Author's Note- Guys, I got bit by the writing bug because I am just cranking out these chapters left and right. Fair warning though, I may be a little delayed in my posting for Part 2: The Goblet of Fire so don't expect anything else this week. And look what I did! Severus is starting off our chapter today. I know, this is really weird but awesome at the same time. Hope you enjoy the final installment of Part 1: The Prisoner of Azkaban! On to the story!
Chapter 7: The Murderer, The Wolf and The Misunderstood
Severus
Where the fuck was Lupin? Severus had this year's final batch of Wolfsbane with him and the ungrateful son of a bitch wasn't even there to drink it. If he had to go find Lupin, he'll force the bloody thing down his throat. Lupin had five minutes before he left the DADA office.
"Severus, sorry I'm late. I was talking to Dora and-" Severus shoved the vial into Lupin's face and said,
"Thanks to your flamboyant flirtations with a child, I'm going to be late for my meeting. But please, don't stop on my account." Severus was about to leave when Lupin whispered,
"No sign of Peter?" Severus sighed before turning back to the wolf. His imitation of a lost puppy was actually impressive.
"None. The only saving grace Pettigrew has is that we aren't going to kill him when we find him. God knows what Black will do if he found the rat first."
"Let's hope that things will clear up after the students leave. But if they want to do anything to Harriet, it would have to be soon." Lupin did have a point. Miss Potter was being shipped off to Minerva's sister's house the moment school ended. She would remain there until Minerva finished upgrading the wards again. Or when Black, Pettigrew, whoever the hell they were looking for, was caught. Miss Potter's safety was paramount and there was no way in Hell she was going to get hurt on his watch.
"Severus, I know that my being here upset you a lot and I'm sorry for it. But thank you for watching over Harriet when I couldn't. It means a lot to me." God dammit, Lupin. Stop making everything seem like a big deal. Of course he was going to protect Miss Potter. It was his job. Severus decided to pretend like he didn't hear anything and walked out.
His godson was waiting for him in his office when he arrived. Draco sat in the chair he always sat in. When Draco was as young as three, Narcissa implored Severus to watch over the boy while she and Lucius enjoyed multiple vacations. At times during the summer, he would babysit Draco for a good three weeks before they returned. Due to the ample amount of time Draco spent in his godfather's care, Draco learned very quickly that Uncle Severus didn't not put up with his bratty bullshit. One perfect explain of this was when Draco was five and spent a week at Hogwarts with his Uncle. The elder Malfoys insist on taking their second honeymoon that year and Severus, even though he was working at a boarding school, had to watch Draco.
"Uncle Severus?" The little blond boy asked as he looked up at his really tall godfather. They had just left Malfoy Manor and had flooed into Severus' office.
"Yes, Draco?"
"Can I go home?" Severus groaned at the question. That child had the most indecisive mind Severus had ever met. One minute, Draco wanted to be anywhere but the Manor. The next, he wanted to go home.
"No child, we are staying at my home for the week. Your mother and father are away, thus you are under my care until they return."
"But Imma big boy, Uncle Severus! Mummy said so! Dobby can watch me!" The brat's voice got louder with every sentence.
"Draco, when inside, soft tones must be used. We are not hellions in the saloon. Also the proper English is 'I am', Draco. Do not butcher the Queen's English."
"What's that?"
"Never mind. Come along, Draco, let's put away your things in your room." Yes, Severus had a little room in his quarters for Draco. Minerva teased that with all the practice he got from babysitting Draco, he would be a great father. Yeah, like that would ever happen.
"No!" Draco shouted, a tantrum building up. "I wanna go home!"
"Draco-" Severus started but the brat had crocodile tears forming.
"No! No! No! I want Mummy!" Then his godson, the heir to the proud and well-mannered Malfoy family, started to kick and scream.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Severus raised his voice. At the extremely stern and cold tone, Draco stopped and gulped when he saw the anger on Severus' face.
"Mr. Malfoy, raising your voice and kicking may get you something in the Manor but here, under my roof, it gets you nothing but a good hour staring into a corner. When the hour is over, we will discuss your atrocious behavior." As Draco sulked into the corner and sat in the chair that he deemed was his chair, Severus exhaled.
Draco was probably going to be closest thing he would ever have for child and Severus swore that he would never hurt Draco like his father hurt him. But at times Severus didn't know how to deal with Draco and his memories of his father's 'disciplinary measures' would enter in. Of course, Severus shoved those thoughts back into the Hell they came from. However, the fear that he would become his father was still there.
The hour pasted swiftly and Severus sat Draco across from him. Draco had calmed down during that hour and actually look apologetic. Severus did pity the blond child before him. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy did love their son but they expected him to be an adult from the womb. They had forgotten that Draco was only a child, a child who needed to be told what was right and what was wrong. And if they weren't going to do it, then Severus will just have to bear the burden. After all, no godson of his will have deplorable behavior on his watch.
"Draco, what did you do wrong?"
"I was a bad boy. I talked in a loud voice. I didn't listen to Uncle Severus."
"Do you understand why that is wrong?"
"'Cause you're the grown up and I have to listen to you. I'm sorry, Uncle Severus." While Draco did know what he did wrong, he still looked upset.
"Draco, what is rule number 3 when I'm here?"
"If I'm upset or hurt, I come get you and you fix it."
"Indeed, what is wrong?" But even still, Draco looked reluctant to say anything.
"Draco, look at me child." Draco raised his eyes to him. "You will not be in trouble. I promise. Say whatever you have to say. I won't be offended by anything you have to say." Finally, the Malfoy heir spoke in a timid voice.
"I wanted to stay at home because that means Mummy and Father are there. I don't like it when they leave." Well, that explained why Draco wanted to go home so quickly. In fact, the child looked ready to cry. Sighing, Severus lifted his arms out to the boy. Draco quickly ran into his godfather's lap and started to sniffle into the man's chest. Severus rubbed the boy's back gently and waited for him to calm down.
"Draco," Severus spoke after a few moments. "I'm sorry that you get hurt whenever your parents leave. It's perfectly understandable. You have every right to miss them. However, know that they will return. They always do, don't they?"
"Yeah." The boy had the audacity to wipe his nose on Severus' clean robes. The nerve of that brat. "But why can't I go with them?"
"I'll tell you when you're older." The last thing he wanted to do was explain Lucius and Narcissa's sex life to their five-year-old son. Nope, not happening.
"Now, would you like to unpack your bag?"
"Yes, Uncle Severus. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
"Hey, Uncle Severus."
"Mr. Malfoy, while your exams are over, school is still in session. I will be addressed as such."
"Yeah, yeah. Man, you're such a stick in the mud sometimes."
"Cheeky brat." He lightly swatted his godson's overly gelled hair.
"Hey!"
"I was under the impression that my godson was a wizard, not a horse."
"Oh ha, ha. Very funny." But Draco was smiling, not caring that his godfather enjoyed teasing him.
"So, I was wondering if I could come visit over the summer. Mum and Father planned another vacation." Severus groaned light heartedly at this.
"How long is it going to last this time?"
"Until the World Cup. Can you believe that England didn't make it again? If I was on the team-"
"They would go up in flames after watching you play."
"Uncle Severus! I'll have you known I'm a great Seeker!"
"Then why don't I have the Cup on my desk?" Draco blushed before saying,
"Fine, Harriet's a better Seeker. Anyway, so can I visit?"
"Has that ever stopped you before?"
"No, but I remember a certain git of an Uncle telling me that assumptions would only cause me to make an ass out of myself."
"Good, my hours of forcing etiquette down your throat have not been in vain."
It's a fucking miracle. Miss Granger did not have the highest grade in Potions this year. In fact, she had fallen to fifth place. Miss Potter and Draco tied each other for the top spot. Maybe next year, Miss Granger won't be so annoying as she always was. Who was he kidding? She'll probably be worse when she finds out Miss Potter out scored her.
Speaking of Miss Potter, she didn't show up to their final lesson before summer started. Odd, the girl never missed a lesson. She was surprisingly punctual. Severus thought nothing of it. It was past 20:00 when Severus spotted something very odd out of the window while he was patrolling the halls. He was in the tower that had a perfect view of Hagrid's hut, the Quidditch field and the Whomping Willow. He casted a charm to enhance his eyesight before he peered out the window.
A large dog was dragging a red haired something towards the Whomping Willow. Wait, was that the youngest Mr. Weasely? Running after the animal and red thing appeared to be two girls. One had bushy brown hair and the other had long… black… hair. He ended the spell.
"Fuck me sideways." He cursed as he started to sprint to the exit. What the bloody hell was that girl doing? Mark his words, that girl's going to be the death of him.
He ran into Lupin in his hurry to get outside. No, literally, he ran into him. Lupin was rounding the corner the same time he was. Just my luck. Severus thought has he rubbed his lower back. Lupin had completely wiped out on his arse while Severus was able to save his dignity and catch himself.
"Where's the fire, Severus?"
"Lupin, what was Black's animal form?" Severus demanded. Lupin looked confused.
"A large dog or a Grim. Why?"
"Because he just attacked Miss Potter and her friends." Severus said as he started to run again, Lupin following. They made it outside in record time to see Miss Granger going down underneath the Whomping Willow. Of course Black would use that place. Of course. Lupin realized it too but Severus won't allow him to wallow in self-pity.
"Come on, Lupin. We got a murder to catch."
"Do you mean Sirius or Peter?"
"We'll find out when we get there."
Every Day I See, a Little More of My Father in Me
Harriet
"What do you mean, Harry? She's nuts." Ron stated as he looked at the still out of breath Harriet.
"Ron's right, Harry. All she does is get drunk off of her sherry." Hermione added. Harriet sighed before telling her friends the prophecy. Silence filled the room before Hermione said,
"I'll believe it when I see it. That woman is nothing but a fraud." Ron looked like he wanted to argue with Hermione but he once again stopped himself. Yes, all of those talks about reigning in the Weasely argue issues are working. Good job, Ron!
"Alright. Never mind. Come on. Hagrid wants to see us." Yesterday, Hagrid had invited the Golden Trio to an after dinner tea. It was a good thing it was after dinner because Hagrid's tea cakes were inedible.
Hagrid was waiting for them at the door. As they 'ate', Hagrid asked them for suggestions on what he should do next year. Hermione kept spouting out different creatures and all Harriet wanted to say was 'less deadly creatures, please.' Honestly, if Hagrid was allowed to, he would have the class fly dragons. God, what a stupid idea. Just as they were about to leave, Fang sniffed loudly then growled at Hagrid's milk jug. Then, the jug moved.
"Ron, look!" Hermione said as she picked up the thing behind the milk jug. "It's Scabbers!"
"Scabbers!" Ron shouted and snatched his rat from Hermione. "Don't you ever run away like that again! No treats for you." Once Ron finished scolding his rodent, the trio thanked Hagrid and headed back to the castle. However, they wouldn't reach it.
"Well, sorry again Hermione. I was a git." Ron said and blushed in embarrassment.
"Apology accept-" The sound of loud squeaking cut Hermione off. Scabbers was squirming like mad, trying to free himself from Ron's grasp.
"Scabbers, stop moving ar- Ow!" Ron shouted as the rat bit him. The pain caused Ron to drop Scabbers into the grass.
"Hermione, after that rat!" Harriet shouted as she took off after Scabbers, Ron and Hermione right behind her. For whatever reason, Scabbers headed away from the castle, towards the Whomping Willow. Ron, who had longer legs than either of the girls, reached out and picked up the rat again.
"Stop trying to-" A growl cut through the air. "runaway…" Ron finished timidly as they turned around. Blocking the Trio's exit to the castle was a large black dog. No, a Grim. It growled some more before leaping through the tiny gap between Harriet and Hermione. The girls jumped to the side when they heard a large thud and Ron shouted,
"Ow! Shit! Bloody Hell! Get off of me!" But the Grim only tightened his hold on Ron's leg and began to drag him at an extremely fast rate towards the Willow. Hermione and Harriet started to sprint after their hurt friend. The Grim continued to drag poor Ron across the ground. When the beast met the Willow's base, the tree didn't attack him. No, it appeared to be frozen in place and the lack of movement in the branches revealed a good size hole in the ground.
The Grim dragged Ron and Scabbers down that hole and Harriet heard the awful sound of a bone breaking. Not caring about the rabid animal, Harriet jumped down the hole, Hermione following behind more attentively. There was a tunnel, it seemed, leading to some place Harriet didn't know. Not that she cared. She just followed the sound of Ron's shouting.
"Ron!" Harriet yelled as she busted into a room? A room with moldy furniture, boarded up windows and doors and nearly no light what so ever. Ron was moaning in the corner, holding his broken leg and trying very hard not to cry. The girls were about to run to him when he yelled.
"Save yourselves! Get out of here!" Then, there was a laugh. A laugh the scared the living shit out of Harriet. It sounded hollow, as if the speaker had lost his soul and could never retrieve it. Hermione and Harriet ran away from the laugh, closer to Ron. Close to where they had entered was a man. A man about Professor Lupin's height that looked awful. He had shoulder length black hair like Professor Snape but that was where the similarities ended between the two. His body was skeletal. His eyes a dead blue color. He wore prisoner's clothes that hung extremely lose on his figure, as if they had once fit him but now were only there to cover what need to be covered. He looked like death rolled over. Yet, Harriet recognized him. Oh, she remembered his laughing face. That image of him would forever be burned into her memory. Harriet, even though she was trembling, stood in between her friends and the mad who laughed.
"Black." She whispered through the quiet. Then, the most interesting thing happened, Black's eyes watered. A sign of recognition entered his watery eyes before he breathed out.
"Harriet? Pup? Is that you?" He held out his arms towards Harriet and started to take a step forward. Harriet quickly raised her wand and said,
"Protego Maxima." A bronze shield formed a second wall that kept Black back against his side of the room. Black actual looked impressed. He pressed his hands against the shield and knocked on it. The shield held strong.
"Wow Pup. When I thought about how I was going to meet you again, this wasn't what I was expecting." He had the audacity to chuckle.
"What, were you expecting me to go down quietly as you killed me like you did my parents?" Harriet hissed out, her wand still pointed at the killer. Black's face showed genuine shock before sadness took over.
"Harriet, Pup. I did kill your parents. There's more to the story that you don't know."
"You're right, I don't know the full story. What I do know is you laughed. You yelled out that you killed them. Professor Dumbledore even confirmed that when he casted the spell on my parents, you were the secret keeper. I don't know the full story and I don't want to." Anger and hatred poured out of Harriet with every sentence. Black toke a step back as Hermione whispered,
"Harry, calm down. I think he may be telling the truth." Harriet's head whipped around to stare at her best friend. Had she gone insane?
"Why do you say that?" Harriet asked suspiciously. Ron looked at Hermione like she was crazy too. He held Scabbers in a near choking grip.
"He would have killed us by now if he wanted to." Hermione reasoned. Harriet sighed and returned her gaze back to Black.
"All right. I'll listen."
"Thank you Pup. Professor Dumbledore did cast me as the original secret keeper. However, James got anxious. He and I heard a rumor that a spy was among us. We decided that Peter would be the less obvious choice. We didn't tell the Headmaster or even Lily about the change. We just did it. But Peter was the spy. And I regret the decision every day for the past 12 years. We were betrayed by our friend, yes, but it was my idea that killed them." Black choked up. Harriet remained silent and looked everywhere but Black. The candles were flickering, Scabbers was squirming, and the wallpaper was peeling.
"Blood hell." Whispered Ron.
"Oh dear." Echoed Hermione.
Was he telling the truth? Was he innocent? If he was innocent, it would have been on his trial record. And she had read everything she could about Black. She even read the, wait, she didn't read the trial record. She couldn't find it. But what if… God, what if?
"Did you have a trial?" She asked suspiciously.
"No."
"So that's how Pettigrew escaped incarnation all this time. Crouch just throw you in there, didn't he Black?" Harriet's head turned towards the passage way. Oh thank God.
"Professor!" The relief in her voice was palpable. While she could easily subdue the weak and malnourished Black, it would certainly be easier with Professor Snape there. Professor Lupin followed Professor Snape as the Potions Master marched into the room. When he reached her side, she felt the now familiar check of his magic, monitoring wither or not she was harmed. Then, Professor Snape did something very shocking.
"Stupefy." He casted. The red spell hit Scabbers dead on.
"What the bloody hell did you do that for, you greasy git?! You killed Scabbers!" Perhaps Ron needs a lesson on why you shouldn't insult teachers. Again.
"I did not kill him, Mr. Weasely. Merrily stunned him is all. Also, twenty points from Gryffindor for insulting a teacher." Then Professor Snape nodded to Professor Lupin, who Accioed Scabbers into his hand.
"So you believe him?" Harriet asked the dour man at her side. He nodded.
"As much as I hate to admit that I was wrong, in this situation, I am. I guess I owe your sorry arse an apology, Black. But then that would mean I would have to be nice to you and that will never happen." Black, err, Sirius, whatever you wanted to call him, glared at the professor.
"Shut it, Snivellus. Who in the right mind would make a dark bastard like you a professor? And get away from my goddaughter!"
"Sirius, stop this. Severus is on your side for once. He's trying to clear your name. And now that we have Peter, we can!" Professor Lupin said with excitement as he placed the rat on the ground.
"Sirius, do you have a wand?"
"No, I didn't."
"I see. Severus, if you would join me in doing the honors."
"If I must." The two professors pointed the wands at the rodent. Ron looked ready to protest but Hermione slapped her hand over his mouth to stop him.
"Homini revelare." Then the rat grew in size. The body modeled into that of a short and stubby human man. His face was actually pointed like a rat's and he certainly had the teeth of a rat. He had a beer belly and his clothes were two sizes too small. He smelled like a rat. And, just like how Scabbers was missing a toe, the man was missing a finger.
"Hello, Peter." Sirius hissed. The rodent man gulped before taking a step back. Harriet dropped her shield around Sirius and watched as Professor Snape, Professor Lupin and Sirius Black surrounded Peter Pettigrew.
"Scabbers?" Ron questioned out loud. Hermione looked god smacked. Harriet did nothing but watch as the scene unfolded in front of her.
"Sirius, Remus, Snivel- Err, Severus. Lovely to see you all again. Fancy seeing you here." Pettigrew said nervously as he backed himself into a corner.
"You traitor!" Sirius yelled as Professor Lupin grabbed his shoulder to stop him from attacking Pettigrew.
"Sirius, please, the Dark Lord would have killed me if I didn't fake my death. I regret what happened to James and Lily and you but he would have killed me if I didn't tell him."
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius screamed at the cowering man. "WE WOULD HAVE ALL DIED FOR YOU. YOU BETRAYED THEM! HARRIET'S AN ORHPAN NOW! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT THEY ARE DEAD! JAMES IS- is dead. He's dead." Sirius broke off as the tears fell from his eyes. The heartbreak was evident in Sirius' entire being. As Professor Lupin comforted the escaped convict, Professor Snape stunned Pettigrew and had ropes wrap themselves tightly around the traitor's body.
Harriet didn't know what to do next. What could she do? The man the hated almost as much as Voldemort was a victim too. The real murder was hiding under the cover as a Weasely pet for the past 12 years. What could she do? What could she say? A hand grasped her shoulder. She looked up and saw Professor Snape staring down at her. An understanding passed through them. He would handle the situation. He would fix the mess they were in. All would be well.
"Snivellus, get your dirty hands off my goddaughter." Well, Sirius recovered quickly. Seeing as I just met you and you have no control over my life…She glared at Sirius before defiantly wrapping her arm around the Potions Master's, as if he was going to escort her out. Which he did, of course, while levitating the stricter he created for poor Ron, Hermione trailing behind them. Professor Lupin levitated Pettigrew out of the shack with Sirius closing up the rear.
"I can't believe that's Scabbers. Yuck! I had him sleeping in my bed!" Hermione tried her best to console Ron. Meanwhile-
"Why is she letting that Slimy Slytherin touch her? And why doesn't she look like James? She looked like James when she was a baby." Sirius moaned as Professor Lupin tried to answer him. Of course that would be the only things that mattered to my MIA godfather, some hatred he has with my Potions professor and why I don't look like my father. Really, Sirius, fantastic first impressions you're making right now. Gold star for your effort. Ah, sarcasm, oh how we missed you so.
"Something the matter, Miss Potter?" The baritone voice hooked her in and made her deaf to all of the other conversations.
"I'm a little confused on the details. Care to fill me in?"
"What do you know so far?"
"Sirius was the original secret keeper and switched with Pettigrew in fear of a spy among that order the Headmaster created. Pettigrew was actually the spy for Voldemort. We know the rest. What I want to know is how you found out that Scabbers was Pettigrew?"
"Lupin informed me that Pettigrew's animal form was a rat. Mr. Weasely lamented loudly in class the other day over his lost rat. The final clue was the rat's missing toe. Pettigrew was said to be completely destroyed in the explosion that killed the 13 muggles. The only thing that remained of Pettigrew was his little finger. If I had to hazard a guess, Pettigrew used Bombarda to cause the explosion, cut off his finger, then escaped as a rat." Hm, that was actually a great plan. He nearly got away with murder.
Harriet was about to answer when a white light her back. Her blood ran cold. Professor Snape tensed too. No, not tonight. The full moon had risen. The pair turned around quickly as Professor Lupin hunched over.
"Oh no, I was right." Hermione stated in fear.
"Lupin, tell me you didn't do anything to the potion!" Professor Snape demanded as he quickly shoved the students behind him.
"Ok, I won't tell you." Now is not the time for jokes, Professor!
"Lupin!"
"I may have added sugar to make it go down easier." Professor Lupin gasped. Professor Snape turned to yell at them to escape when a thud sounded. Harriet saw the ropes fall as Pettigrew shifted into a rat and ran away.
"Peter!" Sirius shouted and was about to chase after him when Professor Lupin howled.
"Children, get out of here! Don't look back!" Professor Snape ordered as Professor Lupin's clothes tore off his body and in his place was a large and gruesome werewolf. Fuck.
"Caveam argentum!" Professor Snape shouted and a silver cage began to form around the wolf. But the wolf was quick and escaped before it was complete. The wolf charged at the man when Sirius transformed into a Grim and jumped onto the monster's back. Harriet watched in horror and fear as the wolf grabbed Sirius by his neck and flung him back into a large rock. Then he charged at Professor Snape. Whose eyes held fear in them but he remained bravely in-between the wolf so that he could protect his students. Even if it killed him. No!
Suddenly Harriet was closer to the ground and moving faster than she had ever moved before. She leaped in front of her professor and roared at the wolf, who backed up at the Regina Leaenis' powerful and dangerous cry. Professor Snape used the distraction to cast another spell.
"Quietus Bestia!" The sleep spell hit the werewolf square on. Professor Snape held the spell on the wolf until it collapsed. Another silver cage formed around the sleeping lycanthrope. Curtains fell on the cage, shielding others from the view of the beast.
"Bloody hell." Ron and Hermione whispered in unison.
Harriet shifted back into her human form and felt light headed. Mama had warned her that after her first complete shift into an animal, she would lose consciousness due to magical exhaustion. Black edges were creeping in on her eyesight. Then the temperature dropped to below freezing.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harriet yelled out in unison with Professor Snape and began to drive back the hundreds of Dementors that came to surround the group consisting of the Girl-Who-Lived, a convict, a wolf, a Potions Master, the book-worm of Gryffindor and an injured Weasely.
Her raven soared straight through the Dementors and they began to fall back and escape. A doe, silvery and beautiful, galloped after the stragglers. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Dementors left in fear of the Patronums. By then, half of her vision was black and her knees trembled from magical and actual exhaustion.
"Sir, I'm going to-" She couldn't finish her sentence as she pitched forward and collapsed on the ground. Or at least, she would have if Professor Snape hadn't caught her.
She came to in the Hospital Wing. As she looked around, she saw Ron and Hermione fast asleep at her side. Mama was passed out in the chair she had placed next to her bed. Professor Snape and the Headmaster stood at the doorway and spoke in soft voices. Harriet couldn't wait to get out of bed and tried to. Her movement alerted the two men in the room.
"Miss Potter, lay back down. You need rest." Professor Snape ordered as he and the Headmaster approached.
"Sirius! What happened to Sirius?" She asked, the worry evident in her voice.
"Perhaps it would be good for Miss Potter to view the memories as well?" The Headmaster suggested. Professor Snape looked ready to protest but stopped himself. Memories? Then the Headmaster summoned a large bowl with a clear liquid. In the liquid, images appeared. Amazing.
"Harriet, my dear, this is a Pensieve. It allows people to insert memories into the liquid so that others may see it. All you have to do is dunk your head into the liquid. No harm will come to you. You have my word." The Headmaster explained as Harriet sat up. She glanced at Professor Snape, who looked upset by the fact she was about to enter the Pensieve. She gave him an apologetic smile before diving in.
"Sir, I'm going to-" Harriet watched through Professor Snape's memory as she crumbled to the ground. His arms caught her before she received another head injury. Now Harriet understood why he didn't want her to see the memories. His thoughts were as clear as day to her.
"Shit, not again." Thought the professor as he cradled Harriet's limp body in his arms. "Even though it was Lupin's utterly fucking incompetence that caused her transformation, well done, Miss Potter." If she could, she would have blushed at the praise.
"Miss Granger," He spoke out loud this time. "according to Professor Flitwick, your levitating skills are adequate. Bring Mr. Weasely to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey contact the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall immediately."
"But Sir-" He turned to glare at Hermione.
"Miss Granger, when I give you an order, I expect you to carry it out." Hermione gulped.
"What about Harry?"
"I'll bring her to the Hospital Wing after I send Black off. Now go!" Hermione yelped and her friends headed to the castle. The professor glared at the cage, the fury and disgust in his face.
"Fucking stupid Lupin. Everyone with half-assed Potions skills knows that adding sugar to any potion nullifies the fucking effects of the potion. Just my shit luck, the one fucking day I don't watch him drink the potion, he fucks it up." Wow, who knew Professor Snape cursed so much.
"Tinsel, Tori." Professor Snape called out as two House Elves appeared. They wore clean uniforms with some crest on their shoulder that Harriet didn't know where it was from.
"Yes, Master Severus?" They squeaked in unison.
"Bring that cage back inside the Shrieking Shack and seal it in there. I'll get Lupin tomorrow morning, if I feel like it." He ordered. The two elves saluted him and carried out what was ordered. Now all that was left was Sirius.
"Black! Get up!" Then Professor Snape wandlessly shot water at the downed man. He woke up with a yelp.
"Snivellus, what the hell?!"
"Black, if you want to live to see the morning, you have to leave now. Hagrid has hippogriffs in the pen. Take one and get the fuck out of England. Once you're out of the country, contact the Headmaster."
"Why the fuck should I listen to you, you bastard?"
"Because I'm the only one saving your sorry arse from the Dementors. Pettigrew escaped and without him, you will never be free. You are no good to Miss Potter dead so get off your arse and go!" Sirius looked ready to protest again before he glanced down at Harriet's body. Harriet didn't realize how angelic she looked until now. The nutrition potions she took this summer allowed her to grow naturally. Seeing herself in to Potions Master's arms made her look more like an adult than a child.
"I really fucked up? Didn't I?" Professor Snape was polite enough not to reply with a smart-assed comment, even though Harriet knew he wanted to. Sirius sighed before he asked timidly,
"Can I hold her? I haven't held her since she was a baby."
"Don't drop her." Sirius held her to his chest and tears filled his eyes again. He peppered kisses on her forehead before saying,
"I'm so sorry, Princess. Padfoot's screwed up again. I'll be back soon and this time, I won't let anything happen to you. I love you." He kissed her forehead one more time before handing her carefully back to Professor Snape. As Professor Snape turned and headed towards the castle, Sirius yelled out,
"Snape!" Harriet could tell the Professor Snape was surprised that Sirius didn't insult him again. "When I get back, I'll kick your sorry arse for touching my princess! But until I do, take care of her!"
"Fuck off, Black." Sirius didn't even respond and Harriet was pulled out of the memory.
"Well, my dear, how was your first experience with a Pensieve?" Headmaster Dumbledore was far too cheerful for one in the morning.
"Enlightening." Harriet said sleepily. "May I go back to bed?"
"Of course. Albus, let's head out. We have to think of a way to tell the Aurors why three students were out late after dark."
"Capital idea, Severus. Capital."
The last day of school came and Harriet found herself in Professor Lupin's office as he packed. While he was certainly the best DADA professor they had so far, the risk of him staying was too great now. Beside, someone need to make sure Sirius stayed in hiding and not do something stupid.
"Harriet, before I go, I wanted to give you something that your father, Sirius and I created." Harriet raised an eyebrow as he passed her an old piece of paper. Then Remus, as he wanted her call him now, placed his wand on the paper and said,
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The paper expanded and unraveled. An entire map of Hogwarts laid in Harriet's hand. Then Remus said,
"Show me Harriet Potter." A dot with Harriet's name popped up in the room titled 'DADA's Office.' Wow, this was actually pretty cool. Then the map started to write out words.
Mr. Prongs, Mr. Padfoot, Mr. Moony and Mr. Wormtail would like to welcome Miss Harriet Potter to the Marauder's Map
Mr. Prongs would like to say that Miss Potter is a beautiful young lady and that she isn't allowed to date until she's 30.
Mr. Padfoot agrees with this statement.
Mr. Moony would like to say that he hopes that Miss Potter had good grades.
Mr. Wormtail would like to say that he wants Miss Potter to kick everyone's arse at Quidditch.
Well, Harriet wasn't expecting that for a welcoming. Who are these Misters and why does it feel like she knows them?
"Who are they?" She asked.
"That's us, the Marauders is what we called ourselves. I was Mr. Moony, Peter was Mr. Wormtail, Sirius was Mr. Padfoot and James-"
"Was Mr. Prongs. Thanks, Remus. This is really cool."
"Your welcome. I wanted to give it to you sooner but Severus and I were using it to find Sirius and Peter."
While she was slightly disappointed that she wasn't on the Hogwarts express with everyone else, she was glad to be at home. That day, she entered her room and thought about how her life change. While her year was filled with stress and Dementors, it was the best year of her life so far. She got a Mama, a room of her own, a home. She added new friends. Her grades were fantastic and she won the Quidditch Cup this year. Technically, Voldemort didn't attack her this year, which is always a plus. Her tutoring under Professor Snape and Mama was a complete success. And, her tutoring with Professor Snape was going to continue next year. All in all, this year had been pretty great.
"Harriet?" Mama called from the living room.
"Yes, Mama?" She asked as she entered the sitting room.
"How would you like to go to the Quidditch World Cup this summer?"
"Really?! Yes!"'
Author's Note- And we are done with the Prisoner of Azkaban! This was so much fun to write and I really hope you guys liked it! I would really appreciate it if you guys would tell in the reviews how you feel. Do you like Harriet? What do you think about my Severus vs JK Rowlings'? Should I added more spunk to the action scenes? (Actual, that's probably going to happen more in Part 2) Anyway, tell me your opinions in a nice and constructive way and I'll make sure to take it into account when I write the future chapters! I love you guys so much!
-V.I. Winthrop