Hello! I'm baaaack! Found myself some internet and that means I can update the story asap since we're in the final stretch now! Thank You to my ever-so-kind and patient readers Paulaa90, HPUni101 and a new reviewer Radio Free Death. Now without wasting any more time, let's get down to the slightly more action-y stuff... or at least my attempt at doing so! Hope you like it! ^_^
"Is Beaky going to be okay?" Rose asked Sirius, sounding scared for the Hippogriff; she had grown fond of Buckbeak over the past several months and to suddenly see him injured was frightening.
"He's a strong animal love, he'll be okay in no time. Don't worry." Sirius, who looked grim, sat down beside Buckbeak as he tended to the creature's wounds.
There was not much for Rose to do as she stood next to Sirius, save being able to keep Buckbeak calm. She was slowly caressing his feathers while Sirius worked with bandages and magic; there was blood on the wooden floor but Rose did her best not to look at it.
They had no idea how something like this could have occurred. This morning had started off as usual, just a regular June day, with the two of them waking up and making breakfast together before checking in on Buckbeak and he most certainly had not been injured then; it seemed that somewhere between late afternoon and early evening when Sirius and Rose were relaxing in the library did something happen. And yet, no one had visited the house all day long… not even Mundungus… which meant that there was only one explanation for this.
"Rose. I need you to go and find Kreacher. Now." He spoke softly but in a firm tone and when Rose heard him call her by her name, she realized what he was trying to say.
"Okay…" Rose was a little worried now, she hadn't seen Kreacher around very much lately but if he was here and had done this to Buckbeak, it was hard for her to understand why. She trusted Sirius and knew that even though he was upset, maybe there was a simple answer to all of this.
However, just as Rose started to head downstairs and go searching for Kreacher, the door suddenly was thrown open as Lupin entered, looking worried. He was wringing his hands and the moment Sirius stood up and turned to face his friend, Rose could tell that something was very wrong.
"Moony? What is it? What's wrong?" Wiping the blood from his hands, Sirius stepped away from Buckbeak and observed Remus closely; he hadn't seen his friend like this in a long time.
"It's Harry." Lupin said, as he tried to remain calm and explain what he had only just learned himself a few minutes ago.
"What happened to Harry? Is he okay? Where is he?" Sirius was seconds away from bursting out the door and running out of the house, but he needed to know where Harry was before he did anything rash.
"He's trying to get to the Ministry. Something happened while he was giving his O.W.L.s. and Snape said…" Tensions were already running high in the room and once Lupin mentioned Snape's name, Sirius interrupted him before he could say anything else.
"Snape? What does he know?" Frowning deeply as he tried to make sense of what Lupin was trying to tell him, Sirius didn't understand what Snape had to do with all of it.
"He's here. He told us that Harry had some vision… of you being tortured at the Ministry… Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort is going to attack." That was all Lupin managed to say before Sirius didn't hear anything else as he ran downstairs.
Rose followed them hastily, wondering what had happened to Harry… this day was starting to be a stressful one for everybody. She heard Lupin saying something about the Ministry and Dumbledore's name but didn't know what it meant. In no time, Sirius had already reached the living room and saw Tonks, Mad-Eye, Kingsley and… Snape standing there, getting ready to… fight? Whatever was going on with Harry, it was a serious matter no doubt. Rose had never seen Snape very often for she would retreat to her bedroom whenever there were Order meetings and he was not one to stay behind afterwards like the others would.
"Black! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Snape sneered at Sirius when he saw the other man starting to join the group.
"I'm going after Harry." Sirius said bluntly, not caring about why Snape was in his house. He didn't know anything but the fact that he had to go and help his Godson.
"No." It was one word, but Rose could hear the tone in Snape's voice and knew that things were getting much more intense.
"I wasn't asking for your permission Snivellus." Snapping his head to glare at Snape, Sirius scoffed, not wanting to waste his energy arguing with him of all people. Harry was his only concern right now.
"Dumbledore's orders are for you to stay put Black. He's on his way here and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to explain everything to you." Snape wasn't about to back down; he was here at this time only because Dumbledore had ordered him, regardless of his own opinion about the foolishness that Harry was getting himself involved in.
"I'm not going to sit around and just be ordered around by everyone! My Godson is in danger right now; he has no idea what he's walking into and if you don't get out of my way Snape, you're going to regret it." Sirius's voice rose as his temper started to flare up; he wasn't going to let anything happen to Harry if there was something he could do to stop him.
"Sirius… maybe there's a way to stop Harry before he does something reckless." Lupin placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to talk some sense into his friend. "Snape said that he saw Harry and Hermione going into the Forbidden Forest with Umbridge; they were being detained by her. Maybe he's back at the Castle now." He knew that the others were watching Sirius carefully, seeing him act first and think later; it was dangerous waters, but Lupin only wanted to make sure that they had all the facts before rushing in blindly.
"The mirror." Sirius breathed, "I can talk to Harry and tell him that I'm right here and I'm okay then maybe…" And suddenly, for a second, everything was calm once more.
"What is he talking about Remus?" Kingsley suddenly spoke up, having watched this entire panicked exchange playing itself out.
"It's a two way mirror." Sirius explained as he crossed the room, opening all the drawers, trying to remember where he had left his half. "I gave one to Harry before he left for Hogwarts after Christmas. We haven't really used it… keep missing each other… but maybe he has it on him now." Tossing everything out, his frustration started to return when he couldn't find the mirror anywhere.
Rose, who was standing on the staircase, looking at Sirius frantically searching for something suddenly realized what he meant by two way mirror. It was that tiny piece of glass which he carried in his pockets sometimes; he had told her about the magic behind it and how two pieces were able to be used to talk with someone else. She also knew exactly where this object was at this very moment and ran back upstairs as fast as she could.
"Mirror or no mirror, we have to go and check out the Ministry; make sure there are no Death Eaters waiting for Harry to suddenly show up." They were all prepared for any danger that they would possibly face and Kingsley was certainly taking charge of this operation now.
"How is he going to do that?" Tonks chimed in at last, "I mean, Harry can't apparate yet and there's no way to get to the Ministry without help." She tried to sound hopeful but realized that after everything she'd heard about Harry from Sirius and Remus, it was probably not so simple.
"Unfortunately Harry can be very clever when it comes to situations like this; if he's already with Hermione and meets up with Ron, there is no telling what the three of them will think of." Lupin started to say, "I fear that if Harry believes that Sirius is in danger, he will find a way to the Ministry… we just have to make sure it's not too late."
"Wait!" Rose suddenly called out, as she reappeared, holding the mirror in her hands. "I found it." She hopped down the stairs and ran over to Sirius, who instinctively kissed the top of her forehead.
"Thank you love." He said to her, sighing in relief as he truly felt glad to know that she was here with him.
She didn't say anything else but watched as Sirius attempted to use the mirror to try and contact Harry. The next few minutes were agonizingly long as everyone waited with bated breaths for an answer; Snape was the only one who made his impatience show even though he remained silent. When Rose saw Sirius hesitate on the fifth try, she knew that maybe this was not going to work and she didn't know what else to do.
"Let's go." He said at last, handing the mirror to Remus who took it without question; Sirius wasn't about to waste anymore time.
"Sirius… are you sure…" Kingsley began to say but this time it was Moody who cut him off.
"There's no time to sit around, if the boy's in danger then we could use Sirius's help." Mad-Eye was not one to prolong this either and he knew it was pointless to try and reason with Sirius.
"I'm coming. Harry's my Godson." There was no need for any other explanation on Sirius's part; he could be stubborn when he wanted to and knew the dangers of leaving the house, but he was doing it for Harry.
"What about the girl? Are you just going to leave her here?" Snape had no reason to bring up Rose's name other than the fact that he knew she was under Sirius's care as well.
Rose perked up when she heard Snape mention her and suddenly all the adults were looking at her. She didn't know what to say; it was obvious that everyone was planning on leaving now to go after Harry and there was no chance that Sirius would take her with him because of the danger. And he seemed to sense the dilemma he was in now, for he took the moment to kneel down in front of her, holding both hands in his as he tried to figure out a solution to this problem.
"Rose… love, I need you to do something for me." Sirius said, "I have to go and help Harry now, and I want you to go upstairs to Buckbeak's room and wait there until I return." He explained to her, "The house is safe, there's magic everywhere. Can you do this?" The pain in his eyes showed that he didn't want to do this, that he was torn, that he didn't know what else to do.
"Yes. I will." Nodding her head, Rose understood what she was being asked to do. She wouldn't be alone if she was with Buckbeak.
"Good girl." Managing a half-smile, Sirius was about to leave when Rose suddenly grabbed his wrist and opened her mouth to say something.
"Will you come back?" She asked him directly, not shying away from the fear that had been building in her heart for a few minutes now.
"Yes. I will… I promise you." Sirius hesitated for a split second before he made her the promise but he meant what he said. "I'm coming back, love." He understood what she was going through and knew that no matter the dangers which lay ahead for him, Rose was counting on him to return.
There was no reason for her to doubt his words, she believed in him more than anyone else in the world and so, Rose simply hugged Sirius quickly as she watched him leave with the others. It took them only a few seconds to apparate away to the Ministry, but when she turned around to head upstairs to Buckbeak's room, Rose bumped into… Snape. He hadn't left with the rest of the Order, instead was standing there staring at her in a curious way and when she dared to glance up at him, Snape finally let out a sigh before taking one of her hands in his.
"Dumbledore said that if Black did anything reckless then you're safer at Hogwarts. Come on." The way his voice sounded so… disinterested did not surprise Rose as much as the order that Dumbledore had given him. To bring her back to the castle, it would be much more safer than the house indeed.
"I'm coming." Rose would have rather not said anything at all, she couldn't figure out why Snape seemed to be like this every single time she had encountered him, but she knew her manners and that they applied to everyone.
Without another word, Snape apparated with Rose to the outskirts of the Hogwarts grounds where the wards ended, and she barely had a chance to take in the breathtaking sight before the man in front of her started to walk on ahead, leaving Rose no choice but to hasten her footsteps as she followed him up the long path towards the castle. As she passed by Hagrid's hut, the surprising silence that lay all around stunned her; there was something in the air even here which made her shiver, despite the warm temperature of the evening. By the time she had set foot inside the Great Hall and Snape left abruptly, Rose let out a deep breath she'd held in at some point… turning around to take in the grandness of everything… it had almost been a whole year since her last visit here and nothing was different, except the fact that tonight, her heart was heavy with thoughts of Sirius and Harry and everyone else and the fear of the unknown. She couldn't know what they were going through at the very moment that she was safe within the castle walls but she could hope for them to return safely.
""Hello there." A voice suddenly spoke up from somewhere nearby and Rose blinked twice at the shimmering form that had appeared out of nowhere, before remembering that this was one of the Ghosts, Sir Nicholas, or Sir Nick to her.
"Hello Sir Nick!" Rose waved to him, feeling a moment's relief as she realized that there was someone else apart from herself… she hadn't seen Dumbledore nor any of the Professor's and neither were any students around, but at least the Ghosts were.
"Ah! Miss Rose, forgive me, it took me a minute to recall your name… what brings you back to Hogwarts tonight?" Sir Nicholas or as he was more commonly known as Nearly-Headless Nick smiled at the little girl; the castle was unusually quiet after everything that had happened but seeing Rose again was always pleasant.
"I… umm… I don't know, Dumbledore Sir said to come here." It was all Rose really knew for sure, but even as she answered Sir Nicholas, she saw that the Ghost seemed to understand.
"Well then, will you permit me to keep you company until you learn more?" The ghost of Gryffindor had experienced many things in his life and even after, spending the past several decades at Hogwarts, Sir Nicholas knew there were always going to be secrets.
"I would like that very much." Rose said as she smiled for the first time that day.
"Splendid!" And with that, Sir Nicholas floated away towards one of the House tables, there was no point in letting a child stand on her feet until someone approached her with news. "Are you hungry Miss Rose? I can find the Fat Friar to call on the Elves for some supper." He asked her once she had sat down.
"Oh… yes please… I am a little hungry." In all honesty, Rose couldn't remember eating anything after breakfast and since she had nothing else to do but wait, a little food in her would help to stay awake and keep her mind off the worrying thoughts for a while longer.
"I shall return momentarily." Sir Nicholas bowed to her and disappeared as he usually did, but now Rose didn't feel lonely anymore.
Within minutes, the table was magically filled with heaps and heaps of food for Rose to choose from, though she ate a little, it was more than enough for now. After she was done, Sir Nicholas returned with two surprise visitors in tow… Dobby and Winky the House Elves! They were delighted to meet her once again and Rose was glad for even more company as time wore on. Night soon fell and the two elves bade Rose goodnight as they had to return to the kitchens; she didn't mind having some time alone to herself. Sighing softly, she stood up from the table at last and walked to the big windows through which she could see everything; being at Hogwarts certainly made her feel safe and it was peaceful, but it wasn't Grimmauld Place, it wasn't home.
Rose did not move from her spot as she sat down on the cold marble floor and stared out the window, watching the moon and the clouds, searching for the stars and wishing with all her heart that Sirius, Harry, Lupin, Tonks and everyone else would return soon. In spite of the restlessness she'd felt, the idea of walking up and down around the entire Great Hall didn't sound like a good idea. The worrying thoughts which had been on the back of her mind started all evening started to resurface again - what was happening with Harry? Was he okay? What about his friends? Had Sirius reached them in time? Was he safe? Rose couldn't stop herself from thinking these questions, but she certainly could try and stay hopeful that everything would turn out for the best. She didn't know how much time had passed, but just as she started to feel that her eyes were closing; there was a noise which startled her awake.
"Hello?" Rose called out softly, wondering if one of the Professor's had come to check on her, "Miss Minnie, is that you?" She didn't know where McGonagall was, but maybe it was Snape?
Silence. A heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Three heartbeats and still nothing; there was no other sound and no one had entered the Great Hall either, which meant that Rose had no reason to be nervous… and yet, she slowly got to her feet and carefully started to walk across towards the oak doors which would take her to the Entrance Hall. She couldn't have been more than twenty feet away when the doors opened of their own accord and a tall figure strode in.
"Hello Rose." It was Dumbledore; of all the people that Rose expected to see, she had not thought about the Headmaster himself, having not seen or heard from him ever since she'd arrived.
"Dumbledore Sir!" She exclaimed loudly, relieved to see a familiar face after what had felt like forever.
Running over to him, Rose didn't hesitate before hugging the old Wizard. There were so many questions in her mind, where he had been, where the others were, if Harry was alright, but the only one which mattered was…
"Sirius! Is he… where is he Dumbledore Sir?" Rose wasn't about to let her worst fears come true; all the time that Sirius had been gone, she believed with all her heart that he was going to come back.
"He is here. And so is everyone else, they are in the Hospital Wing." Dumbledore said mysteriously; from the light emitting from his wand, Rose could tell that he looked tired… as if he had been in a fight too.
"Is everyone okay?" She couldn't imagine why all of them were there, what had happened at the Ministry? She still had so many questions, but if Sirius was here then she had to see him immediately.
"They are safe." Was all the old wizard would say in reply, but it was the fact that he didn't tell her more, especially about Sirius, had Rose running off towards the Hospital Wing; she didn't even remember where she had to go, but thankfully as she hurried through the dimly lit corridors, past all the moving portraits, Sir Nicholas materialized and led the way, as if he had heard everything and knew where Rose needed to be.
"Please, please… please be okay." Rose whispered over and over again as she ran. Her heart was racing and all sorts of fearful thoughts were flooding her mind but she pushed them aside and focused on Sirius.
It didn't take her too long to finally reach the Hospital Wing thanks to Sir Nicholas's guidance and after thanking him, she slowed down and caught her breath before walking inside, seeing at least half a dozen people. Her eyes immediately scanned the room and saw the extent of injuries that the others had sustained - Ron was half conscious but had scary markings on his arms that looked like veins, the boy on the other bed beside him had to be Neville, she had heard all about him all year long; he was holding a handkerchief to his nose which was no longer bleeding but seemed broken, Ginny had a bandage on her ankle and mostly looked sleepy, the girl with dirty blonde hair by Ginny's bed would be Luna who did not have any signs of injuries… and Hermione seemed to be asleep. There was no sign of Harry, but on the far side of the room, Rose finally noticed Sirius… laying on a bed… and not moving."Sirius!" Rose cried out when she saw him and didn't think twice before running to his bed in a state of panic.
"My dear child…" Madam Pomfrey, who had just finished tending to Sirius was taken aback when she saw Rose climb on the bed, but just as she looked to Dumbledore, who had quietly followed behind, he merely shook his head, she didn't say anything else.
"What is wrong with him?" Her fingers were inches away from touching his cheek, but Rose was trying to check his signs of breathing and almost collapsed on top of Sirius when she was sure he was still alive.
"He's been injured, a lot." Dumbledore answered her softly, "Madam Pomfrey has him stabilized but the toll of the fight was too much for Sirius… he's unconscious… for now."
Rose wasn't listening to what Dumbledore was telling her, all she knew was that Sirius was here with her and that he hadn't broken his promise. Neither was she aware of everyone else's eyes on her as she stayed there by his side without another word. After that, there was little else to be done; Dumbledore stayed for a few more minutes, observing his students and telling them that Harry was in his office, before leaving the Hospital Wing to go speak with him.
A short time later, Rose was vaguely aware of the other patients falling asleep one by one and the candles being blown out, but her attention didn't waver from Sirius as she sat there, staring at him with wide eyes as she took in the extent of his injuries. She could see a lot of bandages across his chest which were covered in splashes of red… blood… there was also a cut on his forehead which thankfully didn't look too deep, but apart from that, there were no other physical signs of the damage he'd sustained; all she wanted to know… what she needed to see was the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed on his own. With nothing else for Rose to do but wait patiently for Sirius to regain consciousness, no matter how long it took, she soon lay down on the bed and leaned into him, resting a hand over his heart, feeling it beating under her fingers, letting sleep overtake her as the events of that day caught up at last.
Dun-dun-dun! As promised, Sirius Black is alive! as for how, well... that'll come in the next chapter which I hope to update soon! Reviews would be nice until then? :p