She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

The Flying Motorcycle

James, Sirius and I pushed our trolleys through the train station, heading toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Maggie and Reginald were right behind us. All of us were hurrying – it was five minutes to eleven. We were cutting it very close indeed.

Not all of our stuff had been able to fit into the Potters' Ford Anglia. We had a lot more stuff this time, what with Sirius staying with us and all, and all our new school books, quills and things, so we'd piled most of the stuff into the back of the car with James, and then Sirius and I had taken his motorcycle. Reginald had said he could take Sirius' motorcycle back to the house for him and, for all Sirius' obsession with that thing of his, he'd readily agreed.

And now we were rushing through the station, but then I realised something – I'd left Haphazard in the car, and he wasn't going to appreciate me for it.

"I'll take your things!" Maggie said, grabbing my trolley from me. Reginald had Sirius' things, and Sirius accompanied me back to the car, where I grabbed Haphazard's cage.

He gave an indignant sort of hoot. "I'm sorry, we're just running late!" I told him, as Sirius and I ran back into the station.

I was accustomed to Sirius not letting me out of his sight – it had gotten even worse since I'd been attacked by Fenrir Greyback, but I had no complaints in letting him accompany me everywhere.

The downside? I hadn't been able to talk to Remus about the whole Bonds thing.

Sirius and I hurried toward the barrier, where I stopped suddenly.

"Em, come on!" Sirius exclaimed. "The train's leaving in fifty seconds!"

"Siri," I said in an odd voice, handing him Haphazard's cage, and walking toward the barrier. I placed my still-bandaged hand on it.

It was completely solid.

"Solid." I whispered.

Sirius assessed what had just happened straight away, and came forward, also placing his hand on the barrier. "Oh God…the barrier's sealed itself…how..?"

My heart began pounding. I remembered the time this happened in Harry Potter's time. Only, now, I highly doubted that it was a house-elf trying to save my life.

More like a Death Eater trying to capture me, and kill Sirius…

"If we can't get through, then maybe Maggie and Reginald can't get back!" I cried, the realisation hitting me like a freight train.

Sirius' eyes were glued onto the huge clock. Together, we were counting silently, backwards from twenty.

At eleven o'clock, I leaned against the now-solid barrier, and said: "We've missed it…the train's gone…good God…"

Haphazard hooted plaintively.

"Look," I said, realising then that people were staring at us – mainly because of my bandages, and because of Haphazard. "We'd better go outside and wait by the car…"

Sirius was looking at me, and then suddenly he said: "Hang on, I've got it!"

"Oh no," I said. "I know what you are thinking, Sirius Black, no!"

"Come on Emmy," He said eagerly. "Under-aged wizards are allowed to use magic if it's an emergency."

"Does this constitute as an emergency?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. "Why can't we just wait for Maggie and Reginald to get back?"

"Because, as you thought, we're attracting too much attention," Sirius said simply.

I didn't even realise that he'd just, effectively, read my mind. I crossed my bandaged arms. "Oh, right, and a flying motorcycle won't?"

"Hang on…I've never told you it could fly," Sirius raised an eyebrow. "How'd you kn..?"

I cut him off. "Same way you know so much about me, now let's go." I said, marching out of the station with Sirius trotting along behind me, carrying Haphazard's cage happily.

Once outside, I suddenly whirled around to face him. "Damn you and your tactics!" I shouted. He'd gotten me exactly where he'd wanted me, making it seem like my idea. Sneaky, clever Sirius Black.

Sirius grinned. "Well, shall we go?" He asked me.

I glared at him. "If we must."

***

"Oh…I don't like this…" I yelled, ten minutes later, as Sirius and I were flying through the air on his motorcycle. "I really don't like this!"

"Why not?" He sounded jovial. "You like flying on a broomstick don't you?"

"Yeah, but that's wizard-made!" I replied. "Muggle-made things were not meant to fly, least of all motorcycles!" My arms were wrapped tightly around Sirius' waist, Haphazard was flying along beside us. We'd had to leave his cage back at the station, along with a note to Maggie and Reginald who, I was quite sure, were going to kill us.

"Emmy?" Sirius said presently, startling me out of my daydream which had involved pumpkin juice because I was so thirsty. "When you were out for six weeks…some stuff happened. Stuff we didn't tell you about the other day…"

My chest tightened painfully. "Like what?" I whispered.

"There have been numerous reports on attacks on people," Sirius said, just as quietly but we had no trouble hearing each other. "Mainly witches. The attacks have been linked to Voldemort…we think he's…"

"Looking for me," I murmured. I felt sick. I was bringing pain and trouble on the Wizarding world, and I had absolutely no idea why. "Who's 'we'?"

"Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, Lily and I," Sirius told me, steering us further north, and the scarlet steam engine chugged along beneath us. "Lily came home early from her holiday to see you, she was really worried, we all are…"

"Why the hell does he want me!?" I shouted, angry and frustrated beyond belief. "God, why does Voldemort want me so badly!?"

"I don't know," Sirius said, his voice sounding dark. "But, I swear to God Emma Pax, I will protect you…hey, what's your middle name?"

"What, what brought that on?" I asked in disbelief.

"Just curious." I felt him shrug.

I sighed. "Lucy. My middle name is Lucy. It means 'light'."

"And…doesn't your last name mean 'peace'?" Sirius wanted to know.

"Yes…"

"And your first name means…'grandmother'?"

"Industrious." I said quickly.

He laughed. "Whatever. Either one's fitting."

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" I yelled.

Sirius just laughed.

***

It was night time when we arrived at Hogwarts, which was glowing and beautiful and sparkly and twinkly and a thousand other words and, somehow, I wasn't surprised to find Professor McGonagall waiting for us.

"She's gonna kill us…" I whispered.

Sirius heard me. "No she won't." He replied.

But, as McGonagall strode toward us, her stern face livid, I wasn't so sure…Minerva McGonagall resembled a sabre-toothed tiger…