Hello!

It's been quite the while since I've updated, but I've been busy and had to prioritize different things. But finally, chapter 5's posted.

Thanks again to those who read this story and to those who support it.

I don't own anything about the Harry Potter world, JK Rowling does. I only own my own OC.

Flashbacks are in italics.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: I got to break free, God knows, God knows I want to break free

Ylvanna was sitting on a park bench, reading a thick file of different papers. The bright sun was warm against her pale, scarred face. It was wonderful. She loved the new smells, the new noises and the new sights. Never had she seen leaves so green or a sky that blue. Not that she could remember anyway.

Even though it was summer, Ylvanna was dressed as if it wasn't. She wore black pants and a dark sweater with long sleeves, trying to hide her scars. 'The muggles wouldn't understand', Alexander had told her as he had given her the clothes. The clothes made Ylvanna feel extremely warm and uncomfortable.

She had never thought that she would be thankful to the Minister, but she was. It had been his idea to let her out in the real world with only the demand that she would track down and capture a murderer. Sirius Black was mad, she had been told, but it didn't bother her as much as it should have. She got to be outside, feeling free. Even though she knew she had to bring Black to the Ministry or else her family could get into trouble.

None of the three scientists had wanted Ylvanna to go. Alexander had had a heated argument with the Minister, but it had been an order, not a request. Varsuhka had claimed that Ylvanna wasn't ready; that it still was so much that could go wrong. The Minister had waved away her warnings. He had been desperate and one argument had struck a chord in them all:

"How will you ever prove that she's not a danger to the society if she is denied the chance of proving herself worthy of our trust? She's special, I admit, but she has a bigger chance to succeed finding Black with her gifts. If you deny her this, she'll be stuck here forever, because we can't trust her. So far, she's been proving to get vicious if any of you are in danger. But this mission does not require any of you to get hurt. At least I do hope it won't lead to that, that you'll cooperate."

Brandon had taken Ylvanna's side, though Varushka had called him sickeningly naïve. The vampire found it all to be some sort of trap, but Alexander eventually gave in, much to the pleasure of the Minister. So Ylvanna had been prepared for the world outside the Department of Mystery, been given all the equipment she might need and a big file on Sirius Black's history.

This was what she was reading now. She hadn't left London, because she had read that Black had lived there as a child. It proved to be slightly difficult to find the house, since the Ministry hadn't got an address that was traceable. Ylvanna read about the murders he had committed and how he had betrayed his best friend and killed another. She couldn't understand why he would do such a thing, but the Minister and her family had assured her that she didn't need to be bothered by that. Just make sure that she'll catch him.

"What's happened with your eye?"

Ylvanna looked up from the file and into the faces of two young boys. They were both staring at her with wide eyes, a childish fascination mirroring each other's faces and their cheeks were flushed. Ylvanna looked around the park, trying to see if there were any parents in sight. It appeared not to be so, because no one was looking or heading their way.

"I lost it", she said curtly, hoping they would get the hint and leave her alone.

She hadn't expected someone to talk with her. Her voice was a bit raspy, having not used it for a couple of days. The children made her feel uncomfortable and she couldn't help but wonder if she had been a child once. If she had, she couldn't remember.

The boys didn't leave. They glanced at each other and then the other of the two, a boy with freckles and brown eyes, asked:

"What's happened to your face then?"

Ylvanna resisted the urge to touch her cheek, tracing the scars. Instead, she smiled wryly at the boys.

"I lost it too."

The boys' eyes widened even more if that was possible and Ylvanna wondered if she should tell them to go and play or find their parents. Turned out she didn't need to, because at that moment a woman came briskly walking towards them.

"There you are", she said and grabbed both boys by the shoulder, squeezing them gently. "What have I told you about running of like that?"

"But mum", one of them started to say, trying to wriggle free from his mother's grip.

His mother ignored him and turned to Ylvanna. Her smile faltered, but didn't disappear.

"I hope they weren't bothering you."

"It's alright", Ylvanna answered, looking straight into the mother's green eyes. "You should never let them out of your sight, though. There are many dangerous things in this world and you'll never know what will happen."

With that Ylvanna returned to her reading. She could hear the mother reply something faintly before leaving with her children. The boys were talking eagerly and she could still hear them when they had left her.

She looked at the file and stared at a picture of Sirius Black. It had been taken sometime before his escape. His skin was waxy, his face thin and his dark hair was filthy. His eyes were grey and they stared at her from the picture, deep pools of dark secrets.

'Yes', she thought, staring back at the picture and then absently trailing one of her scars on her face with a long, pale finger. 'Many dangerous things indeed.'

. . . .

Hogsmeade looked as if it was a painting; small cottages and shops with a background of blue and green with tints of gold. Ylvanna took it all in, feeling tired and sore, but enjoying the sight. She had travelled a long way, but the summer wasn't over yet.

She tried to sink together as she made her way through the village, not wanting do drag attention to herself. She could've run through the village, but she was really tired. She had a hard time recalling when she had gotten a good sleep the last time.

There was a few people outside, busied themselves in their gardens or being out doing some shopping. They talked with excited voices, not like it was a murderer on the loose. Ylvanna caught words such as 'World Cup', 'Ireland', 'Quidditch' and 'Bulgaria'. The words didn't mean much to her and she continued down the street. She tried her best to blend in. She let out her hair from her braid and it flowed down her back in dirty curls. With a shake of her head, long bangs moved and hung around her face, shielding it from view.

No one stopped her on her way, only a few people called out 'Good day, Miss' and she only nodded in response. Her body was tense and she had an odd taste in her mouth. She had wanted to see the world, but somehow, she had forgotten that the rest of the world consisted of people as well. It was strange how blind you could be when you, for a moment, only thought about yourself.

In the distance, she could see a shabby looking shack. It stuck out as a sore thumb compared to the other so fairytale-like landscape. Ylvanna stopped to look; a thoughtful look appeared on her face.

The shack stood outside the village, not near enough if you wanted to see something of importance. Its state wasn't the best; it looked from Ylvanna's view as if someone simply had tossed a few boards onto each other and claimed it to be a house. Ylvanna didn't think that anyone would visit the house or that anyone lived there. If that was the case, then it would be a splendid hideout.

She changed her course and instead of following the road up to the castle, she followed the one towards the old house. Her steps were light, almost prancing and though exhaustion soared through her body like some thick poison, she was determined not to rest until she had gotten some answers.

When she reached the house, she realized that she had not been wrong in her assumptions that the house was a mess. It looked even worse up on close. Ylvanna walked around it, trying to detect the best way to get in. The windows were all boarded up and she thought that breaking in that way would not improve the shack's status the slightest. The door wasn't in a good shape, but it was locked. She absently wondered if she was breaking an entry, but all the same she couldn't help to think if the door was locked to keep prying eyes away.

The door easily opened after a few pushes. It creaked and barely stayed on the hinges. Carefully, Ylvanna entered the shack.

It didn't look much better inside. The floor was covered in thick dust, a layer of grey, and there was some broken furniture lying around. In some of the rooms, deep claw marks graced the walls and Ylvanna furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

The only thing that could be heard was the mild summer breeze and the sound of rats running in the walls or under the floorboards. Even though Ylvanna was searching for something she didn't know what it was, she felt as though she wouldn't find whatever it was there.

Ylvanna sighed and it sounded heavy to her ears. A few beams of sun crept through the gaps of the windows and walls, making it seemed as if the air shimmered. It smelled funny, Ylvanna realized, something else than dust and wild and rotten wood. Her nostrils widened as she drew a deep breath. The smell of fur searched its way up her nose; animal-like and rough, a scent of earth.

She traced the claw marks on the wall, deep in thought. There was something bitter about the whole house and it didn't settle well with her. She felt a pain in her nose and unconsciously bared her teeth. Her blood boiled and she recognized the smell.

Werewolf.

Muttering to herself, she swept with her gaze once more over the room before turning on her heels and disappeared out of the house.

The way to the castle would have been easy, had she not decided to try and be sneaky. Instead, she went through the forest that spread out behind the shack. It was dark, no sun managed to leak through the massive treetops and Ylvanna could feel the forests displeasure of her being there. It seemed as if eyes were following her everywhere.

She moved swiftly and quick. She thought she could hear sounds in the distance and her body tensed. The forest was magical and ancient. It had a mind of its own and it didn't want her there.

The lack of animals seemed odd to her. No birds could be heard twittering; only sounds of leaves being moved and twigs being snapped.

"You should not be here."

A deep, melancholic voice came from the shadows and Ylvanna felt power rush through her veins and she turned around, ready to strike.

The sound of hooves echoed through the air and out of the shadows came something grey. The creature had the grey body of a horse and the torso and face of a man, his face framed by long, dust-colored locks. He looked at her with deep, black eyes.

"You should not be here", he repeated gravely.

"I do not answer to you", Ylvanna said back, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No", the creature said after a brief pause. "You don't. Which makes me wonder who you answer to?"

"She answers to no one", another voice said before Ylvanna had time to reply. "She's an abomination."

Another horse-man came out from the bushes and shadows. He looked wild, leaves in his black hair, and his body was black as well. He stamped with his hooves and looked at her with a disgusted expression. Ylvanna narrowed her eyes at him and clenched her fists. Her heart beat faster.

"You should not be here", they grey horse-man repeated gravely. "This isn't the place for you."

"I'm looking for someone", said Ylvanna.

"Whoever you're looking for is not here", spat the black-haired one. "The forest does hold many strange creatures, but nothing as vile as you."

Ylvanna ignored him and turned to the first one again, finding him to be the more diplomatic one.

"I'm looking for Sirius Black. Do you know where he is?"

"Mars is exceptionally bright, even at daytime", was the grey creature's response as he looked up to the sky. "There are dark times to come."

The black-haired one pawed the ground impatiently and his long, black tail swung angrily back and forth.

"Callamath", he said, "let's leave." He turned to Ylvanna and narrowed his eyes. "You should do so as well. Mars is exceptionally bright."

"You won't fight me?"

Both creatures looked at Ylvanna with unreadable eyes. She felt uncomfortable under their staring, but eventually the black one huffed and walked away, disappearing amongst shadows and trees. The one called Callamath sighed.

"Soon enough, fights will take place and blood will be shed. You won't have to wait long for a fight." With that, he turned and walked away as well.

"Wait! You don't know about Sirius Black?" Ylvanna shouted, confused and anxious.

"I see Sirius every night", said Callamath with a small smile. "He's free and won't be consumed by the black in a long time."

Before Ylvanna could ask what he meant, he had turned and galloped after his companion. She was alone again.

That was that. The next chapter will have a bit more 'action' to it.

Until next time!