REVISED. 5/22/13.

The man before shook his head slowly as he watched her carefully.

"Forget I asked you," he told her rather frivolously. "When was the last time you've been hearing heartbeats?"

Kirsten watched him carefully. She could tell he didn't believe her and mentally cursed herself. With the amount of time she spent around the professor, he was more than able to read her. Unfortunately, he was able to pick up whenever she was lying or hiding something from him.

"Earlier today," she told him, avoiding eye contact and frowning. "I've been hearing them almost every day now. It's driving me mad. I don't know how much you know … but it's like someone is constantly punching me in the head. Sometimes the pain spreads throughout my body and I can't even walk. And" – she paused, not knowing if she should admit this to him – "recently I – I just need to keep this under control, professor."

She couldn't admit it to him. What was she going to say? That she feels bloodthirsty whenever the pounding was incessant. That she wanted to grab ahold of the people making her suffer and rip them apart? And it wasn't helping that she was angry with Harry. She didn't want to harm him, or anyone for the matter, in any way – maybe just a punch or two – but it definitely did not help her condition. If she didn't know any better, she would say that it made her more aggressive.

Yeah, he definitely would think she's gone insane.

"What's wrong, Kirsten?"

Loose black curls fell into her eyes as she looked at him from his seat. Tucking her black hair behind her ears, she gave him a small smile and tightened her grip on her mug. The smile cleared from her face in seconds as he caught the fake smile. She could practically feel the bags under eyes dragging her down more so than usual. They have felt considerably heavy over the past few days.

"My life," she answered, not meeting his eyes. "I just need your help with this whole heartbeat shit. It hurts like hell."

She didn't mean to use that dull tone of voice, or swear, but she no longer cared. Everything seemed to drive her mad.

"Then let's get started."

It had been a week since Lupin began teaching her how to control the heartbeats. The castle was pretty much empty as she wandered the halls to the library one morning. She had been holed up in the library since the beginning of break and was able to successfully avoid Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kirsten wasn't deliberately trying to avoid them. She spent this time trying to successfully finish up her remedial assignments, practicing spells, researching Buckbeak's case, and daily lessons with Lupin. Today she was working on something entirely different. After taking a walk around the castle several days ago, she was thinking about the conversation in the Three Broomsticks. Something didn't add up to her. So many questions filled her head.

Wouldn't James Potter be able to notice if his best friend was acting strange? Why choose somebody blatantly suspicious? If Sirius Black truly wanted to kill Harry the deed would have been done when he was a baby. Why not kill Hagrid and take Harry from him afterward? And why not escape Azkaban earlier? Why now?

As she was turning a page in her book, she felt something tremble in her sweater pocket. Her brow furrowed into a frown. What the hell?

Kirsten then felt a weight she hadn't noticed, and looked down to see a lump moving. She almost screamed bloody murder as a hairy something protruded from her pocket. Instead she pulled the damn thing out and threw it on the table. Upon closer inspection, she realized what it was.

"Scabbers?"

The rat in question didn't scurry off just yet, trembling as it looked at her. More bald patches covered his body showing even more bare skin than she's ever seen. He was shaking as he stumbled to a stand on the table. She could tell the rat was going to scurry off and grabbed ahold of him quickly.

"Now what were you doing in my pocket?" she whispered, staring at her friend's pet curiously. Her eyes narrowed at the rat and she felt the rat's skinny body squirm in her hands. "Calm down or I'll feed you to Crookshanks."

Kirsten found it odd how he became still in the next second. Almost as if he understood her. Her eyes narrowed even further at the animal. Now that she thought about it, Scabbers seemed a little too perceptive. And the last time an animal was that perceptive, it didn't necessarily turn out to be an animal as she remembered the night she ran away.

And it didn't help that Scabbers weirded her out with the way he would stare at her. The way it felt as if somebody was watching her.

The rodent was as still as can be in her hands. He didn't move since she threatened him. She studied his little frame. He wasn't looking any better since she first met him during the summer holiday. She frowned as she remembered that he looked sickly then too. And that was before Crookshanks came into the picture.

So what was Ron blaming Crookshanks for?

Upon closer inspection, she observed Scabbers and saw that he only had three fingers instead of the four he had on his other front paw.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

She could feel the sharp prod pounding against her head, and immediately let go of the rat. Instead, she clamped her hands around the edge of the table and shut her eyes tightly. Breathing in deeply, she tried everything in her to calm the anger building up inside of her like Lupin told her. To focus on the heartbeats instead of the pain it caused.

The heartbeats stopped in seconds and Kirsten breathed out a grateful sigh. Her grip on the table loosened and her eyes widened at the cracks along the wood. She almost ripped the edge of the table apart.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised and she felt the sense that someone was watching her. Her eyes wandered along the rows of bookshelves and then onto the table to find the gaze of the Scabbers. A sigh escaped her lips and she swept the rat into her hands.

The last thing she expected was for the rat to go insane. With his incessant squirming, the rodent almost escaped her death trap of a grip. Something sharp pierced her hand and she saw Scabbers teeth clamped down with blood trickling down the side of her hand. She squeezed even tighter.

"Stop," she commanded, her eyes daring the rodent to keep going. Her voice was so low that it no longer sounded like hers.

The rat stopped his squirming and removed his teeth from her hand immediately.

There was no way this rat was normal. Not at all.

"Your rat better not have any diseases."

Kirsten dumped the rodent in the red head's lap. Her grey eyes focused on Scabbers as he buried himself somewhere deep in Ron's pockets.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?"

Kirsten looked up to see Ron, Hermione, and Harry staring at her. She ignored Harry's eyes the best she could as she gave Ron the ghost of a smile. She hardly saw Ron during the week but that could be because she was avoiding Harry. Lupin told her she shouldn't be near those who would provoke anger in her.

"I've been in the library finishing some work," she told him. "Remedial potions is killing me."

"What happened to your hand?" Hermione asked. Kirsten glanced down at her hand to see the blood covering the bite Scabbers gave her.

"Scabbers decided to bite me," she told the bushy haired witch, then glanced at Ron with a small grin. "You sure he's a rat, mate?"

Ron stared at her like she was mad, his mouth openly gaping at her.

"Close your mouth, Ron. It's not a good look," Kirsten advised him, her small smile growing wider. It was funny how small interactions with Ron could put her in somewhat of a good mood. Maybe it was because of his direct attitude towards her. She was even willing to look in Harry's direction. And she did just that.

"I'll guess I'll see you guys around," she said. "Off to Madam Pomfrey."

The black haired witch exited through the portrait hole, leaving the three Gryffindors alone in the common room.

"I think she's gone mad," Ron whispered, his eyes not leaving the portrait hole.

"Oh shut up, Ron. I'm going to check on her," Hermione said, quickly standing up and hurrying after the witch.

There's no way Scabbers is a common rat.

Thoughts about the rat flooded her mind and the grin was soon wiped off her face. It wasn't just how abnormally perceptive he was. She remembered Ron telling the witch at the apothecary how old the rat he was.

Twelve years.

And just how long does the average rat live to be? Approximately three to four years, according to the witch. And she was an expert on animals and their ailments. Something wasn't right.

Kirsten heard footsteps approaching from behind, breaking her from her brooding moment. She turned around to find Hermione racing to catch up with her. Her grey eyes met with Hermione's chocolate brown ones, and the bushy haired witch didn't say a word as they walked to the hospital wing.

The black haired witch didn't need to search for the woman, seeing as she was walking towards her office.

"Again? It's only been a week!" the woman exclaimed. Kirsten just smiled kindly at the woman and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I should move in here," she said. The woman scoffed at her cheeky retort as she grabbed the young witch's hand.

"I'm certain you'll find a way to hurt yourself either way," Madam Pomfrey told her. Kirsten smirked at the woman's reply in appreciation. She thought it was funny that the amount of adults in her life increased drastically since she found out she was a witch. There was no way Madam DuPont was as relaxed as Madam Pomfrey was with her.

The young witch frowned as she thought about the woman. The last thing Kirsten has heard about the woman and the orphanage was that officials from the Ministry of Magic questioned everyone according to the letter she received month ago. Due to her disappearance, the Ministry of Magic have been investigating her whereabouts.

"Now what on earth bit you?" Kirsten shook her head from her thoughts, focusing on the healer. She realized the woman led her to a bed to sit on. And that she already cleaned off the dried blood with a tap of her wand.

"Just a rat," she told her nonchalantly. The woman scurried off, possibly to find a potion Kirsten could take to ward off any possible infection.

"Why were you in the hospital wing last week?"

Kirsten's eyes landed on Hermione.

"Harry's tantrum ended with me slammed against a cottage," she told her, her lips twitching up. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Kirsten, why didn't y –"

"It's in the past. Now we're arguing in the present. And I'm not exactly happy with him now," Kirsten said, surprised herself with how calm she was. This was a boy who she never argued with during their primary school days. It had only been two years till she saw him again on the Knight Bus.

Before Hermione could say anything, Madam Pomfrey bustled toward Kirsten. The woman tended to her bite in a matter of minutes. With a stern look and a warning from the healer, Kirsten was off with Hermione by her side to the Great Hall.

"So, how's your week been?" Kirsten asked her friend. "Ron still down your throat about Crookshanks?"

"Ron's being absolutely ridiculous," Hermione muttered angrily. "I've had it with how he thinks Crookshanks is only after Scabbers."

"He is, isn't he?" Kirsten commented, raising a brow. She hasn't seen Hermione this frustrated and angry, and thought it was slightly humorous.

"And he is blaming me. Scabbers' practically our age. He should've died ages ago," she said, continuing to vent.

"Yes, the repulsive thing should've died ages ago."

"Are you just agreeing with what I'm saying?" Hermione questioned with a raised eyebrow. Kirsten returned the look, though a small smile could be found on her lips.

"I thought you wanted me to agree. And I definitely was not kidding about the repulsing part," she told Hermione. "Oh come on, keep ranting about dear old Prince Charming, it's actually entertaining."

The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes, but Kirsten swore she could see a tiny grin forming on her face.

"But Scabbers really should've been dead before now come to think of it," her voice curious. "And it's bothering me."

"So Ron isn't?"

Hermione sent her a look and Kirsten held her hands u in defense. They clearly had some issues to settle.

The two witches entered the Great Hall and sat down at the vacant Gryffindor table, due to it being Christmas break.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

Kirsten turned to look at Hermione and understood her question.

"I'm fine. It's a little funny now that I think about it," Kirsten told her, though no trace of a smile could be seen on her face. "That me and Harry would be such good friends… just like our parents. And I can see how Sirius is my father. I mean, look at me. Look at my eyes. I look like a female version of the man."

She wanted to take that last part back. She had no clue what he looked like before Azkaban. But she's seen him in person and in pictures. Azkaban did not do him any good. The man looked like a bloody corpse.

"Okay, I take that back. I only resemble him in a small amount at the moment, I'm afraid," Kirsten said. "He's not attractive in the slightest, so until he looks decent we don't look alike."

The look on Hermione's face was priceless.

A/N: Thanks ladies and gents ;)