I do not own Harry Potter. Charlotte Potter is my OC.

Busted

Somehow Charlie managed to drift off. Her sleep was plagued by dreams of Sirius Black hunting through the castle, Crookshanks trotting by his side, and the Grim flickering in and out of her fabrication. Something tapped against her shoulder and she sprang upwards with gasp.

"It's only me, Miss Potter," said Flitwick quickly. "Sorry for startling you."

"It's okay," said Charlie, her heart racing so fast that it hurt. "Is everything okay?"

"It appears Mr. Weasley is very insistent on being able to see you and the others. Madam Pomfrey's usual threats are having no impact."

"We can see him?" asked Charlie hopefully.

"You can."

Charlie leaned over and shook the shoulders of Harry and Hermione. "Guys! Wake up! We're allowed to visit Ron."

It did not take long for them to rouse and the two followed Charlie and Flitwick out of the Great Hall and down the corridors. The moment they entered the infirmary Ron sat up against his pillows and beamed at his friends.

"Hey!"

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked softly as she neared the edge of his bed.

"Okay. It doesn't hurt anymore. But I'm not supposed to strain it for a while."

"And I will know if you do, Mr. Weasley," spoke Pomfrey. She set her hands on her hips and said sharply, "Now that your friends are here, will you try to sleep?"

"Yes," said Ron sheepishly. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"I will leave them with you," Flitwick told the medic-witch.

Flitwick left and Pomfrey regarded the Golden Quartet. "I will be in my office. If you need me, just give a shout. You can have a brief chat, but if the lot of you aren't quiet after fifteen minutes, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Yes, ma'am," said Charlie with a nod.

They were left alone and the three thirteen-year-olds settled around the redhead's bedside. "Oh, Ron. I'm sorry about all this," said Charlie guiltily.

Ron arched an eyebrow. "Last I checked you weren't the one who stabbed me. There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Charlie has something to tell you," piped up Harry.

Charlie told Ron about spotting Sirius Black on the Marauder's Map and chasing after him. Ron gaped at her. "You followed him?" he said in disbelief.

"It's stupid, I know. I'm not looking forward to the discussion Professor Dumbledore wants to have with me," said Charlie with a groan.

"Whatever you do, don't give up the map," said Ron with wide eyes.

Hermione glared at him. "She can't lie to Professor Dumbledore, Ronald!"

"I already told him what happened and I left out the map," Charlie admitted.

"Good," said Ron in relief.

"But you have to hand it over!" exclaimed Hermione. "They'll be able to find out the next time Sirius Black is in the castle."

"I'll keep an eye on it," said Charlie stubbornly. "If he manages to get in again, I'll hand the map over."

"Why wait?" demanded Hermione.

"It's just…I have a feeling that I'm missing something massive. Why does he keep going for Gryffindor? And why the male dorms? He's not going to find me that way."

"I…I don't know," admitted Hermione, her brow furrowed.

"What happened?" Harry asked Ron. "Did you see Black?"

"Yeah, but just barely. This ripping noise woke me up. When I opened my eyes, Sirius Black was standing over me with a knife. I screamed, and then there was this horrible pain in my shoulder, and Black was gone."

"Did you see him stab you?" asked Charlie.

Ron frowned. "Er, no. I wasn't properly awake so everything was kinda hazy. Kinda glad I didn't see it coming, though."

"And then?" pressed Harry.

"Black rushed out of the room, I guess, and my shouts woke up everyone else. That's it, really. You know the rest." Ron paused and said, "Actually, wait, there is something I don't know. How did Black get into Gryffindor Tower in the first place?"

"Neville," said Charlie. "He'd been keeping a list of passwords for the week so he wouldn't get confused. He lost it and Black found it."

Ron winced. "Poor Neville! McGonagall is probably going to make him scrub out bedpans for the rest of the year."

"But how did Black get the paper to begin with?" muttered Charlie. "I mean, out of all the places in the castle Neville could have possibly lost it, he just finds it?"

"Sure," said Ron. "He just got lucky."

Charlie stared at her hands. Maybe Black did get lucky. But she didn't understand why he didn't kill everyone in Ron's dorm when he was discovered. She certainly wasn't complaining, but it didn't make sense. He was a mass murderer. He certainly would have been able to kill the entire dorm with one spell and escape before Dumbledore arrived.

"I'm sorry," said Hermione, dragging Charlie away from her thoughts. "You could have died tonight, and my last words to you would have been angry ones. I'd never be able to live with myself if that happened. I'm sorry about Scabbers. I really am."

"Thanks," said Ron. "I shouldn't have said that stuff about Crookshanks. I still hate him, mind you, but I'll try not to badmouth him."

"I suppose that's fair," said Hermione, not entirely happy but willing to make a compromise.

Charlie and Harry exchanged grins. They were a whole unit once more.

...

Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick were the last staff members to finish their patrol in the early hours of the morning. They were all discouraged that Black had once again eluded them. "This can't go on, Albus," said McGonagall, her face still not quite having its full colour after Ron's close encounter.

"I know, Minerva. But I must confess I am not entirely sure on how Black is getting into the castle."

"He could have been killed," whispered McGonagall.

"But he wasn't," said Dumbledore gently. "Rest assured, I will not allow this to happen again. I will investigate this matter fully. I will not rest until I find out why this keeps happening, without us or the Dementors being aware." He peered at Flitwick and asked, "Filius, how is Charlotte?"

"She's fine. She and the others were delighted to see Mr. Weasley. I'm sure they're still in the hospital wing."

"Do you want assistance checking the passageways?" asked McGonagall.

Dumbledore shook his head. He did not plan on inspecting the secret passages he knew about right away. His discussion with Charlotte came first. "No. I have another matter to attend to."

"We'll go check on our Houses, then," said Flitwick.

"Please do."

They went their separate ways and Dumbledore strode to the infirmary. He paused in the entryway, his heart soaring at the sight before him. Ron was asleep, his head buried into his pillows. Hermione was in one of the chairs directly across from his bed, her hand resting against his arm. Harry was in the other, his body slumped against Hermione's side, his head tucked into her shoulder. Charlie was on the floor, her weight supported against Harry's knees as she slept.

The dark cloud that had been hanging over him since Black's infiltration dissipated, the warmth of the sight before him overpowering the cold fear of almost losing one of his students.

"They wouldn't leave," Pomfrey informed, approaching him.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly at her. "And you didn't want them too."

"This past year, we've all been reminded of how Black betrayed his dearest friends." Pomfrey stared at the four snoozing children. "It's nice to see that undying loyalty still exists."

"We have nothing to worry about with these four," agreed Dumbledore, and that relieved him more than anyone would ever know. "I do hate to wake her, but I need to speak with Charlotte."

Pomfrey nodded and went over to the girl. She gave a firm tap to Charlie's head and she jerked awake, blinking rapidly. "What's wrong?"

"The Headmaster wishes to speak with you."

Charlie's stomach dropped as she glanced over at Dumbledore. "Right."

She stood up and followed after Dumbledore. "Black is no longer in the castle," he informed. "As such, I feel it is safe enough to allow you to go to Ravenclaw Tower alone so you may change for the day. I will see you in my office when you are ready. The password is Sugar Quills."

Charlie nodded and hurried off. He didn't seem to be as angry as he had been last night, but that brought Charlie little relief. Quidditch was on the line, and though she understood she deserved it if it was taken away, she held onto a sliver of hope.

Ten minutes later Charlie was outside Dumbledore's office. She knocked on the door and nudged it open when she was granted entry. She walked stiffly across the floor and lowered herself to sit across from him. "How is Mr. Weasley doing?" asked Dumbledore kindly.

"He's fine," said Charlie, his concern for her best friend causing her relax slightly.

"Thanks to you."

"Well, maybe," said Charlie reluctantly. "Um…aren't you mad?"

"I am not angry with you, Charlotte," assured Dumbledore. "I was angry with Sirius Black, for intruding upon my school and harming my students. When I noticed you were there, I imagined all the things Black would have done if you made your presence known to him. I am sorry if I frightened you."

"It seems I frightened you too," said Charlie softly. "I'm sorry, really."

"I know you are. Yet this is the third time you have been caught making the same infraction."

"They were all accidents, really," said Charlie helplessly. "The other times, anyway. Hagrid just seemed so sad and we wanted to make sure he was okay. It was still before curfew so we thought—well, it doesn't matter, it was still wrong. And on Halloween, I was on my way back to Ravenclaw Tower, but I heard the shouting from Gryffindor and just wanted to see what was going on. I was with a group of people heading towards a bigger group of people so I didn't think of it as dangerous. But I should have thought about what could have happened to me in the short distance between Ravenclaw Tower and Gryffindor Tower."

Dumbledore listened to her nervous reasoning with rapt attention. "And last night?"

"There's no excuse," confessed Charlie.

"If even part of your Invisibility Cloak had been dislodged, you would have revealed yourself to Black. Do you understand why going after him in the manner you did is unacceptable? I am doing everything in my power to keep you protected but I cannot succeed if you do not cooperate."

The disappointment in his voice caused tears to well in Charlie's eyes. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "It's just…this whole thing is my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the reason Sirius Black is trying so hard to get into Hogwarts. I'm the reason the Fat Lady got ruined. I'm the reason Ron got hurt. Black wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. And I just couldn't…I couldn't bear it if Black had started attacking Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ron and all the other Gryffindors. That's why I went after him. I know it was wrong. But I needed to be there, to help save them until you got there, because none of this would be happening if he didn't want to kill me so badly."

The tears spilled down her cheeks and Dumbledore's heart wrenched. She cared so deeply about others. Whenever Charlotte Potter landed herself in trouble, it usually boiled down to that one simple reason. He leaned over and clasped her hand. "What Sirius Black does," said Dumbledore firmly, "is not your fault. You are only thirteen. You should not have to worry about a murderer targeting you, and you will not shoulder the guilt that he refuses to carry. I understand why you chose to follow him. But do you understand why you cannot do it again?"

"Yes," whispered Charlie.

"Promise me that you won't."

"I promise, Professor."

"And there will be no more midnight adventures in following Miss Granger's cat."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly and Charlie turned red. She eased back against the cushioned chair and said, with such comical perplexion Dumbledore nearly laughed out loud, "There's just something about that cat, Professor. But I'll leave him alone."

"I think it will be more fun to speculate his whereabouts," said Dumbledore, rising from his chair. "It is time to rouse everyone. You may return to the infirmary, if you wish."

"I'll do that. Thanks."

They went down the stairs together and Charlie headed off to the hospital wing. She spotted Harry and Hermione sitting in the corridor, backs against the wall. "Did you get kicked out?" she asked in bemusement.

"No. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley just arrived and we thought we should give them some privacy," said Hermione.

"Where did you go?" asked Harry curiously.

Charlie slid down the wall until she was in a sitting position, her knees tucked against her chest. "Professor Dumbledore took me to his office for a brief chat about my…less than stellar decisions."

"Good," said Hermione with a sniff.

"Did he take away Quidditch?"

"He didn't mention it and I wasn't going to bring it up," said Charlie feelingly.

"Good thinking," approved Harry.

"What did Professor Dumbledore say?" asked Hermione.

Charlie recounted the conversation practically word for word. Harry was stricken. "How could you think any of this is your fault?"

"It isn't!" said Hermione hotly. "You didn't ask for any of this, and you can't control what Black does."

"I appreciate that," said Charlie with a tired smile. "Ron's parents are probably going to be here a while. Professor Dumbledore went to tell everyone it's safe to leave the Great Hall. Do you two want to get ready for breakfast?"

"Yes," said Harry at once, getting to his feet. "I'm starving."

It was thirty minutes later when they returned to the Great Hall. The sleeping bags were gone and the tables were in their usual spots. The conversation was low and subdued, and Charlie figured Dumbledore must have informed everyone of Ron's injury.

Harry set his hands on his hips, surveyed the interior, and said, "You know, it's starting to feel like we live in here."

…

They encountered Mrs. and Mr. Weasley after breakfast. They were just leaving the hospital wing as the trio were arriving and Mrs. Weasley wasted no time in pulling them into a strong hug.

"Thank goodness you kids are all right!" she cried.

"We're fine," said Harry, wheezing slightly from Mrs. Weasley's grip.

"How's Ron doing this morning?" asked Charlie.

"Perfectly fine," said Mr. Weasley. His face was pale and there were faint bags under his eyes. "We wanted to come last night, but McGonagall promised us that he was no longer in pain and would make a full recovery."

"We thought it best to give him some quiet time," said Mrs. Weasley. "We were told how you stayed with him all night, and here you are again. Thanks so much for caring about my boy."

"Of course," said Charlie. "We care about all of you."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes were wet. "Sweet girl, thank you."

"Have you eaten?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"Yes. We thought we might see Ron for a bit, if Madam Pomfrey will let us," spoke Hermione.

"We won't keep you from him," said Mr. Weasley, squeezing her shoulder. When the trio was out of sight Mr. Weasley turned to his wife. "Do you see why I wanted Charlotte to be on her guard?"

"I can't understand it." Mrs. Weasley bit her lip. "How in Merlin's name did Black get into Hogwarts? Why the boys' dormitory?"

"Maybe he was trying to send Charlotte a message," said Mr. Weasley grimly. "I don't know how he could have found out how close the two are, but I wouldn't put it past him."

"Oh, when I think of what that brute almost did to Ron, I—"

"He's fine," Mr. Weasley soothed. "I'm sure Albus is doing everything in his power to secure the school."

"Rest assured that I am." Dumbledore approached the pair and they met in the middle of the corridor. "I feel that I have failed in my duties as Headmaster."

"Albus Dumbledore, don't say things like that!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "You are a powerful and wise wizard, but not even you can predict the actions of Sirius Black."

"I thought I had every protection possible surrounding Hogwarts," said Dumbledore softly. "Yet Black continues to elude them."

Mrs. Weasley shuddered. "I get an awful sensation when I enter through those gates. The Dementors are horrendous."

"I don't like them any more than you do, Molly. But Cornelius seems to think that they will be of great assistance."

Mr. Weasley sighed. "Some help they were. Black's gotten by them twice. What does Fudge say to that?"

"Not much," said Dumbledore with a wry smile.

"What are you going to do now, Albus?"

"The Fat Lady is back where she should be. She wouldn't return without a personal guard, so I've assigned two security trolls to her. The passwords have all been changed. Filius is teaching the front doors what Sirius Black looks like. I will patrol the corridors nightly. Now that a student has been injured, I will not rest until I am assured of their safety. I would have never been able to live with myself if Ronald had been..."

"He wasn't," Mrs. Weasley interjected sharply. "And I have full faith that you will do everything in your power to keep Black out."

"I am grateful for your support, Molly. I only hope my power is going to be enough."

...

Ron was released from the hospital wing and in an attempt to avoid the persistent questioning he hid out in the library with his friends. He reviewed his Potions textbook half-heartedly. "This isn't what I had in mind when Pomfrey freed me."

"You can always go back to your common room," said Harry with a smirk.

"No way. They won't leave me alone. The combined efforts of my siblings aren't enough to scare them off, and trust me, that's saying something."

"Are you still going to be able to go to the hearing?"

"Yeah. My parents weren't sure, but I told them I'd be fine." Ron glanced at Hermione. "I'm sorry for not being around to help you make notes for Hagrid," he muttered.

"It's okay," said Hermione. "You had your own speech to worry about, and you're here now, that's what matters. Charlie and Harry were more than enough help."

"Hagrid really laid into Ron," said Harry with a grin.

"He did," agreed Ron. "Said he checked in on you once and you were crying."

"You didn't tell me that," said Charlie in surprise.

"He just picked a bad day to come see me, that's all," said Hermione with a frown. "It doesn't matter. Everything is fine, and Hagrid has his materials and Ron has a really good speech prepared."

"How's Neville doing?" Charlie asked. "I can't imagine he's too happy after the Howler his grandmother sent him."

"Oh, the Howler is the least of his problems," said Ron. "McGonagall gave him his sentence."

Harry gave his full attention, eyes wide with a twisted curiosity. "What did she say?"

"No one is allowed to give him the password for the rest of the year. He has to sit outside the common room until someone lets him in. She also banned him from the rest of the Hogsmeade visits for the year."

"Well, he'll be in good company," said Charlie with a sigh. "Though it's all a bit overboard for an accident, don't you think?"

Harry shrugged. "If someone was the cause, however indirectly, of the almost-murder of a student, then you would probably go overboard as well."

"I was almost murdered," said Ron slowly, a sort of dark pride on his features. "I survived Sirius Black!"

Hermione looked like she wanted to hit him. "That's not something to brag about!"

...

The next Hogsmeade visit was posted to the notice boards in the common rooms and outside the Great Hall. Ron waited until Hermione wasn't around before asking Charlie, "Are you coming?"

Charlie gaped at him. "Are you crazy? Of course not!"

"Why not?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't know. She was almost caught last time and she just got an official warning from Dumbledore. I can't imagine why she wouldn't want to sneak out with us."

"Shh!" hissed Charlie, looking over her shoulder. But the corridor they were in was empty. "Do you want me to get kicked off the Quidditch team?"

"That's only if Flitwick catches you," dismissed Ron.

"I am insanely lucky no one reported my presence in Hogsmeade the first time," said Charlie with a wince.

"No one knows you're not supposed to be there. Why would they report you?" said Ron impatiently. "Just stay under the Cloak this time."

"No."

Ron frowned. "Come on. If you don't go, I won't tell you lot how the hearing went."

Harry's eyes widened. "Whoa. Blackmail."

"For someone who hates Slytherins, you're really acting like one," said Charlie in annoyance. "I'll just ask Hagrid how it went."

"What if it doesn't go well? Asking him about it will just make him more upset than he's going to be."

Charlie glared at Harry. "Would you like to defend me? Tell him how this is a terrible idea?"

"Of course it's a terrible idea," replied Harry. "But that usually hasn't stopped us before."

"You can take Neville with you," persuaded Ron. "He's been really down lately. A trip to Hogsmeade will cheer him up."

"Wow," said Charlie flatly.

"Oh, way to hit her in the soft spot," said Harry with a grin.

"Think about it," insisted Ron.

"Fine, whatever," said Charlie, who was disturbed to realize she had a tiny inclination to consider it. "Do not tell Hermione. She'll kill me."

As the days wore on it became clear to Charlie that Hermione had every intention to skip the Hogsmeade visit so she could continue to tackle her seemingly endless pile of schoolwork. Neville only grew more depressed and desolate and there was nothing much that could lighten his mood.

Dumbledore will ground me to Ravenclaw Tower. Flitwick will take away Quidditch. Scarlet will hate me for the rest of my life.

And despite these thoughts churning through her head, she found herself approaching Ron in the Entrance Hall the day of the Hogsmeade visit. The hearing had passed and Charlie figured by Hagrid's absence at breakfast that it did not go well.

"Thirty minutes," she told Ron with a resigned expression. "I'll stay with you for thirty minutes."

"Yes!" Ron grinned widely. "Awesome. I'll meet you outside Honeydukes."

"You're a bad influence."

"Blame it on Fred and George. They're the ones that gave you the Marauder's Map. I'm just helping you utilize it."

Charlie spent most of the morning in her common room, polishing up some homework. Eventually the older Ravenclaws started to leave and Charlie stood. Hermione did not register her in the slightest and she was able to slip up to her dorm and grab her Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map.

This is so stupid. I'm so stupid.

She tucked her Cloak under her shirt and shoved the map into her pocket. She wandered out into the corridors and headed for the statue. She had just reached it when a voice called out to her.

"Charlie!"

Charlie jumped and whirled around. "Neville! Hey!"

The boy smiled happily at her. "I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either! Do you want to play some Exploding Snap?"

Well, perhaps this was fate. "Listen, Neville—"

"What have we here?"

Neville gave a squeak of fright and hid behind Charlie. Charlie hoped she didn't look as startled as she felt as Snape loomed over them. "Hello, Professor."

Snape arched an eyebrow. "A strange place to be hanging around, wouldn't you say, Potter?"

"We were just about to continue on our way," said Charlie quickly. "Sorry."

She dragged Neville down the corridor. "What were you going to say?" he asked when they were out of Snape's hearing range.

"I'm actually going to go to Hogsmeade."

Neville's brow furrowed in confusion. "But I didn't think you'd be allowed to go. Because of Black."

"You're right. I'm not supposed to be leaving the castle," admitted Charlie. "But, well, Ron really wanted me to go to Hogsmeade, and I know a secret passage that'll take me directly to Honeydukes."

"It's a secret passage that the professors don't know about?" asked Neville with wide eyes.

"It doesn't seem like it. I don't think it's the one Black is using to get into the castle, because he would need the password to get out, and I can't see how he would know that."

"I guess you're leaving, then," said Neville sadly.

"I was actually hoping you would come with me," said Charlie kindly.

"I would love to, but won't we get caught?" asked Neville nervously.

"There are a few things you're going to have to promise me," said Charlie carefully.

"Okay. What do you want me to promise?"

"Don't tell anyone about this secret passage, cover your ears when I say the password, and don't tell anyone about my Invisibility Cloak."

Charlie brought the shimmering folds into view and wrapped it partly around her body. Neville gasped in astonishment. "Wow! Those are so rare!"

"I know. It was my dad's."

"That's really nice," said Neville softly. "Of course I won't tell anyone, Charlie. I wouldn't want that taken away from you."

Charlie trusted Neville and knew he wouldn't go back on his word. "So long as we stay under the Cloak, we should be fine. But I don't want to stay longer than thirty minutes." She peeked cautiously around the corner and was relieved to see Snape was gone. "You ready?"

"Yeah!"

She led him back over to the statue. "All right, I'm going say the password now."

He promptly covered his ears. She spoke the password and the hump slid back. She motioned for Neville to go first and he hesitantly climbed through the hole. Charlie went after him and she pulled out her wand.

"Lumos!"

"It's so long," said Neville, staring at the stretch of shadows before him.

"It's not a pleasant walk," said Charlie, making a face.

The boy puffed his way along the passage and when they emerged through the trapdoor he gasped, "That took forever!"

"I know, right?"

She swung the Invisibility Cloak over them and they crept out of the cellar. They inched their way through Honeydukes and Charlie spotted Harry and Ron through the window. She went outside and stood close to them. "Hey," she whispered.

Ron jumped. "Bloody—! Don't scare me like that! What took you so long?"

"That passageway isn't an easy trek. I brought Neville with me, by the way."

"Hi, Ron! Hi, Harry!"

Ron beamed. "Brilliant. Come on, let's do some shopping. I'm running low on Chocolate Frogs."

They entered Honeydukes and when Charlie and Neville spotted something they wanted, they relayed it to Ron and Harry with the promise to pay them back later. When they were outside, they would huddle somewhere private so Harry and Ron could pass them their sweets, which they stashed in their pockets. They went into Zonko's next and Charlie and Neville were careful not to run into anyone as they browsed the shelves.

"Where next?" asked Harry as they finished.

"I haven't gotten a chance to check out the Shrieking Shack," spoke Ron.

"I don't know," said Neville uncertainly. "I've heard terrible rumours about that place."

"We won't go inside," promised Charlie.

They walked to the Shrieking Shack, which was an old, run-down house, which looked especially ominous against the white snow. Charlie frowned up at it. "Yeah. It's definitely creepy."

"Hey, Weasley!"

Neville made a strangled sound and Charlie flinched. "Oh, great."

Pansy and Draco stood at the crest of the hill of which the Shrieking Shack was perched upon. "I daresay this house is a vast improvement compared to yours," cackled Pansy. "Looking to move in?"

"Shut up!" snapped Harry.

"Did Weasel tell you how the hearing went?" Draco asked. When Harry went tight-lipped, he beamed. "Didn't think so. I bet he's even embarrassed by that brute's humiliating display."

"The stupid bird is getting the axe!" said Pansy gleefully.

"Get lost!" roared Ron.

Charlie was frozen. She had known, when she didn't see Hagrid that morning, that something must have went wrong. But she still had hope that Buckbeak wouldn't be put to death. Draco and Pansy, the ones who caused the whole incident in the first place, were happy about it. They were happy that a life was going to be extinguished, a life Hagrid loved dearly.

The snow around them all exploded as the anger surged within her. Pansy and Draco were thrown from their feet. Harry and Ron ducked, covering their faces against the spray of ice. Neville lunged backwards, startled, and tripped over Charlie's foot. He grabbed the back of her shirt and she went down with him, lying in a heap in the cold.

Pansy let out an ear-piercing scream.

Charlie glanced up and stilled.

Her foot was sticking out of the Cloak, stark against the pure white landscape, and very obvious there was no body attached.

The Slytherins took off running.

"Bloody hell!" hollered Ron. "Charlie—"

"We're leaving!" cried Charlie. "Come on, Neville."

They sprinted through Hogsmeade, with Neville wheezing behind her. They reached Honeydukes and they shuffled their way to the cellar. Charlie flung up the hatch and they descended. When they were safely in the passage Charlie flung off the Cloak.

"I'll go first," she said hurriedly. "Wait a few minutes before coming after me, and be very careful before coming out of the statue."

"Okay," squeaked Neville.

She raced down the passage and when she reached the end, she took a minute to catch her breath. She dropped her Cloak, for if a professor happened to catch her in the corridors, she didn't want them to find the Invisibility Cloak on her. She checked the Marauder's Map and paled when she noticed Snape was moving far too quickly towards the statue for her liking.

Oh geez.

She frantically wiped it clean and practically catapulted herself out of the hole. She hit the floor and started walking as casually as possible in Snape's direction. She came to a halt when he rounded the corner and his eyes narrowed.

"Hi," she said politely. "It seems we keep running into each other."

Not amused, he crooked a finger at her. Charlie reluctantly followed him down the corridors and into his office, where she obediently took a seat. "Sir?"

Snape crossed his arms and studied her. "I have just heard something rather peculiar. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson just reported to me that they were at the Shrieking Shack, talking to Mr. Weasley, who was with Mr. Lupin. All of a sudden the snow around them exploded, and when it settled, they found a shoe."

"Er, Ron's shoe?"

"No, Miss Potter. A shoe that very clearly had no body attached to it. They were terrified that they had somehow angered an apparition."

Well, that's not entirely wrong. They angered someone, all right.

She really needed to learn to keep her anger from unleashing into accidental magic.

"Care to tell me how that is possible?"

"I wouldn't know, sir."

"Where have you been this afternoon?"

"Wandering around, mostly. Nowhere specific. Just trying to pass the time."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"Probably not. I think almost everyone has gone to Hogsmeade, and I haven't seen any first or second-years in my wanderings."

"Where's Longbottom?"

If I'm lucky, back in his common room.

"I don't know," said Charlie honestly.

Snape slammed his hands against his desk and Charlie jumped. "Miss Potter, the entire Ministry of Magic and this castle is doing everything in its power to keep you safe from Sirius Black," growled Snape. "What I'm gathering is that you decided to go gallivanting off to Hogsmeade and ignore the rules laid out for you. Perhaps you are like your father, as I had initially thought."

Charlie winced. They were back on some familiar ground. "I'm afraid I don't know much about my father or the choices he made, sir," she said softly.

"He made choices that nearly got me killed, Miss Potter."

Charlie frowned at her hands. She recalled the time Dumbledore told her James had saved Snape's life. It had never occurred to her that her father and his gang may have been the ones to put him in that position in the first place.

"Turn out your pockets," ordered Snape.

Oh boy. This is not going to go well.

She unearthed the many sweets and arranged them on the desk. Her fingers brushed the parchment that contained the map. Praying that it would remain blank she set it with the rest of the evidence.

"What is this?" asked Snape, prodding the parchment suspiciously.

"Just an extra piece," Charlie said idly.

"So you won't mind if I just toss it in the fire?"

"Er, well, kind of. It is my parchment."

"You have full rolls of it, Miss Potter. I fail to see why this one is special. Does it help you get out of the castle undetected?"

"With all due respect, Professor, if that's what it's capable of, I would suspect I wouldn't get caught."

Snape glared sharply at her. "We shall see."

He aimed his wand at it and started casting a variety of spells in an attempt to force it to reveal the secrets he believed it hid. Charlie was horrified as inky black script slid over the parchment; a scathing insult that caused Snape to turn white.

Oh, please stop, Charlie begged silently.

But three more insults appeared, each worse than the last, courtesy of Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and Prongs. Charlie watched apprehensively as Snape walked silently to the fireplace and threw some Floo powder into the flames. He called into it and seconds later Remus stepped out. Snape held out the map.

"Miss Potter happened to have this in her pockets. Since it is capable of speaking back, I thought you might be able to assess whether or not the source is Dark Magic."

His voice dripped with acid and Remus picked up the map, slowly twirling it in his hands. "Not at all, Severus. It seems it merely insults those who tamper with it. More of a joke, really."

"I doubt this is something that came from a joke shop," said Snape furiously. "I am more interested if she received it directly from its creators."

Charlie was utterly baffled. "I don't know who any of those people are."

Before Remus or Snape could respond, the door burst open and Charlie jumped in her seat. Ron and Harry rushed in, red-faced from their sprint back to the castle. "We got her that!" wheezed Ron, gesturing towards the candy. "A long time ago."

"She's very good at rationing," gasped Harry.

"And how," said Snape in a slow, dangerous voice, "would you know to come to Miss Potter's rescue?"

"We heard Malfoy and Parkinson as they were running back to the castle," panted Ron. "Screaming about a foot without a body. We didn't see a thing. We thought you might think—well, because of you know—but she didn't."

"Very articulate," said Snape bitingly.

"But it explains your question," said Remus pleasantly. "It seems the matter is resolved. Come along, you lot."

The three wasted no time in following Remus out of Snape's office. "Professor—" began Charlie, but Remus cut her off by raising a hand.

"I happen to know that this map was confiscated many years ago. I care not that it ended up in your possession, but I'm stunned that you didn't turn it over to a professor considering the circumstances. I'll be holding on to this, Charlotte."

Charlie nodded. It was probably for the best. "Yes, sir. Um, why did Professor Snape think I had gotten it from the creators themselves?"

"Making you run all around Hogwarts grounds is the sort of thing they would have found funny."

Ron looked awed. "You knew the makers?"

"I've met them," Remus said vaguely. "From now on, Charlotte, I will not cover your blatant rule-breaking. I would have thought that you would have appreciated your parents' sacrifice for you much more than this. But I was wrong." His gaze levelled on Harry and the boy paled. "Tomorrow morning, you and I are going to have a talk. Enjoy the time with your friends while you still have it."

He disappeared around the corner and Harry groaned. "And I was worried about you getting caught."

Ron flinched. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I shouldn't have convinced you to come with us."

"I knew it was a bad idea. I still did it. Come on, we better check on Neville."

"You left him in the statue?" asked Ron in bafflement.

"Let's just say I'm not entirely certain he came out of his own accord."

They approached the statue and Ron muttered, "We'll keep watch."

Ron stationed himself at one end of the corridor while Harry went to the other. After a few seconds they gave Charlie the go-ahead and she said the password. Sure enough, Neville was still there, white and shivering with fear. His face crumpled with relief at the sight of her.

"Charlie—"

"Shh, not now." She reached a hand down and pulled him up. "I'd suggest going back to your common room. If anyone asks, anyone at all, we didn't spend the day together, and you were somewhere in the castle. Preferably your dorm. I doubt anyone else went into your dorm during the Hogsmeade visit."

"Okay," said Neville, seeming to gather his wits now that the danger seemed to have passed. "Charlie? Thank you. I really did have fun."

Charlie smiled. "Me too. Up until the end, anyway."

Neville scampered off and the three began to walk down the corridors. They encountered Hermione, who had a letter clutched in her hand and her face was streaked with tears. Harry frowned. "What's wrong, Hermione?"

"Hagrid just got the official notice," said Hermione. "He lost. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

"Well," said Harry heavily. "This day just keeps getting better and better."