Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

"Riddikulus!" Neville shouted and Snape was in a dress.

"Pavarti! Forward!" He shouted and Pavarti stepped up to take on the boggart. We were in our first DADA class of the year and Lupin had proven to be amazing. There was a boggart in the wardrobe in the teachers lounge and well, it was up to us to get it out. A boggart was something that would turn into the thing we feared the most. Like Snape was obviously Neville's biggest fear. I wondered what mine would be. The strange cold voice that murdered my parents? Voldemort who murdered my god-parents? What? I honestly had no idea. But I couldn't wait to find out. Ron had just taken the legs off of his spider and I stepped up. In front of me was a flowing black cloak over scaly rotting hands and my insides went numb.

"Riddikulus!" I shouted and the dementor was a black balloon soaring away and I could breathe again. Harry stepped up but before the boggart could do anything Professor Lupin stepped in front. An off white orb hung in front of him and he flicked his wand lazily and the boggart dropped as a cockroach.

"Neville finish him off!" Lupin called and with a crack Snape was in front of us again. Neville swiftly made him appear in a dress then gave a shout of laughter and it was gone.

"Well done class." Lupin said looking at all of us, "Five points to Gryffindor for everyone who tackled the boggart, ten for Neville because he faced it twice and five each for Hermione and Harry."

"But I didn't do anything." Harry said, almost pouting.

"You answered my question at the beginning." Lupin explained. "Very well everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me…hand it in on Monday. That will be all." We all made our way out of the room all talking excitedly about conquering our biggest fear. I didn't know I was that afraid of the stupid dementors. I felt so weak. Other people had mummies or bloody eyes but I had a dementor.

"Hannah?" Harry asked as we walked towards lunch.

"Hmm?"

"Why…do you think Professor Lupin didn't let me face the boggart, but let you." He sounded hurt and I thought that this was possibly the first time he's ever been jealous of me.

"I don't know Harry. There is the possibility he doesn't know that I was with you or maybe he just spaced when I got up there." He nodded.

"Okay. Thanks." WE walked the rest of the way in silence.

DADA soon became the favorite class. Professor Lupin was the best teacher we had had yet and he let us actually do things, like the boggart. Some other classes weren't as fun. Like potions or even, as much as I hate to say it, Care of Magical Creatures. After the first lesson Hagrid had toned it down but it might have been too much. Let me tell you, flobber worms are disgusting. Then we had Quidditch. Wood was in his final year at Hogwarts and determined to get the Cup. Gryffindor hadn't won it since Charlie Weasley had been Seeker. So during our first team meeting Wood was a little frantic.

"Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now. I mean, okay we've had the worst luck. Injuries and the tournament being called off last year." He paused glancing in my direction briefly. "But we know that we've got the best—ruddy—team—in—this—school." He said punching his fist into his hand on every word. "We've got three superb chasers. Two unbeatable beaters."

"Oh stop it Oliver, you're embarrassing us." The twins said in unison pretending to blush.

"And we've got a Seeker that's never managed to lose us a match." Wood looked at Harry with pride, "And me." He added as an afterthought.

"We thing you're very good too Oliver." George said.

"Spanking good Keeper." Fred agreed.

"Point being, for the last two years we should have won. Ever since Harry joined. But somehow it slipped by. And this year is the last year we'll be able to see our name on the thing." He spoke so dejectedly that even Fred and George looked sympathetic.

"We've got it this year Oliver." I said. "This year, it's in the bag. We're going to get it if it kills us." I stood up next to him and looked at the team. "Who's with me?" The room erupted in cheers and I smiled. "See Oliver, we've got it." He looked at me and smiled.

"You're right. Now let's go!" We all raced onto the field and were in the air. After that we had practice three nights a week and the weather got wetter and nastier. Wood often kept me after to talk strategy and review practice. After one particular grueling practice followed by a LONG meeting I trudged back up to the common room wet muddy and tired. I climbed through the portrait hole and was met by shouts.

"CATCH THAT CAT!!!!" Ron roared. Crookshanks tore past me chasing Scabbers and George lunged to catch him but missed. The cat chased Scabbers under a chest of drawers and stood spitting under them. Hermione picked him up and Ron managed to pull Scabbers out by the tail.

"Look at him! He's skin and bones! Keep that cat away!" roan snapped at Hermione. I caught Harry's eye and rolled my eyes. He nodded and we both headed to our dorms.

"How was the meeting?" he asked.

"Good. I mean, it was a strategy meeting. How exciting can it be?" he smiled and nodded his head. Hermione and Ron's shouts carried up the stairs.

"They are going to kill each other over this." He muttered.

"I know. So besides the pet wars did anything else exciting happen?"

"Well the first Hogsmeade trip is coming up." He said dejectedly.

"Oh. I'm sorry about that Harry." I whispered. He shrugged and turned to me one last time.

"Night Hannah."

"Night Harry." We went our separate ways. I hopped in the shower and crawled into bed falling fast asleep. The next Morning Harry resolved to talk to Professor McGonagall about his slip. After she had dismissed the class he went up to talk to her while Hermione, Ron and I waited.

"Ron, I am sorry that Crookshanks scared Scabbers but you must realize cats do that." Hermione said, trying for an apology.

"Yeah. I get that. It's just the fact that there are other rats or mice in the castle and Crookshanks only seems to want Scabbers." Ron snapped back.

"For the sake of all things good and holy," I snapped at both of them, "There is something bigger than your stupid pet problems going on here. Harry is trying to get to Hogsmeade sure that's big but you know what? There is also someone trying to kill him." I looked at the two in silence. They looked at each other then back at me. Hermione sighed and nodded her head.

"You're right. Sorry." She mumbled.

"Agreed." Ron said. Then the door to McGonagall's office swung open and out walked a dejected looking Harry.

"Hey, how'd it go?" I asked.

"She won't let me go." He sighed and walked ahead, leaving the rest of us with a guilty feeling in the pit of our stomach. That night at dinner everyone tried to get Harry's mind off of Hogsmeade. Hermione and Ron had dropped the whole pet thing and even the twins had seemed sympathetic. After dinner Hermione and I went straight to our dorms and found Lavender and Pavarti sitting together. They shot Hermione a nasty glance then ignored us completely.

"Mind explaining?" I asked Hermione.

"Her bunny died and she got the news today. And you know what, today happens to be the sixteenth of October." She rolled her eyes and grabbed a book off the side of her night stand.

"Oh, well that sucks. But why does the sixteenth of October have anything to do with this?" I asked glancing at Lavender again.

"Don't you remember? Trelawney said 'The thing your dreading most will occur on Friday the sixteenth of October.' Load of poppycock." She glared again at Lavender then buried her nose in her book. I stood up and went over to Lavender.

"Sorry about your rabbit." I said. She looked up in surprise.

"Really? So you don't side with her?" I shrugged.

"Regardless of whether Trelawney was right or not, your rabbit is still dead and that sucks, so I'm sorry about that much. Night." I gave her a quick one armed hug then crawled into bed.

Halloween finally came and everyone was excited about Hogsmeade. Well except Harry of course. Before we all left we promised Harry we'd get him sweets from Honeydukes and stuff from Zonko's but it didn't seem to help. I gave him one last hug and smile. He tried to return it but I could tell he was too disappointed. And then we left. The village was more than I could have expected. The first stop was Honeydukes. The minute you walked in the smell of chocolate and all the other sweets over whelmed you.

"Oh my god. This is amazing!" I said looking at all the sweets that just by looking at them made me feel as if I had gained about five pounds. "I want everything!" Hermione nodded and the two of us headed towards the chocolate while Ron just stared at us.

"What is it with witches and chocolate?" He asked frustrated. I smiled and shrugged. Once we had gotten quite a bit of candy for both us and harry we headed to Zonko's. It was like walking into Fred and George's heaven. Jokes and pranks of every square inch of the place. Ron, who had much better knowledge about this than we did, chose some stuff for Harry with Hermione while I walked around the shop. Looking at all the stuff I could see how hard it could be to resist everything. I saw Ron and Hermione walk up to the counter with some dangerously fun looking pranks and I joined them. We paid for our stuff then walked out into the chilly air.

"Well, where too next?" I asked, "We only have about half an hour." I said checking my watch.

"Really?" Ron asked baffled.

"Yeah, we spent a lot of time in Honeydukes. And Zonko's for that matter." I turned around looking at the street. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks."

"Excellent choice." A voice said behind me. I turned and saw the twins standing next to Hermione and Ron. "We were on our way there our selves. Now we can all go." George said. He and Fred led the way and the three of us followed. We sat down and Fred ordered us butterbeers. We sat in quiet for a while then Fred spoke up.

"So did you guys like Zonko's?"

"The first thing you ask is about Zonko's. Really?" I asked.

"Yes really. Did you like it or no?"

"I liked it." Ron spoke up, "We got some awesome stuff for us and Harry."

"I personally liked Honeydukes better." Hermione offered.

"Ah, well Honeydukes is amazing. I love their Orange Sherbet Balls. They make fly." George said in a high pitched voice. I looked at him and he smiled. "Well not fly but levitate."

"Right. Can I ask where in the world you got that high voice from?" I asked. He just shrugged. Then our butterbeers came and we talked until it was time to leave. We walked back up to the castle with the two older Weasleys then split ways when we got to the Great Hall.

"Well munchkins, it has been a pleasure." George said bowing to us with a smirk.

"But we must depart. Until we meet again." Fred said following his brother with the bow then they turned and left.

"Munchkins? Really? I mean, really?" I asked as we walked to the Gryffindor table looking for Harry. He was sitting looking better than he had when we left. "Hey you." I said sitting next to him.

"Hey yourself." He replied.

"Hey, look at all this junk we got you." Ron said digging in his pockets for the Zonko's stuff and Honeydukes candy which he piled on the table for Harry. Harry's eyes widened as he looked at all of his stuff.

"Wow you guys. Thanks. Man I wish I had been there." He dropped back into his sulky mood for just a second then was back.

"Don't worry. You'll go next time." Ron started, "I mean, they'll catch Black by then right?" He looked at Hermione and me for support. I didn't trust myself to say something positive if I opened my mouth so I just nodded.

"But I'm sure you had much more fun here." I said sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah. I mean you guys think you're lucky, it's nothing compared to what I did. Like who doesn't want to see Professor Lupin possibly get poisoned?" Harry said matching my tone.

"What?!?" The three of us asked.

"Well I was walking around the halls, feeling very Hannah-ish, when I ran into Professor Lupin. He invited me to his office for tea and we talked. Then Snape came in with a smoking goblet and Lupin drank it." Harry finished and we all looked at him like he was nuts.

"He DRANK it?!" Ron exclaimed. "Is he mental?"

"Either that or he actually trusts Snape." Hermione pointed out.

"Which is likely. How is he to know Snape wants that job with a passion?" I asked taking a sip of water whishing with all my heart it was butterbeer.

"Except I told him that part." Harry stated simply.

"Well then he must be mental." Ron said again.

"But why would he try to poison him if harry was sitting there?" Hermione asked.

"Good point." I said.

"But…" Harry began.

"Look, let's just drop it okay? Let's enjoy the feast and just be in the moment okay?" I practically begged.

"Carpe diem?" Hermione offered.

"Yes! Exactly. Or if we want to go French, we could say 'saisir l'occasion.'"

"Or German and say 'nutzenden tag'."

"OR," Ron interrupted, "We could just be English and say seize the day."

"Oh Ron, don't take the fun out of everything." Hermione sighed but shot me a mischievous look. The rest of the feast went well. The ghosts were the evening's entertainment and Nick did an excellent job of reenacting his botched beheading. Everyone was in such high spirits by the end of the feast, that Harry didn't even really mind the teasing he was getting from Malfoy about the dementors. Again. As we reached the corridor that lead to the portrait hole we found it jammed packed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron asked.

"Not sure." I replied standing on my tiptoes to attempt to see. "I am possibly the shortest third year ever." I concluded when I couldn't see anything.

"Well you are quite short." A voice said from behind me. I turned and saw Fred and George grinning at the four of us.

"Don't I feel loved," I muttered, "Well then oh tall ones, can you see anything?" I asked.

"Nope." Fred replied.

"Joy."

"I always seem to be standing next to you in times like this." Fred mused.

"I know right? I mean last year too."

"What?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.

"Nothing." I said shaking my head. Just then Percy came barging through ordering people out of his way.

"Someone get Professor Dumbledore now." HE said. Without a second thought I raced away through the halls shouting at the top of my lungs for the headmaster.

"PRPFESSOR DUMBLE DORE!!" I called as I ran down the flight of stairs, "PROFESSOR…."

"Yes Miss Potter?" An even voice said from my left. I turned out of breath to see Professor Dumbledore in a doorway.

"Uhhh, Percy…told me to come get you…well not me but some….one." I said trying to catch my breath. "Something happened at the portrait hole." He took one last look at me then swept up the stairs. I followed him back to the corridor and right up to the portrait hole. The canvas that normally housed the Fat Lady was ripped to shreds. Little pieces littered the floor in front of the doorway. He turned to see Snape Lupin and McGonagall striding towards him.

"We need to find her. Professor McGonagall please fetch Mr. Filch and tell him to search all the paintings in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky." A voice from above cackled. It was Peeves.

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked calmly and Peeves quailed a little. No way would he back talk to Dumbledore.

"Ashamed, Your Headship sir. Doesn't want to be seen. Horrible mess. Saw her running through a landscape on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful." He said happily, "Poor thing." He added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?"

"Oh yes Professorhead. He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in you see. He's got a nasty that Sirius Black.

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The staff quickly found a replacement for the Fat Lady but it ended up being Sir Cadogan who changed passwords every hour and kept challenging people to duels. But he was the only one who would take the job. The Quidditch season drew closer and wood, again, was freaking out. Our first match was supposed to be against Slytherin but Malfoy was milking his arm injury that Buckbeak had given him for all it was worth. So in the end we played Hufflepuff. It was raining and visibility frankly sucked. The teams marched out onto the field and the captains shook hands. They played for awhile but it was getting darker and I wondered if Harry could even have a chance to see the Snitch in the rain plus dark. The whistle blew and Wood gestured everyone to the ground. He looked around the stands then saw me and waved me down as well. I raced down to the wall that separated the stands from the field and jumped it. I landed weirdly but ran over to my team, Hermione on my heels.

"What's the score?" Harry asked.

"We're fifty points up," Wood supplied, "But if we don't get the Snitch we'll be playing into the night."
"Well I can't see with these." Then Hermione spoke up.

"Give them to me." She snatched Harry's glasses out of his hands and pointed her wand at them. "There, I've put a water repelling spell on them so you'll be able to see." Wood looked as if he could have kissed her.

"Alright team!" He said ad we huddled closer as Hermione returned to the stands, "We've got this. Harry find that Snitch, and find it fast. Hannah, I want you to stay here so you'll be ready if we take another time out. Got it?" I nodded. "Alright! Let's go!" The team soared into the sky and I pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders. Harry had spotted the Snitch and was racing Diggory for it. Then it got even colder and my breath caught in my chest I looked around and directly to my right I saw a hundred dementors coming in the Pitch, only yards away from me. My knees buckled and I collapsed fighting to stay awake.

'No! No please not Hanna!' A woman called out.

'Shut up girl. Nothing can save you.' The same cold voice I'd heard before snarled.

'NO!!' she called even louder.

'Avada Kedavra. Not you. I can't kill you.'

'No! Not the children! Not Harry! Not Hannah! Please!' a new woman was saying.

'Stand aside, you silly girl! Stand aside now!' a shrill voice demanded.

'Not Harry! Not Hannah! Please no take me instead…' The world around me was getting darker and quieter except the voices. 'Please have mercy!' A cold peal of laughter then screaming and I was out.

"It all depends on the points….a margin of 100 either way…." A voice was saying. I opened my eyes but it was too bright. I opened them again and looked around. I was in the hospital wing with the entire Gryffindor team around me and Harry, who was on the bed next to me.

"Hannah!" the same voice said. I looked over and saw it was Fred.

"Hi." I whispered. I sat up and felt my head spin but needed to sit up. "What happened?"

"You collapsed. Right next to the dementors. Harry fell off his broom. Thought he died but both of you are okay!" he continued trying to sound happy but looking very strained under the mud.

"Right." I looked at the rest of the team and registered Wood missing. "Where's Wood?"

"In the showers still. We think he's trying to drown himself."

"Why?"

"We lost."

"Ah. Great. By…"

"One hundred points. Diggory wanted a replay after he saw that Harry was down but it was too late."

"God that sucks." By now Madam Pomfrey had noticed Harry and I were up and shooed the team out.

"Hannah, you alright? You were only like two yards from all the dementors. Harry was hundreds of feet above and he passed out so are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied easily.

"Did anyone get my Nimbus?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Harry it, it smashed into the Whomping Willow. No one could catch it.' Ron said, dumping the remains of Harry's broom on his bed.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I whispered. He shook his head and was silent as Ron and Hermione left. What a great first Quidditch match huh.

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"Hello?" I asked stepping through the open door into Professor Lupin's office.

"Hannah, there you are. Been wondering when you'd join us." Lupin said as he lit one of the lamps in the darkening room.
"Sorry. I was down at Hagrids helping him with Buckbeaks case then that head case Sir Cadogan wouldn't let me into the Common Room to get my wand and, yeah." I explained.

"Well no matter, you're here now. Harry has already tried it three of four times so I'll let him rest." Lupin walked towards a trunk that was moving ever so slightly. "I found another boggart and it's the closest thing to a dementor we'll get. Now the incantation is expecto patronum. Got it?"

"Expecto Patronum. Got it."
"Now, I need you to think of your happiest memory that is what powers the patronus. You ready?" I nodded. "Alright, try it right here without the boggart okay." I nodded again.

"Expecto patronum!" I said confidently thinking of the picture of my mom and Lily that was in Harry's album. A blast of silver came out of my wand. "HA!" I said looking at a smiling Lupin.

"Excellent. Now, ready to try it against a dementor?" Without allowing me to answer he opened the trunk and a dementor flew out. I took a deep breath and pointed my wand at it.

"Expecto patronum!" I shouted and a shield of silver flew out. But I lost my concentration on the picture and it disappeared. The same voice I heard at the Quidditch Pitch entered my head.

'NO!'

'Not you. I can't kill you.'

"Hannah! Hannah!" A stronger voice called. I came to and saw Lupin and Harry kneeling over me. "You alright?" Lupin asked handing me some chocolate.

"Yeah. I can hear my mom being murdered and then Lily. God this sucks!"

"You get both? Wow."

"Okay. Well let's go again." I said standing up.

"Hannah, you sure?" Lupin asked.

"Yes no open it up before I change my mind." In my head I pictured the photo and smiled. "Here we go." The trunk popped open and out came the dementor again. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" I yelled and before I knew it a silver tiger flew out of my wand and the dementor shrank back.

"Excellent Hannah! Now finish off the boggart!" Lupin said.

"Riddikulus!" The boggarts turned into a balloon and flew back into the trunk. I turned to Harry and Lupin and grinned. "Well Harry, you might have gotten a Firebolt but I can produce a patronus." He glared at me then turned back to Lupin.

"Let me try again." He said.

"Harry, you've done it enough tonight. Give it a rest." Lupin replied gently. Harry turned and walked out the door fuming.

"Opps." I said.

"I'm not sure he liked that."

"No, he didn't. He's not used to me being the one getting attention. But you know what? He is going to have to deal for at least once." Lupin laughed.

"You remind me of someone I once knew." He said studying me.

"Really? Who?"

"I can't quite place it. Maybe a few people."

"Oh okay. Well I had better go. I'll see you later Professor." I turned and walked out of the room.

"Goodbye Hannah." I heard him call after me. I saw Harry not too far ahead of me and ran to catch up. He was talking to Professor McGonagall and they were both smiling. I looked from one to the other and saw Harry was holding his Firebolt.

"No way! You got it back?" I asked. He nodded.

"Well you two had best be headed up to the common room. I shall see you both later." She turned and walked away leaving Harry and me speechless. We finished walking to the common room and saw Neville standing outside the portrait hole.

"What's up Neville?" Harry asked.

"I made him tell me all the passwords he was going to use this week and wrote them down but now I've lost them and I can't get in." He said defeated. I looked at Harry who shrugged. He said the password and we all went in. Harry was immediately ambushed by people asking about his broom. I smiled at him and then headed towards the back of the common room where Hermione sat.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've found quite a bit of information Hagrid can use for his trail." Just then Ron walked past and she looked the other way.

"Umm what was that?"

"I just…" She looked at me with tears in her eyes and broke down. "I just wanted Harry to be safe, and if he wouldn't turn in the map then I had to tell Professor McGonagall about the broom! I mean, who would send him something that expensive?" She looked imploringly at me.

"Oh Hermione! I'm sorry." I squeezed her hand and looked her in the eye. "I agree with you. I'm just so spacey that I wouldn't have said anything."
"But there was nothing wrong with it!"

"But there could have been Hermione!"
"I guess." She said watching someone else come towards us. It was Harry.

"Can I sit down?" he asked timidly.

"I suppose so." She moved books off of the chair so he could sit down.

"How do you get through all of this?" Harry asked looking around at her books.

"Hard work I guess." She said tiredly.

"Why can't you just drop a couple subjects?" Harry asked.

"I couldn't do that!" She said sounding scandalized.

"Arithmancy looks awful." I said looking at her book.

"Oh no! It's my favorite subject!" She said earnestly, "It's…" But what she was about to say was drowned out by a strangled yell down the hall.

"What…" Harry began as Ron ran down the boy's staircase dragging his bed sheet

"LOOK!" He yelled at Hermione more than anyone. "LOOK!"

"Ron what---"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" By now Hermione was leaning away from Ron looking bewildered and a little scared. I glanced down at Ron's sheet and saw something red that made my stomach clench.

"BLOOD!" Ron yelled at us again. "HE'S GONE AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?!?!"
"No Ron we don't." I snapped trying to get Ron off of Hermione's case. Wrong idea. HE whirled on me and dropped something onto my lap. A small pile of what seemed like dust. But on top of the dust were a few long spiky cat hairs. "Oh snap."

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I lost my flashdrive then found it again. But that was after me trying to catch up on sleep lost in Berlin. Anyway I'll try to have the next chapter out soon. Please review!