I was hoping for a Christmas update, but it took me a little bit longer
Still, here is an update...

CHAPTER 15

Harry wanted to do some homework, but my head wasn't looking after reading another 200 pages History of Magic. So I picked up an old habitat of mine, I started wandering around in the corridors while Harry made his way up to the library. I was happy however when everyone returned from Hogsmeade, of course Rose brought a lot of candy for me from Honeydukes. During the Feast I heard Fred and George tried to frighten a lot of third years, visiting the village for the first time, with horror stories about the Shrieking Shack. But then after the Feast I went back to the common room with Rose, when some students were standing together around the portrait hole, not actually going inside.

"What's the matter?" said Rose annoyed.

"The Fat Lady, she's gone!" another seventh year said.

"What?"

By now almost all Gryffindors were returning to Gryffindor Tower.

"Excuse me, I'm Head Boy," Percy came forward. He stood right in front of me, watching the empty portrait of the Fat Lady, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

Great chunks of the portrait had vanished, it had been slashed so viciously that there was no doubt she might had gone out for a walk. A moment later Professor Dumbledore arrived and with him Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape.

"We need to find her", said Dumbledore. But there was no need to send Mr. Filch to look through the castle. Peeves the Poltergeist answered Dumbledore behaved: "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

"Mr. Weasly," said Dumbledore to Percy, "Lead the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, the teachers and I will need a search of the castle. The other houses will join in a minute."

Percy, looking very proud and important, led the Gryffindors away from the slashed portrait. Some terror was on everyone's faces. Rose kept complaining that the Dementors didn't do their work properly and that now a mass-murderer had entered the school. Was that really the case? Did Sirius managed to get into Hogwarts, did he go to Gryffindor Tower to find Harry and maybe me too? Maybe the talking was true…

I couldn't sleep, my sleepy bag was to tight and several little groups of students were still talking in a hushed voice. A few feet away I saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. Closely against each other and not intended to sleep. As quietly as I could, I tried to crawl towards them. One arm, then the other, trying to drag myself from the corner to the trio.

"Hi", I whispered.

"Bloody hell, Harry your sister – "

"Can't sleep?" Harry asked. I shook my head. "Neither can I", he said.

"You okay?" Harry nodded, but I saw he was being as confused as the others. "Just try to sleep you know."

"Emily, can I tell you something?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes, of course Harry, anytime."

"You know about the Omen Professor Trelawney – "

"Oh, Harry, please don't worry about that too much. It's nothing. It happens all the time."

"Yes, but there's more."

"How do you mean?" And so Harry told me, with pauses when teachers passed us, about the Grim which had been following him and that he'd caught up a talk between Mr. And Mrs. Weasley.

"Is it true, Emily, is he really looking for me?"

"I don't know… but they're doing everything to catch him."

The next day however the portrait of the Fat Lady was replaced by a temporary guardian. An idiot with a fat pony. From then on I always kept a close look on Harry, even teachers always found an excuse to walk with him through corridors.

That Saturday in the most rainy, windy and stormy conditions, Harry did play the Quidditch match. Everything went well, or for as well as it could possibly go in these conditions. Until suddenly an overwhelming cold spread over the Quidditch field. A hundred Dementors spread down the field. I immediately stood up and looked at Harry, high in the sky on his broomstick. A freezing feeling filled my chest and my purview turned slightly misty and my eyes were popping.

"Aresto Momentum!"

Harry's eyes snapped open. I just came in with his broom, or what was left of it. Luckily Madam Pomfrey told them to leave. So the whole team was sent away and I sat down at Harry's bed.

"It was a rough fall", I said, "Glad you're okay."

"Better than when Professor Lockhart charmed my bones away", said Harry, laughing. He looked at his Nimbus. No way to fix it. It was smashed against the Whomping Willow. I'd never thought a tree could damage that much.

"It's okay, Harry", I tried, "We'll get you a new broom." But Harry didn't really listen. I guess he was still worrying about it all, that he'd seen the Grim and the Omen of Professor Trelawney.

"I heard her," he said, "Mum." I looked confused.

"What do you mean? Where did you hear mum?"

"When the Dementors came. I heard her screaming. It was when Voldemort – " The name… " – It was when he killed her, that night. It was her Emily… "

Still wishing you a magical Christmas, don't give up reading xx