one of Remus's visits I asked him why Snuffles was so depressed apart from the obvious that he was housebound."
"Yea," Hermione egged on leaning forward "What did he say?"
"Look."
Harry suddenly got up on his seat and opened his trunk digging around in it before sitting back down clutching whatever he was looking for. Handing the item over to Hermione, both Ron and Hermione stared down at a crumpled black and white photo of a much younger and healthier Sirius Black holding a bald baby only in its nappy against his bare chest. The picture was a muggle one that looked professionally taken but the love was clearly evident in Sirius eyes as he gazed down at the baby.
"Is that Sirius?" Ron asked dumbly tilting his head to the side trying to decide if it was
"Yep and his daughter."
Both Ron and Hermione's head shot up quickly "Daughter!!" They repeated.
"Yea that's why he's depressed he's been trying to find out where she is now but Dumbledore keeps coming back blank." He shrugged
"Do you know her name?" Hermione asked
"No he didn't tell me he doesn't even think she's alive."
"If that's the case why is he trying to find out what happened?" Ron asked clueless.
"Ron," Hermione scolded frowning "If you had a daughter out there wouldn't you like to know what happened to her."
"First of all if I had a daughter" He started "I strongly doubt you'd run away with her."
Hermione blushed furiously as she picked up her book opening it to her page trying to hide her face, while Ron looked at Harry who was grinning.
"Do you think Dumbledore knows something about her?" He asked
Harry nodded "Yes and so does Siri-I mean Snuffles he hasn't told him if she's alive or not."
"Well the likely thing Harry is that if she was alive she would be here at Hogwarts and there is nobody at the school with the last name Black...unless her mum changed her name"
Harry shook his head taking the picture back "No Snuffles told me that his wife is gone."
"What do you mean gone?"
"She's gone Ron like my parents."
"You mean you-know-who"
"No remember voldemort" Ron shivered at the mention of his name but Harry ignored it "Disapeared the night...he attacked me Sirius only did what he did a couple weeks later his wife must have been alive then..but she killed herself."
Hermione's brown eyes widened "You mean she committed Suicide."
"Yea and-"
The compartment door was knocked briefly before sliding open standing there was Brooklyn Strong, a seventh year like themselves but in Ravenclaw and keeper also one of the most sort after girls in the school standing in her uniform minus the robes.
"Sorry." she apologised "But Hermione we have to do our rounds I'd kind of like mine to be finished before Malfoy starts his"
"Oh and starts hitting on you." Hermione guessed smiling
"Basically" Brooklyn grinned sheepishly
"Ok let me just get my robes"
Brooklyn stepped into the compartment to wait for Hermione while the door slid shut behind her, she smiled briefly at Ron and Harry before leaning against the door folding her arms scross her stomach.
"Strong who's your house Captain?" Ron asked
She shrugged "I don't really know but somebody's going out saying that's its me who's your captain?"
"Yours truly." He boasted puffing out his chest causing Harry to start laughing
"Oh congratulations...I hope I'm not it."
"Why." Harry frowned "Your teams gotten better and your last captain chose the team before she left."
"Yea all hail Chang" She muttered darkly before shaking her head "Professor can't pick me for captain."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not going to play this year." Both Ron and Harry's mouths dropped open in shock while Hermione who had changed into her robes stood waiting patiently for her. "We have NEWTS and unlike some people I actually would like a head start career wise, I don't have time to be a prefect, Quidditch captain, editor for the school paper and study for my exams."
"So your just dropping Quidditch like that." Ron started at her as if she was insane "Your one of the best players I'm sure you have potential to play professionally we get scouts out this year."
She shrugged "I'm sick of visiting the hospital wing anyway you ready Hermione."
"Yea I'll be back soon." She said to her friends and left with Brooklyn sliding the door shut firmly behind them.
"Bloody mental that one" Ron commented laying back on the seat just as the door resting his hands on his hands as he stared up at the ceiling "Why drop Quidditch."
"Stop bitching," Harry mumbled getting into the same position as Ron on his seat "She's a Ravenclaw what did you expect their the smartest house in the school for a reason."
Ron grumbled underneath his breath and silence fell between the two of them filling the compartment the only sound was the gentle purring of Hermione's cat Crookshanks from his basket.
"Mate." Ron called quietly.
"Hmm." Harry answered with his eyes closed.
"You think Snuffle's daughter is alive?"
"Why?"
"Because if that's the case shouldn't she be our age at Hogwarts too and Dumbledore is just not saying?"
"I don't know I mean Remus obviously knows who she was when she was a baby and he taught us during our third he should have said something too Sirius if he knew he was looking for his daughter."
"Maybe he does know something but isn't saying anything I mean this girl might not even know that the people she calls mum and dad are not her real parents."
"Hmm."
Once they had finished patrolling the the train back and forth twice Hermione and Brooklyn found themselves standing outside the compartment Brooklyn's things were occupying along with her two best friends Cassandra Wilson or Cassie as she prefers to be called and Rose Skeeter niece of hotshot reporter Rita Skeeter.
"Are you really quitting Quidditch?" Hermione asked
"Yea I'm serious about my NEWTS I know what everyone says about Ravenclaw and while that might be true I have my own reasons for taking my education so seriously."
"I understand, you live your aunt don't you"
"Everyone knows I don't have parents right." Hermione nodded stiffly "Thanks to Parkinsmut anyway when Professor Dumbledore visited me he told me that he knew my parents back when they were students and he said my mum was one of the brightest witches he had the pleasure of knowing, every time I hand in a homework assignment. The Professors they always say I'm just like my mum in a wistful voice."
"And you want to be as smart as her."
"No smarter obviously she wasn't so smart that she killed herself was she over my dad, I don't want to loose my smarts over anybody and give up my life for him I'm not my mother." She shook her head as if to get rid of a bad thought and smiled up at Hermione "See you at school."
"Yea."
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