Harry Potter
Redemption of the Innocent
By xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related concepts do not belong to me! I am merely borrowing them for my own personal enjoyment. All OC's and anything you dont recognize is copyrighted by me: xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Rating: K
Pairing: N/A (as of now)
Genre: Adventure/Friendship
Warnings: Please do not flame me for anything.
Summary: Third year is approaching and Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. It is believed that he is heading towards Hogwarts. How far are the friends willing to go, to prove the innocence of a desperate man?
Author's Note: Thank you too DJScales, Forever Dreaming Grace, Razmend, Aileen Autarkeia and Krasni for their reviews last chapter.
Halloween Break-Ins
"Then there's the post office," Hermione said excitedly, as she sat the Gryffindor with Harry and Ron. She and the red head had just returned to the castle and was telling their friend what he had missed down in Hogsmeade, after Charlie and Riley had gone off with the older Slytherins and investigated the Shrieking Shack, of course "its about 200 owls sitting on colour coded shelves, depending on how fast you wanted your letter delivered"
Ron nodded and pushed a bundle of brightly coloured sweets towards Harry "Honeydukes sweetshop is brilliant," he grinned "We got as much as we could carry between us. Im sure Charlie and Riley have got more"
"If they managed to get Charlie out of the Shack," Harry mumured, before jumping as a shower of brilliant coloured sweets hit the table in front of him. Charlie and Riley giggled at his surprised look as the sweets spilled all over the table, from the bags in which they had been contained "Thanks" he smiled at the two Muggleborns.
Charlie nodded "Your welcome," she told him "But in all fairness, we nearly did forget. I had to drag Marcus back to Hogsmeade so Riley and I could get your sweets"
"Bet he wasnt happy about that," Hermione pointed out
"Actually Marcus didnt seem to mind," Riley answered "It was Nikki who looked disgruntled"
"Yeah, but she's just peeved that I put us in danger" Charlie muttered, opening a sweet and popping it into her mouth. The three Gryffindors stared at her. She sighed. "I made Adrian, Marcus, Nikki and Riley follow me into the Shrieking Shack where we Marcus and I were nearly attacked by its current monster"
Ron shrieked "Monster?" he asked nervous
"It was a dog!" Charlie added "A dog I named Snuffles" she nodded proudly
Hermione exchanged looks with Riley, who shook her head and grabbed a package from her pocket "We also got this for you," she told Harry "Well actually Fred and George got it from Zonko's, but I figured you would get a better use out of it" and she passed him a small trinket "Its a Pocket Sneakoscope; its supposed to light up and spin if anyone untrustworthy is around" she explained "I mean, what am I gonna do with one of them?"
"Thanks," Harry grinned
Ron, meanwhile had been staring at Charlie as she explained about the Shrieking Shack "You do know its supposed to be the most Haunted building in Britain, right?" he questioned
The Slytherin rolled her eyes
"But after a while," Hermione started up again "It got a bit boring, dont you think guys?" she asked, hoping to save Harry anymore depression because he had to stay behind.
The three friends gave her strange looks "Boring?" the chorused
Hermione quirked a curious look and nodded at Harry
"Oh yeah," Ron nodded
"Very boring," Riley agreed
Charlie nodded "Yeah, it was really dead depressing" she stated
Harry smiled at their attempts "Im really glad you had a good time," he told them "Honestly. Thanks for the sweets, and this -" he held up the sneakoscope "Your right, id probably get a better kick out of it, you given -"
"Sirius Black trying to kill you?" Charlie asked
The others glared at her. Harry, meanwhile was laughing.
xXxHarryPotterxXx
That evening, after a few hours worth of completing homework and sharing stories with others who had gone down to Hogsmeade; but also catching up with what Harry had done whilst he was still at the castle. The friends made their way down from Gryffindor tower and back to the Great Hall where the Halloween feast was being held, on the way down from the seventh floor, Harry told his four friends about his day at the castle. "I spent most of the day with Professor Lupin," he told them "He made me tea in his officce. And then Snape came in..."
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute" Charlie interrupted "How long was you with Professor Lupin?" she asked
"Uh, a couple of hours" Harry answered "Why?"
Charlie exchanged looks with Riley "Because we saw him in Hogsmeade," Riley answered "He was coming back from Honeydukes as we were getting in the carriage," she explained
"Yeah, he reminded me that I needed to get you sweets" Charlie nodded
Hermione frowned "Mhmm, well maybe he went down to Hogsmeade after his little meeting with Harry," she suggested "Teachers can go to Hogsmeade at anytime, their not restricted to a timeline like Students are"
"Maybe," Riley agreed
"Wait, didnt you say that Snape came into Lupin's office?" Ron asked "When?"
Harry nodded "Just before I left," he answered "He gave him a goblet of steaming liquid; and Professor Lupin drank it"
"He drank it?" Ron exclaimed "is he mad?"
Charlie frowned "What? Are you trying to say that Professor Snape was trying to Professor Lupin?" she asked
"Seriously?" Ron gaped "Its Snape!"
"Meaning?" Charlie asked "Snape's not as bad you think he is!"
Riley checked her wrist watch "Come on," she said, grabbing Charlie's arm "the feast will be starting in minutes, we don't want to be late" and to avoid any arguement that could have brewed between Charlie and Ron, Riley pulled her best friend way.
The two made it to the Entrance Hall, just as Draco and the rest of the 3rd year Slytherins were exiting the Dungeons and heading into the Great Hall for the brilliant feast. Both hall's had been decorated full out for Halloween, it was tradition that each and every year on any big holiday (except for Valentines day) that the Great Hall would be decorated, this year just like the previous two years the Great Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats and man flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.
Charlie, broke off away from Riley and made her way towards the Slytherin table with her friends and sat down beside Marcus. The food was delicious, and even although she was stuffed with toffees and sweets that she had brought back for Harry, even the Muggleborn Slytherin ate more than just her own fill. The feast finished with the entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts, they popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding, the Bloody Baron floated up out of the table in front of Charlie causing the girl to shriek before he floated off down the table. "He has it in for me," the Muggleborn complained, holding her hand over her heart "Ever since first year"
"Does he still tell you, that you remind him of someone?" Pansy asked
"Yes," Charlie nodded "Its getting a little creepy"
Draco frowned "Getting?"
"Point is," Charlie retorted "and the question still remains: Who do I remind him off?"
But the other Slytherins shook their heads, they had tried to figure out the very same question since the very first time the Bloody Baron had uttered the words to their friend, back in first year.
xXxHarryPotterxXx
"...We went back to the Three Broomsticks," Hermione was telling Charlie and Riley more about Ron and her's adventure in Hogsmeade. Apparently after the two friends had left with the Slytherins, they had gone to Zonko's, Dervish and Banges, the Wizarding equipments shop "after checking out Hogsmeade's branch of Flourish and Blotts," Hermione gushed "Its amazing in there Rils!"
Riley smiled "Maybe next time you can show me,"
"Awesome!" Charlie grinned, in fake excitement "Count me...out!"
Riley rolled her eyes "Nobody said you had to come along," she shoved her best friend playfully "Maybe you could go play damsel and have Marcus save you again"
Charlie glared at her "Oh shut up!"
Riley grinned "So after Flourish and Blotts you went back to the Three Broomsticks?" she asked, turning back to Hermione
"Yeah, I swear we saw an orge sitting in our previous seats," Hermione responded
"Well, you get alot of funny people in there," Ron interrupted, he turned to Harry "I really wish we could have brought you some Butterbeer. It really warms you up"
Charlie frowned "Dont you have Butterbeer at the Gryffindor table, during meals?"
"No," Harry answered
"We do at the Slytherin table," the Muggleborn answered "Of course, only students from 3rd year up are entitled too it. But I thought all tables had it"
Riley nodded in agreement "She's telling the truth,"
"Lucky!" Ron complained
When they finally reached the path leading to the Gryffindor Tower, they found a road block of students ahead of them "What's going on?" Harry asked
"Why isnt anyone going in?" Ron questioned "Brandon's probably forgotten the password again" he added
"But obviously you Gryffindors arent sad to stand and watch your friend suffer while he tried to remember?" Charlie asked "There is a few students here who obviously know the password!"
Ron shrugged
"Oh My God!" Charlie cried, turning away from the red head. She couldnt believe that the Gryffindors would actually stand and watch one of their own housemates panic as he tried to recover the password from his non-existing brain cells.
"Let me through, please" came a familair voice of Percy Weasley "Whats going on? You cant all have forgotten the password! Half of you arent even Gryffindors, excuse me, im Head Boy!"
And then silence fell over the whole crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a sudden sharp voice "Get back, all of you. No one is to enter this dormitory until it's been searched"
"What's going on?" Riley asked
Ginny pushed her way through the crowd "The Fat Lady!" she cried "She's gone!"
"What?" Charlie exclaimed, pushing her way through the crowd "Move! Come on...move over! Slytherin coming through!" she stopped dead as her gaze landed on the portrait leading to the Gryffindor Common room; it had been ripped to shreds. And the Fat Lady was in fact gone.
Riley, Hermione, Harry and Ron followed her
"Serves her right," Ron commented "She was a terrible singer"
Hermione nudged him "It's not funny, Ron" she scolded
"Out of the way!" Professor Dumbledore had arrived
Percy looked over the crowd "Headmaster s here," he declared
"Out of the way!" Dumbledore ordered "Come on move!"
Students squashed against the sides to let him through. Percy bustled students away as Dumbledore came to a stop in front of the portrait, he touched the broken canvas as Filch appeared beside him, clutching Mrs. Norris "Mr. Filch, round up the ghosts" the headmaster stated "have them search every painting in the castle. Until they find the Fat Lady"
"There is no need for Ghosts, professor" Filch responded, staring at a picture on the floor above them "The Fat Lady's there" he pointed at the portrat, where the Fat Lady was hiding.
Dumbledore, followed by hundreds of students hurried up the steps to the Fat Lady, he smiled sympathetically at her "My dear Lady, who did this to you?"
"Eyes like the devil, he's got," the Fat Lady trembled with fear "and a soul as dark as his name. It's him, headmaster. The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!"
The students froze. Charlie gasped and clutched Harry's hand tightly
"Secure the castle Mr. Filch," Dumbledore ordered "The rest of you -" he looked around at the students "- to the Great Hall!"
xXxHarryPotterxXx
After Professor Dumbledore had sent all Gryffindors down to the Great Hall, he gathered all other heads of houses and ordered that they send their own students there too, there was a good chance that Sirius Black may have still been in the castle and he didnt want to take any chances of any one of his students getting hurt in the pursue of the lunatic, or is escape. Black had already killed 13 people in the past 12 years; a Hogwarts Student wasnt going to be a difficult for him to put down.
Ten minutes after Charlie and Riley entered the Great Hall, the Hufflepuffs showed up, followed by the Slytherins.
"Nikki!" Charlie cried, running across the Great Hall and into the arms of the older Slytherin. Riley followed her best friend.
Nikki, taken back by the sudden attack, stumbled "Charlie!" she gasped "Are you okay?"
"Im fine," the Muggleborn nodded
"What happened?" Daphne asked, appearing beside Nikki and staring at her best Muggleborn friend inquizzically
Charlie looked towards Riley "Sirius Black is lurking somewhere in the castle," the Gryffindor answered "He tried getting into Gryffindor Tower while we were all at the feast; when the Fat Lady wouldnt let him in, its possible he turned nasty"
Charlie nodded "The canvas was desimated," she explained "Completely ripped to shreds"
The 3rd year Slytherins and older ones listened with interest "The one night no one is in their Common room's" Pansy stated
"I reckon he's lost track of time," Blaise interrupted "you know, being on the run an everything"
Charlie shrugged "I'd just be happy knowing how he got in," she commented "I mean, how does one slip past Dementors? Once I'd say luck...but twice? This guy must have a serious good luck streak"
The purebloods gave her a strange look; she waved them off as Riley nodded in agreement. But before anyone else could voice another question or statement about Sirius Black; the Great Hall doors opened and Dumbledore entered. The older Slytherins backed up pulling the younger ones with them as the Headmaster surveyed the entire room, opened his mouth and spoke -
"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," he told them as McGonagall and Flitwick appeared, closing all doors into the Hall "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbances should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy "Send word with one of the ghosts"
Percy nodded
Charlie glanced up at Marcus and Nikki; they both smiled reassuringly at her "Its gonna be okay," Nikki promised "We wont be far"
"Oh yes, you will be needing," Dumbledore added, as he paused in his exit. He turned back to his students, waved his wand and the long tables vanished and were replaced with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well," he wished them, and he closed the doors behind him.
Riley clutched Charlie's arm nervously as they both grabbed a sleeping bag and hugged it close to themselves. All around them, the other students began to buzz excitedly, the Gryffindors telling the other students about what had just happened.
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy yelled over the noise "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
"Like anyone will be sleeping tonight," Nathan mumured, grabbing a sleeping bag and heading towards a corner on the Slytherin side of the Great Hall.
The others nodded and followed him.
Meanwhile, on the Gryffindor side of the Great Hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione had selected a secluded corner where they could communicate with one another without being overheard or caught.
Riley and Charlie stood in the middle of the room. Which side did they choose?
With Nikki and Marcus on guard duty, Charlie followed Riley towards Harry, Ron and Hermione. It wasnt that she didnt feel safe with her Slytherin friends, it was just she had been through alot more with the Gryffindors and therefore felt safer around them. Although this new fearful nature that had struck her was strange, she normally laughed in the face of danger...considering everything she had been through since starting Hogwarts.
"Do you think Black is still in the castle?" Hermione whispered, as Charlie and Riley set up camp beside them
Ron looked her way "Dumbledore seems to think so," he answered, keeping his voice low
"Its lucky that he picked tonight of all nights," Riley mumured "Like Pansy said, the one night no one is in their common rooms"
The other Gryffindors nodded
"He could have come bursting in here," Ron pointed out
Charlie shuddered, just as Percy's voice shouted from somewhere near the doors "The candles are going out! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
The candles all went out at once. The whole hall was thrown into darkness as it seemed the only light that was still apparent, was coming from the ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the Prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scatted with stars.
Charlie flopped down onto her back and stared up at the stars "Star light...Star bright..." she mumured
"First star I see tonight..." Riley's voice joined hers. The Slytherin turned and glanced at her friend, a soft smile over coming her features, reaching out a hand Charlie wrapped hers around Riley's and squeezed. "I wish I may, I wish I might..."
"I wish for the wish..." Charlie added "I wish tonight" she finished
xXxHarryPotterxXx
Around midnight, Dumbledore returned to the Great Hall to check on things, he was followed by Professor Flitwick.
"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery," Flitwick explained "There's nothing there "The third floor is also clear, sir"
Dumbedore nodded "Very good"
"I've done the dungeons, Headmaster" Snape's voice joined the conversation "No sign of Black, nor anywhere else in the castle"
Again Dumbledore nodded "I didnt really expect him to linger," he said calmly, looking around at the students "There is no point in moving them now. We shall wait until morning"
"Have you found a replacement for the Fat Lady?" Flitwick asked
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded "Sir Cadagon has agreed to take the spot, once the Fat Lady has calmed down, I shall have Mr. Flich restore her"
The Charms professor nodded, and hopped away. Mr. Flich, meanwhile, was checking that the students were in fact asleep. He passed the corner where Charlie and the Gryffindors were lying, the Slytherin and Riley still held hands as they slept soundly.
"Remarkable feat, don't you think?" Snape asked "To enter Hogwarts castle on one's own completely undetected?"
"Quite remarkable," Dumbledore agreed
Snape folded his arms "Any theories on how he managed it?" he questioned
Dumbledore nodded "Many! Each of them as unlikely as the last" he stated
"You may recall," Snape started again "prior to the start of term I expressed concerns about your appointment of Professor -"
Dumbledore cut him off "Not a single professor inside theis castle would help Sirius Black enter it," Dumbledore explained "but until I am convinced that the castle is safe, im more than willing to send these students back to their houses" he added, glancing down at Charlie and Riley, who he and Snape had come to a stop in front of. He smiled as they clung to one another protectively, in their sleep.
"What about Potter?" Snape asked "Should he be warned?"
"Perhaps," Dumbledore mumured "But for now, let him sleep. For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own" he glanced back at Charlie, as the Slytherin shifted in her sleep "Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud." he then turned back to Snape "I must go down to the Dementors, I said I would inform them when our search was complete"
Percy had joined them "Didnt they want to help, sir?" he asked
"Oh yes," Dumbledore nodded "But i'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster" and he left.
Percy and Snape stood for a few moments watching him, before both going back to their allocated jobs.
A/N: Would just like to point out the 'Star-light, Star-bright' rhyme does not belong to me. It was just something I had to put in; its something that both Charlie and Riley hold dear to them. Besides, its one of my favourite poems. Anyway, im off to bed now. Leave us a review and tell me what you think. Thanks.
Review (please)
~*Kara*~
All OCs and anything unrecognizable is copyrighted (c) and belongs to xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated 22/01/2011 at 02:40am