Chapter 7

Cauldrons, Parchment and Advanced Magic

The enchanted ceiling reflected the clear blue sky as Judy entered the Great Hall the next morning. A mix of excited chatter, clattering cutlery and laughter filled the cavernous Hall. All of the students were seated at their House tables and were enjoying the delicious breakfast which the house elves had prepared for them.

'I hope they saved some for us,' said Shania, walking past Judy as they headed for their House table. Shania had chosen to wear her hair frizzy today and tied back in a pony tail. Judy knew that a lack of sleep was the main reason why Shania had chosen the easiest hair do she could come up with. Judy herself hadn't done anything about her own hair safe for pulling a brush through it.

The two of them had spent most of the night catching up, instead of sleeping. Something which Judy, and Shania undoubtedly too, now thoroughly regretted as her eyes stung with fatigue. Judy just hoped the foundation she put on, hid the dark circles under her eyes.

'Well, now,' said an all too familiar voice, 'don't we look charming?' Aidan grinned at them.

'Oh shut up,' said Shania, who sat down next to him. 'First day back is hard enough without your comments.'

'You never were a morning person, were you?' Aidan ducked in time to avoid the piece of toast which Shania threw at him. Judy saw how the toast hit a first year Gryffindor on the back. He looked around for a moment and then, thankful that nobody had noticed, turned back to his breakfast.

'Jude!' Willow snapped her fingers in front of her. 'Are you going to eat something or not?'

'Yes. I'll have some,' she sat down between Willow and Aidan, with much room to spare. Judy doubted the two of them would ever sit closer than a meter apart.

Judy filled a bowl with hot porridge, spread some cinnamon on top and ate her breakfast in silence as everybody around her talked happily. She followed the conversations around her, without really registering what people were saying. She was simply too tired to join her friends in the reports of their summer activities.

'You're not very talkative today, are you?' said Connor as Judy was halfway through her breakfast. His voice withdrew her from her daydream. He smiled at her from across the table.

'Don't worry, she'll make up for it in class,' said Abigail, looking at Judy disapprovingly. Judy arched a brow at her, but chose not to respond and looked back at Connor.

'I'm just a bit tired,' she said truthfully. 'By the way, have any of you got your timetables yet?'

'No, but we will soon,' Aidan pointed. Judy turned to follow his gaze and saw Professor Flitwick in deep conversation with Chelsea Keenan. He held his wand in one hand and a piece of blank parchment in his other.

'He's probably persuading her to drop a few courses,' said Willow.

'Well, I wouldn't be surprised,' said Abigail quickly. 'She already spends every spare hour in the library. And she barely managed to pass all of her OWLs. Let's face it, she's simply not smart enough to,-'

'Knock it off, Abby,' said Connor irritated. Abigail scowled at him.

Judy smiled as Connor spoke up for Chelsea. Abigail saw her and misinterpreted it entirely. She got up from the table without another word and walked away from them.

'Well, good riddance,' said Willow. 'I swear, if she's going to be like this all year,-'

'Cool it, Will,' interrupted Shania. 'You saw her when her brother got sorted. She just needs some time to get over it.'

'Well, that still doesn't give her the right to take her aggravation out on us. Besides, if she wants to be in Slytherin so much, then why is she in Ravenclaw anyway?' offered Willow.

'Because it are not the students who get to decide which House they are sorted in,' said a squeaky voice, making Willow turn around. 'It is the Sorting Hat that makes the choice.' Professor Flitwick cast a long glance at Willow. 'House hostilities are bad enough as they are. I will not tolerate Ravenclaws talking bad of Slytherin or any other House and that most certainly goes for House Prefects. Is that clear, Ms. Waters?'

'Yes, Professor,' answered Willow. Judy knew her well enough to know she was faking the regretful tone.

'Good. Now, classes will start in fifteen minutes and I will not have any of you turning up late for your first lesson of term. So, when I say your name, you will tell me which courses you want to continue for your NEWTs. I will then create your time table and hand it to you. Is that understood?' They all nodded in silence.

'Good. Well, Ms. Waters I might as well start with you. Which courses will you be taking?'

'Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Divination and Transfiguration,' said Willow without hesitation.

'You are still pursuing your goal of becoming a Healer, I see?' said Professor Flitwick, tapping her timetable.

'Yes, Professor,' Willow took the piece of paper from his hands.

'I hope you'll do well.' He said truthfully and then turned his gaze to Aidan.

Judy waited patiently as the others named the courses they wanted to follow. After Aidan came Connor, then Shania and then Judy. She could already guess why Professor Flitiwick saved her for last.

'Ms. Byrne?' asked Professor Flitwick, turning his gaze to her.

'I want to take Defence against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, History of Magic, Ancient Runes and Astronomy, sir.'

Professor Flitwick tapped her timetable and looked at it, thinking. 'These are quite a lot of courses.'

'I know sir,' said Judy.

'And you won't need all of them to follow a career as an Auror, as I know you wish…' said Professor Flitwick, scratching behind his ear.

'Yes, Professor. But I like all of the courses and I intend to do my utmost at every one of them,' said Judy truthfully. The little Professor looked at her for a while.

'Very well,' said Professor Flitwick, handing her her timetable. 'But keep in mind which courses will count the most for your future plans….'

'Yes, sir,' said Judy. 'Thank you.' He nodded happily, turned on his heel and bobbed away. They weren't the only ones who had to be in class in time.

Willow peered over Judy's shoulder as Professor Flitwick walked away from them.

'Are you joking?' whispered Willow. 'You hardly have any time to do your homework!'

'I'll be fine, I've got the weekends,' said Judy honestly.

'But the weekends are supposed to be for relaxing,' reminded Willow her.

'Studying is relaxing, Will,' said Judy with a smile.

'You are worse than Chelsea.'

'Oy,' said Chelsea, looking up from her timetable as she walked up to them.

'Right, sorry,' said Willow, looking back at Judy's timetable again and shaking her head.

'Listen, I know they're a lot of courses. But at least I can still get into Auror training with a couple of E's…you have to get an O on every subject you've got,' reminded Judy her.

Abigail laughed as she joined them. 'I'd like to see you get an O from Snape.'

Willow arched a brow at her. 'Are you so thick that you forgot our OWL exams? Snape doesn't give our NEWT grades, somebody from the Ministry does.' Abigail scowled at her.

'Come on,' said Judy, getting to her feet. 'We've got a double Potions. Snape will kill us if we're late.'

'Do you really think he needs a reason to do that?' asked Willow amused as they got up from their seats.

'We'll be seeing you later then,' Judy and Willow both turned back to Aidan who remained seated. Abigail and Shania didn't move either.

'Oh, you're joking!' said Willow, her hands on her hips.

'First two hours off,' grinned Aidan. 'One of the advantages of not being the best in class.' Willow opened her mouth to respond, but Judy quickly pulled her along, knowing that an argument would definitely mean they'd be late for Potions class.

They walked toward the Entrance Hall, Chelsea and Connor walking quite a distance ahead of them. Judy knew how scared Chelsea always was of turning up late in class. She guessed Connor didn't have a problem with walking with her and reassuring her they'd be in time; not after the way he had stood up for Chelsea a while before.

'Oh, I can't wait to see his face when he sees us in his class again,' said Willow with a grin.

'I hope he doesn't notice me there at all,' retorted Judy, not quite able to ignore the bubble of fear in her chest as they walked toward the small staircase leading to the dungeons.

'Don't tell me that after six years, you're still scared of Snape…' said Willow amused.

'Don't tell me that after six years, you still don't know the answer to that question,' said Judy with a smile as they headed down the staircase, toward the dungeons.

They were the last two students to enter the large, dark and damp classroom. The dungeon was only illuminated by the sunlight penetrating the waters of the Lake above it, which bathed the classroom in an eerily blue glow. The walls were aligned with dead animals in glass jars, making the Potions dungeon the creepiest classroom in the entire castle.

Snape gave the two of them his coldest stare, making Judy's heart shrink as she quickly sat down at a table. Willow sat down next to her, looking as happy as ever and ready to defy anything Snape would say to her…Judy suspected Mrs. Waters would get a lot of letters in the coming year.

Judy noticed, as she looked around the room, that the OWL exams hadn't treated all students well. Beside the four Ravenclaws there were two students from Hufflepuff, one from Gryffindor and four from Slytherin house. Judy could tell by the look which Snape cast at the last four, they would be getting the best grades…

'Goodmorning, students,' said Snape coldly. 'I am glad to see some of you managed to do well on your OWL exams, though I doubt all of you will live up to my expectations…' he cast a look at Willow, who sat up straight and smiled at him.

'While you have learned the basic skills of potion making in your first five years, your NEWT levels will require more skill than the previous years combined,' Snape cast a look at Chelsea who cast down her eyes.

'And you will do much more complex things than make healing potions,' said Snape, turning his gaze to Judy. She had been asked to make such a potion for her OWL, but it was one of the most complex ones she knew.

Snape turned on his heel without another word and started writing on the chalk board behind him. Judy tried to look past him, but Snape completely blocked her view. She could however see Chelsea, who sat at the table next to her and Willow. Judy couldn't remember ever seeing her roommate so pale. Even Connor, who was one of the best students in their year at Potions, looked at the blackboard with his mouth open.

'Now, I trust you all have taken out your cauldron by now,' said Snape icily. Willow quickly put her cauldron in front of her. Snape turned on his heel. 'I expect all of you to give me a sample of this at the end of the lesson.' He jerked his hand at the chalk board behind him.

Judy's eyes widened as she recognized the ingredients. Willow's hand shot in the air.

'Yes, Willow?' asked Snape annoyed.

'Sir, are you serious? I mean, those are the ingredients for Felix Felicis, you can't expect us to…'

'If you feel you are inadequate to make the potion I set for you, then I suggest you pack your bag and never return to my classroom again,' said Snape silkily.

'But sir, this is,-'

'My patience with you is very little, Ms. Waters,' said Snape dangerously.

'Yes, Professor,' said Willow in defeat. Snape cast her a cold stare, turned his eyes on Judy and, if possible, looked at her with even more loathing. Judy quickly scanned the board and walked over to one of the cabinets to search for the ingredients she needed.

The lesson went as usual. Snape complimented the four Slytherins for the little progress they made, while he didn't think the other potions were worth a glance. Connor and Chelsea's potion was going very well, as far as Judy could see from her table. But when Snape came to take a look, Chelsea became so nervous she added too much powder and the liquid turned a violent shade of pink, instead of the dark yellow it had been before. Snape told her to clean up her things and do nothing until the lesson was over.

The look Connor cast at Snape's back was one of pure hatred. He tried to reassure Chelsea during the rest of the lesson, which meant he forgot about his own potion. But Judy knew Potions was one of Connor's best subjects and he'd make up for the poor grade he was bound to get for today's task.

At the end of the lesson Judy handed in a flask with a yellow golden like liquid, which she thought resembled the real colour of Felix Felicis rather well. Willow's potion was a shade of amber, which definitely was more than adequate for a first try.

'That stupid git,' said Willow heatedly as she and Judy walked up the stone stairs leading to the Entrance Hall. 'Did you see him talk to Chelsea? Always picking on the weakest, if he would have done that to me…'

'Your mother would be sending you another Howler again,' offered Judy. 'Chelsea got an 'O' for her OWL as well, she'll be fine.'

'Well, he's still mean for making us do such an advanced potion on our first day back.'

'He's just testing us,' offered Judy, 'and he got you to bite once again.' Judy smiled.

'I guess you're right,' said Willow, sounding still somewhat annoyed. 'Listen, I have to hurry to the seventh floor. I've got Divination. What class do you have?'

'A double History of Magic,' answered Judy.

'Now, there's one class I won't miss,' said Willow with a smile.

'Oh, I don't know. Professor Binns can be boring at times. But we're going to cover the rise of vampires in Transylvania, which should be interesting.'

'Then that will be a first,' said Willow. 'Binns usually turns any subject into something boring…'

'May be…' They stopped as they reached the first floor. 'See you at lunch?' asked Judy.

'Ehm...I told George I'd meet him on the grounds…'

'Oh I see,' Judy grinned. 'I guess I'll see you at dinner then?' she asked with a hint of regret. It would take some time getting used to the fact that they took different classes and wouldn't be seeing as much of each other as they used to.

'Yes. Try to stay out of trouble, won't you?' said Willow, faking a stern tone.

Judy smiled at her. 'Bye Will.'

Willow waved as she made her way further up the marble staircase. Judy headed down the first floor corridor toward the History of Magic classroom. She looked back as she heard someone panting behind her. Chelsea quickly crossed the distance between them.

'What did he say?' asked Judy. Snape had asked Chelsea to stay behind for some extra homework.

'I have to write an essay on how to make Felix Felicis,' said Chelsea as they walked down the corridor.

'Well, that's not too bad, you know how it's made,' offered Judy.

'Yes that's true, but I have to write it five times…' Judy met Chelsea's tired eyes. 'And he wants me to hand it in at the end of the week.'

'Will's right, he is a mean old git,' said Judy. Chelsea smiled weakly. 'Don't worry, Chelsea, he won't get away with badgering you like that next time. Willow and I will see to that.'

'Oh no, I don't want you to get into trouble on my account,' said Chelsea as they entered Professor's Binns' classroom.

'Willow and I will get into trouble with Snape no matter what we do,' offered Judy. 'I'd rather it be for helping out a friend.' Chelsea beamed at her as they sat next to each other at a desk. Judy smiled at her, knowing how few friends Chelsea had.

The classroom was almost empty, which didn't surprise Judy one bit. Professor Binns' lessons were well known for being boring and many students had taken the opportunity of choosing their courses to get out of the History of Magic class. There was one student, however, who had chosen the course, because it was one of the few OWL's he had managed to pass. But as Judy looked around the room there seemed to be no sign of Aidan.

'Chelsea, do you know,-' Both Judy and Chelsea turned to the door as Aidan stormed in, his hair on end. He quickly sat down at the desk before them.

'Don't tell me,' said Judy as he turned and she saw his bloodshot eyes, wrinkled shirt and half loose tie. 'You went back to bed didn't you?' Aidan grinned at her. 'Come here,' said Judy amused and she tapped his hair with her wand, muttering a spell Tonks had taught her long ago. It untangled rapidly and within a second Aidan's dark hair looked like it had just been combed.

'Thanks Jude,' said Aidan, casting her a smile. 'I wouldn't know what to do without you. If there's anything I can do in return…'

'You can pay attention so she won't have to borrow you her notes again…' Both Judy and Aidan looked at Chelsea in surprise. The blond Ravenclaw looked up as if just noticing them. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud,' she offered as she tried to hide her red cheeks behind her long blond hair.

'Well, well, I didn't think you had it in you, Keenan,' said Aidan with an approving grin. Chelsea cast him a shy smile.

'Now, if you will all settle down.' Professor Binns floated into the classroom through the blackboard. The small group of students fell quiet immediately. 'Thank you. Welcome back to Hogwarts,' he said in his low tone of voice. 'Please open your textbooks at page seventeen.'

&

Judy had awoken the next day with a throbbing head ache, caused mostly by the vast amount of information she had taken in the day before and the load of homework she had been set for the coming week.

She spent two hours after dinner on homework, but had only managed to finish her Astronomy homework, which was an essay with a length of a scroll of parchment on the twelve constellations of the zodiac. As if that alone wasn't enough, Aidan's relentless line of questions had made Judy stop writing several times to explain to him what Professor Sinistra had said in class. Judy was thankful when Connor had taken the task upon him to help Aidan out, otherwise she would never have managed to finish her homework.

Today seemed to be even worse than Monday when it came to homework. Judy had been convinced she'd be able to finish Professor Binns' assignment in her first hour of the day, in which she didn't have a course. But she only managed to write half of her essay on Count Dracula's rise in the fifteenth century. Then came Charms and Herbology in which Professor Flitwick and Sprout set her another load of homework, due for the following day.

Despite having liked doing homework for as long as she could remember, something in which she was the opposite of Willow, Judy couldn't help but feel a little depressed of spending her entire evening at writing essays again. She looked at her timetable as she packed up at Herbology and noticed something which her worries had made her forget about entirely.

Her next class was Defence Against the Dark Arts.

'We're going to sit in the front row, aren't we?' asked Willow excitedly as they headed toward the castle. 'Fred and George had DADA yesterday and thought it was the best class they'd ever had. Apparently your…I mean Professor Lupin likes the practical approach.'

'I just hope he's careful,' said Judy worried. 'Last thing he needs is an incident like that at Magical Creatures yesterday…' Judy cast a glance toward Hagrid's cabin.

'Incident?' snorted Willow. 'I bet you anything that Malfoy was deliberately trying to screw up Hagrid's class. You know how he feels about Muggles and Half Breeds.'

'I don't think that will matter much to the school governors,' said Chelsea, who had caught up with them as they walked toward the huge oak front doors of the Entrance Hall.

'Well, it wouldn't would it,' said Willow, 'not with Lucius Malfoy himself as a governor. He'll do anything to get that Hippogriff killed. Poor…what was its name again?'

'Buckbeak,' said Shania, who joined them as they walked through the first floor corridor. 'You know, that thing with Malfoy scared Hagrid so much that he's got us looking after Horklumps!'

Judy remembered from her third year that a Horklump was a creature which resembled a fleshy, pinkish mushroom covered in sparse, wiry black bristles. Horklumps had tentacles instead of roots which went into the ground in search of earthworms. It was known as a fast breeder which would cover an average garden in no time.

'What on earth do you do with Horklumps?' asked Willow amused. 'I mean, well gnomes like them…for dinner, but you can't really do anything with them, can you?'

'Exactly,' said Shania annoyed. 'The only thing we have to do is tend to them and make sure they haven't covered the paddock at the end of the lesson. I mean, do you know how boring a Horklump is!? We're sixth years for Merlin's sake, we should be learning more about unicorns and Thestrals, not Horklumps!' she nearly yelled at them.

'Ah, I thought I heard your sweet voice.' The four girls turned to see Aidan, Connor and Abigail walking up to them. Shania cast a nasty look at Aidan and walked into the DADA classroom without another word.

'You're impossible,' Willow rolled her eyes and quickly walked after Shania.

'What did I do?' asked Aidan innocently.

'Nothing really,' said Abigail, 'safe for acting like a complete arse.' Aidan arched a brow at her.

'Well, she's not the only one who had a boring Care of Magical Creatures class…' said Aidan defensively.

'Boring?' asked Abigail sarcastically. 'You looked like you were having quite a good time with those two sixth year Gryffindor girls...'

'So? I chose Care of Magical Creatures to see some action. If the course won't provide any, I will have to do so myself.' He pushed back a strand of black hair from his eyes. Judy knew Aidan could melt nearly every girl's heart with those eyes, but she agreed with Abigail on thinking that Aidan's flirting was his least attractive feature. She had seen too many girls whose hopes had been built up and then crushed as Aidan's interest went to another.

None of them spoke as they entered the DADA classroom, which to their surprise was deserted safe for Shania and Willow.

'Are we the only ones taking DADA?' asked Abigail in disbelief as she sat down next to Shania.

'May be the others are just running a little late,' offered Chelsea, who sat alone at the desk next to Judy's and Willow's. Connor and Aidan sat down behind her and Judy caught Connor looking at Chelsea as she was searching her bag for her books.

They all had their books, quills, parchments and ink out by the time Lupin entered the classroom. He wore a grey tie and matching pants and an old faded shirt, which Judy had patched up more than once in the past. Judy could see a little more colour in his face, which was somewhat fuller since she'd last seen it. She knew that was probably due to the several good meals he had had since they arrived at Hogwarts.

'Oh good, you're all here,' said Lupin as he walked to the front of the class. He turned on his heel and caught sight of Chelsea's hand which had shot up in the air a second before.

'Yes? It's Chelsea, I believe?' he asked hesitantly.

'Yes, sir,' said Chelsea, a little nervous that Lupin already knew her name. 'I was just wondering, Professor. Aren't there going to be any students from the other houses in our class?'

'I'm afraid not,' said Lupin with a warm smile. 'You see, since all of you have done well on your DADA OWLs and decided to continue following this course, it would be a bit crowded with the students from the other houses joining us as well. Therefore Professor Dumbledore and I have agreed to split the sixth years in two classes this school year.'

'So it's just us and then there's the other Houses?' asked Aidan without raising his hand.

'That is correct,' said Lupin. He turned and walked over to his desk. 'And I'd appreciate it if you raise your hand before asking a question next time.' He turned back to the class, a copy of Defensive Magical Theory in his hands. 'Now, I know this book is usually set for the fifth year, but as I understand it you've followed a slightly different curriculum with Professor Lockhart last year. Can anybody of you tell me which subjects Professor Lockhart covered last year?' Willow's hand shot into the air and Lupin nodded at her.

'Well, nothing much really, Professor. We've spent most of the year reading his books, but we never really had a practical lesson.'

'No practical lessons at all?' asked Lupin surprised. 'But then how did all of you manage to get at least an 'E' for your DADA OWL?'

Judy suddenly felt everybody's eyes on her. She sighed and slowly raised her hand.

'Yes, Judy?' asked Lupin with a small smile.

'Well, because Professor Lockhart wasn't teaching us much, I suggested to practice a bit with the spells ourselves…' Judy paused as Lupin raised his eyebrows. 'Nothing too dangerous or advanced of course,' said Judy quickly, 'just a bit of practice to get through or OWLs.'

'I see,' said Lupin gently. 'And what exactly did you practice?'

'Shield charms mostly,' said Judy thinking, 'and a few jinxes; the Jelly-Legs jinx, the Impedement jinx and the Revulsion jinx. We used them mostly to break the others' Shield charms,' explained Judy.

'Well,' said Lupin slowly, 'as your teacher I cannot approve of such practices and if I should learn this year that any of you are performing magic out of class you will be getting detention.' All of them had fallen silent at this statement and looked at Lupin apprehensively. 'However, I am glad to hear that you've done more in your fifth year than just read your textbooks.'

The class still didn't speak as Lupin looked at all of them, thinking. He closed the book in his hands and lay it back on his desk.

'I had planned today's lesson to be a theoretical one,' said Lupin as he turned back to the class, with his wand now in his hand. 'But as all of you do seem to have acquired some practical skills last year, I think it is better if I see just how capable all of you are in your spell work.' Judy looked at Lupin attentively as he looked around the classroom. 'Now, if all of you would be so kind to pack up your things and put your bags down against the walls.'

'Now, this is more like it,' whispered Willow to Judy as they quickly packed up their ink, quills, parchment and books. They followed Abigail and Shania to the left side of the classroom and put their bags down.

'Now, if you'll all come to the front of the class,' continued Lupin. He waited for all of them to reach his desk. Then, with one flick of his wand, he shoved all desks and chairs aside. Judy looked at the furniture as it stacked itself neatly on top of each other.

'That's better,' said Lupin and turned on his heel to face the students behind him.

'You will all divide into pairs. One of you will be on the left and the other on the right side of the room. Make sure you're a few meters apart from your partner as well as from the people next to you.'

Judy watched how Abigail teamed up with Shania. Aidan and Connor were already walking toward the vacant space. Chelsea looked around the room a bit uncomfortably.

'Come on,' said Judy, casting her a smile. 'You can team up with me and Willow and then we'll take turns.' Judy caught a small smile playing across Lupin's face as she walked to the left side of the room, together with Chelsea. She knew he approved of her making Chelsea feel included.

'Now, the people on the left side, so that would be Judy, Abigail and Aidan will try to protect themselves with a Shield charm,' explained Lupin. 'Willow, Shania and Connor you will try to break the charm. How you wish to do so is entirely up to you. We will do three turns, so everybody can have a go. Does everybody understand?'

'Yes, Professor,' they all said in unison.

'Good,' said Lupin, walking back up to his desk. As he reached it he turned on his heel. 'Draw your wands,' Judy didn't take her eyes of Willow as she held up her wand in front of her. 'Begin!'

'Protego!' shouted Judy instinctively as Willow shot a Jelly-Legs jinx at her. Next to her Abigail's movements slowed down as she was hit by Shania's Impedement jinx.

'Oh, that's a good one,' smiled Willow. 'Impedimenta!'

'Protego!' shouted Judy once again and the spell bounced off once more.

They went on for another ten minutes in which Connor managed to make Aidan fall to the ground twice with a simple Tripping charm. This was much to Shania's amusement who hadn't quite forgiven Aidan about his comment earlier on.

As they switched it was Chelsea's turn to face Willow, whom she shot jinxes at relentlessly. Willow was hit by Chelsea three times. The last time by a Jelly Leg jinx, which made her knees and legs wobble out of control.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Willow,' said Chelsea as Willow grabbed hold of a desk nearby to keep from falling. Though she tried, Chelsea couldn't undo the jinx. Abigail soon noticed what was going on and shot a spell at Willow's legs. The red haired Ravenclaw pushed herself up with a sigh of relief.

'Thanks, Abigail,' said Chelsea with a small smile. Abigail returned her smile. Willow gave Abigail a curt nod.

'Yes, very well done indeed, Abigail,' said Lupin approvingly. 'Now, if you all would switch one more time.'

Willow walked over to Judy. 'Your turn to do the jinxing.'

'You could have thanked her properly,' offered Judy in a whisper. Willow just rolled her eyes and walked over to one of the desks stacked against the walls.

The next ten minutes went pretty much the same as the other two rounds had. Abigail and Shania were clearly enjoying themselves, mostly due to the fact that Connor had another series of successful attacks on Aidan who seemed the be the only one in class not enjoying himself. Meanwhile Judy was doing her utmost to break through Chelsea's defences, but the other Ravenclaw was so apt at Shielding charms that Judy didn't stand a chance.

'That will be enough,' said Lupin after a while. 'I see most of you are quite capable at defending themselves. I don't think I can teach you much more about the spells themselves. However,' Lupin paused for a moment. 'Judy, would you mind assisting me for a moment?'

'Ehm no,' said Judy somewhat surprised that he had picked her, 'not at all, Professor.' She walked to the front of the class.

'If you would stand opposite me, like you just did with Chelsea,' said Lupin gently. Judy walked a few meters away from him and then turned on her heel.

'Good,' continued Lupin, 'now, try and attack me.'

'Try what, sir?!' asked Judy confused.

'Try and attack me,' repeated Lupin.

'But you're a teacher,' said Judy, not feeling at all comfortable to try and attack the man that had taken care of her for twelve years.

'I assure you, you will not be expelled,' said Lupin with a small smile. He held up his wand in front of him.

'All right,' said Judy, raising her own wand as she thought of which jinx to use. Her eyes locked with Lupin's for a moment. 'Impe,-'

Judy's wand flew out of her hand before she could finish the spell. She looked around the classroom for a moment, not realizing what had happened until she noticed Lupin was now holding two wands.

'Nice try, Judy,' Lupin smiled at her as he walked toward her. 'I suppose you want this back?'

'Thank you, sir,' said Judy, slightly ashamed, as she took her wand back.

Lupin gave her a short nod and then turned to face the rest of the students. 'Next lesson, we'll be practicing wordless spells. I want you all to read chapters three and four and write an essay about the advantages of wordless spells.' Chelsea's hand shot into the air.

'Yes, Chelsea?'

'How long should this essay be, Professor?'

'I'm more concerned with quality than quantity,' answered Lupin. 'Now, that will be all for today. I will see you again on Thursday.' He cast Judy a little smile as he turned on his heel and then walked to his desk.

Judy walked over to Willow who grinned at her. 'You should have seen the look on your face,' she said amused as they took up their bags.

'Oh, shut up,' retorted Judy as they walked after Aidan and Connor and out of the classroom. Willow laughed.

'Well, you can't deny that this lesson beats every lesson we've ever had from Lockhart or Quirrel,' Willow offered, still smiling.

'Yes, that Lupin is a good teacher,' said Shania as she hung back and walked on Judy's other side. 'It's just a shame the homework he set us is theoretical instead of practical. I wouldn't have mind to jinx Aidan…you know just to practice.' Shania added innocently as both Judy and Willow smiled.

&

Judy sat at her House table on Thursday morning with an untouched piece of buttered toast on her plate. Willow poured her a glass of orange juice and shoved it under Judy's nose.

'At least drink something,' Willow offered as Judy ignored the glass entirely. She didn't want to drink, nor eat. During the previous night an unsettling feeling had taken hold of her. Her stomach was so upset by it that there wasn't any room for any kind of drink or food.

'Are you nervous about DADA?' asked Connor sympathetically. Judy looked up at him and cast him the best smile she could manage.

'No, I'm just feeling a little nauseous.' Shania arched a brow at her.

'I'm not dreading DADA,' repeated Judy. She took her glass of orange juice and sipped it. Her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch and she immediately put the glass back down. 'I'm not eating or drinking anything today,' she said in a final tone.

'Sixth year already too much for you, Byrne?' Judy turned and saw the familiar face of Fred Weasley looking down on her. 'You look worse than Scabbers…'

'Who is Scabbers?' asked Judy confused.

'My brother Ron's rat. You probably didn't see him at the house, Ron usually keeps him in his bedroom. Anyway, he's been feeling off since Egypt. I think he's going to kick the bucket soon.'

'And you think I look worse,' said Judy, 'that's real nice of you, Fred.'

'Well, you know how I am,' he offered with a grin. 'Come on, scoot over, I have to show you something.' Judy did as he asked and Fred sat down between her and Willow. Judy only now noticed he was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.

'Well, you see,-' Abigail cleared her throat as Fred spoke.

'As I was saying,-' Abigail cleared her throat again. Fred ignored her entirely, but as he wanted to speak again Abigail cut him off.

'Excuse me,' she said.

'Oh, no need to apologize,' said Fred. 'You know, liquorish wands are good for a sore throat. Anyway,-'

'This is the Ravenclaw table,' said Abigail.

'Yes, I know. Now if you'll excuse me,' he turned back to Judy.

'You are from Gryffindor.' Fred arched a brow at Abigail and then looked back at Judy.

'Is she serious?'

'Come on,' said Judy, grabbing her bag. 'We'll go sit at your table.'

'I'm joining you,' said Willow, following Judy's example. They followed Fred back to the Gryffindor table. Judy sat down between him and George as Willow took a seat on George's other side.

'Changing Houses?' asked George amused.

'You explain,' said Judy to Willow and then she turned to Fred. 'Now, what did you want to tell me?'

'This,' said Fred, handing her the Daily Prophet.

Judy's eyes were fixed on the front page as she saw yet again the picture of the escaped prisoner of Azkaban staring back at her. Her stomach gave another uncomfortable lurch as she read the heading of the article.

'He's been sighted?' asked Judy surprised. 'Where?'

'According to the article not far from here,' said Fred as Judy scanned the text next to the photograph. 'A Muggle saw him,' continued Fred, 'but he'd gone before the Aurors got there.'

Judy looked at the picture below the article and recognized Nymphadora Tonks, searching the environment. The man beside her had a scarred face with a large chunk out of his nose and a glass eye which seemed to be spinning around. From what Tonks had told her, Judy guessed the man was Alastor Moody. An Auror who's sometimes dangerous behaviour and spinning magical eye had earned him the nickname 'Mad Eye'.

'May I?' asked Willow. Judy turned and handed her the Prophet. She then took a clean glass and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice, as her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

'Why do you suppose he's so near to Hogwarts?' asked Willow as she kept her eyes on the front page.

'Well, he was supposed to be You Know Who's most loyal servant, right?' said George. Judy's knuckles turned white as she tightened her hold on the glass. 'I think it's quite clear why he's coming to Hogwarts,' continued George in an all knowing tone.

'Do you?' Willow arched a brow at him.

'Well ,think about it,' he said, 'Black lost everything the night You Know Who died. He probably thinks that returning to You Know Who is the only thing he can do to get his life back.' Judy stared at her glass, doing her utmost not to show how George's words were affecting her.

'But why do so at Hogwarts?' offered Willow.

'Let's see now, which most evil wizard of all time has been at Hogwarts not once, but twice in two years' time?' asked George. 'Black must have picked up on it while wandering out there and figure his best chance of being reunited with his former master is here at Hogwarts.'

'Hmm,' said Willow, thinking as she looked at Black's picture screaming at them from the front page. 'Do you really think that after all those years in Azkaban he still wants to work for He Who Must Not Be Named?'

'If you ask me, Will,' said George darkly. 'Once a Death Eater, always a,-'

Judy's glass exploded in a thousand pieces and she was covered in pumpkin juice. Every Gryffindor nearby was staring at her and several students at the other House tables were looking in her direction as well.

'Are you all right?' asked Fred worried as he looked at her with widened eyes.

'I'm…I'm fine,' said Judy softly, searching for her wand as her hair dripped with pumpkin juice. Her heart was beating fast as she felt the other student's gazes burning on her skin. She didn't remember a time when she had ever felt so stupid.

'I'll get it,' said Willow, quickly getting up from her seat and aiming her wand at Judy. 'Scourgify.' In an instant Judy's robes, hair and face were clean again.

'Thanks,' said Judy, managing a weak smile.

'No problem,' said Willow as she cast her a smile which didn't hide the concern in her eyes.

Judy drew her own wand and aimed it at a shattered piece of glass before her. 'Reparo.' She muttered and the thousands of pieces of glass gathered before her eyes until they formed a whole again.

'I…I think I'll head for DADA already.' Judy picked up her bag, noticing the worried look on Willow's and the twins' faces.

'I'm fine,' she assured them. 'I've just been feeling a little off, that's all.' She cast a look at Willow. 'I'll see you at DADA.'

As Judy got up from the table, Lupin caught her eye and she knew he had seen what had happened. Judy quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the Great Hall, ignoring the several stares she received.

Judy soon reached the first floor corridor which was completely deserted. She walked slowly, her mind taken up by the sighting of her father. She didn't really see where she was, as she was lost in thought. Thoughts of where her father was now, what he was doing, what he was thinking…

Judy's vision became blurry as she walked to the door leading to the D.A.D.A. class room.

'No, we're not leaving you!'

Judy grabbed hold of the solid stone wall as the words echoed through her head.

'No,' she whispered. 'I don't want to know. I don't want to see. I,-' But before she could say any more, the vision took hold of her.

Judy looked around the vaguely familiar bedroom. The cream white wallpaper, matching duvet and the beech wooden bed had to have been picked out by her mother. Judy remembered how she and her mother shared their preference for light colours.

There were two people in the room beside Judy. A man leaned against the wall with a small piece of paper in his hand. On the bed sat a woman looking up at him, her long raven black hair flowing down her back.

'Will you just listen to me?' asked Sirius, his voice strained with emotion.

'I'm not going to change my mind…' Judy walked around the bed to get a better look at her mother.

Briana had been crying. Her brown almond shaped eyes were reddened by the tears she had shed. But despite Briana's sadness, her eyes sparkled with an anger Judy had never seen before.

'But they were here, Briana!' Sirius yelled at her.

'It's just a warning,' said Briana dismissively as she looked at the note in Sirius' hand. 'Nothing happened.'

'It's a warning this time,' retorted Sirius. 'Voldemort knows our numbers are growing. He knows there are more witches and wizards who are ready to fight him. He will do anything to stop us and he will not hesitate to strike us at our weakest spot.' He paused for a moment as he looked at her. 'Our families.'

'I am not leaving,' said Briana stubbornly.

Sirius let out an exasperated sigh. 'What about Judy?!' he asked heatedly. 'What if they find out about her next time?!'

'I can put a Disillusionment charm on her,' answered Briana, now looking at her hands.

'Not everybody can be fooled by magic, Briana.' Sirius retorted.

'Well,' she got to her feet and looked him straight in the eye. 'I doubt he will send a Dementor this way next time, Sirius!' she snapped and walked over to the window.

There was a long silence in which the only sound in the room was Briana's soft sobbing. Sirius looked down at the note in his hands as if rereading the few lines written on it a thousand times.

'What do you want then?' he asked after a while.

'I still want the same thing I always wanted, Sirius.' Briana turned on her heel and looked at him, her eyes shining with tears. 'I want a future…with you.' She quickly wiped away the wave of fresh tears that followed her statement. Sirius walked over to her and took her in his arms.

'Briana…'

'I just want us to be a family,' said Briana as she sobbed on his chest.

'We will be,' Sirius said quickly. 'As soon as this war is over…' Briana pulled back to look at him.

'It's not just the war, Sirius.' Their eyes locked for a moment and then Sirius turned away. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Briana sat down next to him as he ran his fingers through his hair.

'I love you,' said Sirius hoarsely.

'I know,' said Briana softly. 'And I know you try…but,' she took a deep breath.

'I don't want to lose you,' said Sirius quickly.

'Don't worry, I'm not giving up on you yet,' said Briana with a small smile, which Sirius returned. 'But we can't go on like this…you can't be out with James all the time if you want this to work. And I only want to be a family if you want to be one too…' Briana added hesitantly.

'I want to,' said Sirius honestly. He leaned in and kissed her softly.

Judy smiled to see the exchange at first, but as her parents remained glued together she looked around the room uncomfortably. After what seemed an eternity Briana pulled back. She looked at Sirius in silence for a while before she spoke.

'I'm not letting you lock me up,' said Briana in a tone which left no room for argument. 'I don't care where you want me to go, but I don't want anything to do with the Fidelius charm. I don't want to depend on anybody else for my own and Judy's safety.' She said in a final tone.

'You should go to your parents,' said Sirius. Briana looked at him in surprise. 'He'll never expect you to go into hiding with Muggles,' he offered.

'I suppose you're right,' agreed Briana. 'He'll expect us to use some powerful form of magic to protect ourselves. Though…' she hesitated for a moment, 'I don't think magic will ever be able to safe us…'

'Jude!' Judy's eyes flew open. She only realized she was lying on the cold stone floor outside the DADA classroom as Willow kneeled beside her.

'Oh, you look awful! What happened?!' asked Willow worried.

'I don't know,' lied Judy, 'I think I fainted.' Judy tried to sit up but changed her mind as she was nearly overtaken by a wave of nausea. 'I'm not feeling good.'

Willow looked over her shoulder as the sound of several pairs of feet came their way.

'Merlin's beard, what happened?!' asked Aidan as he reached Willow's side.

'Is she all right?' asked Chelsea anxiously.

Judy tried to ignore the other sixth year Ravenclaws who now all stood over her. Their closeness and the noise they were making weren't helping her feeling better at all.

'Now, what is all this about?' Judy recognized Lupin's gentle voice, which was followed by a sharp intake of air. 'What happened to her?!' Lupin inquired, only barely able to stay in his role as Professor.

'I…I don't know, sir,' said Willow quickly. 'I just found her here, lying on the ground…dead pale.' Judy met Willow's eyes and only now noticed her eyes shone the same way as Briana's had.

'Don't worry, Willow,' her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't used it in ages. 'I'm fine.' Judy tried to sit up again. Lupin caught the back of her head just in time as she sank through her arms.

'All of you, inside,' said Lupin sternly. 'Now!' Everybody safe for Willow complied.

'What about Judy?'

'She's going to the hospital wing,' said Lupin. He drew out his wand and a silver form shot out of it. Judy wasn't able to register the proper form of the Patronus.

'Go inside, Willow,' said Lupin without taking his eyes of Judy. 'I will join you in a moment.' He waited for Willow to close the classroom door before he spoke again. 'You saw something, didn't you?' he asked gently.

Judy nodded slowly. 'How…?'

'I found your mother like this once,' Lupin answered the unfinished question. 'You will feel better once you get some rest.'

'Professor Lupin?' Madam Pomfrey's hurried footsteps drew quickly nearer. 'I…oh dear,' she said as she noticed Judy.

'She ehm…' Lupin hesitated.

'Don't worry, Professor,' said Madam Pomfrey as she lifted Judy with a spell on the hovering stretcher behind her. 'I've seen this before.'

'Try and keep Professor Trelawney as far away from her as you can, would you?' asked Lupin gently.

'No worries,' said Madam Pomfrey, 'I won't let Sybill anywhere near her. She'll send the poor girl into shock with her tests of the 'true Inner Eye'.

'Thank you,' said Lupin truthfully.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a short nod, turned and headed toward the hospital wing. Judy looked back as the hovering stretcher follow in Madam Pomfrey's wake. Lupin's worried eyes were the last thing she saw before drifting off to sleep.

&

'Do you think she can hear us?' whispered a boy's familiar voice.

'Madam Pomfrey said she could,' whispered Willow back.

Judy slowly opened her eyes. It took her a while to focus her gaze but when she did she could clearly see Willow and Fred sitting on either side of her bed.

'How are you feeling?' asked Willow anxiously.

'Just a bit tired,' said Judy truthfully.

'Tired?' Fred arched a brow. 'Well, I suppose that's only normal after having slept through most of the day.'

'Is it already evening then?' asked Judy as she cast a glance at one of the windows. The sky outside was pitch black, broken only by the light of the stars.

'It's Friday eve, Jude,' offered Willow.

'It's what?!' asked Judy, sitting upright in the bed. 'I slept for two days?'

'Yes,' said Fred, pushing her back down on the bed again.

'But I'll never catch up on homework,' said Judy, thinking about the many chapters she would have to read and the essays she had to write.

'Do you really think anybody will expect you to have done your homework in this state?' asked Willow sarcastically.

'Snape will,' said Fred.

'Snape is a foul git,' retorted Willow, 'and if he thinks he can bully you in the state you're in,' she said, looking at Judy, 'he's got another thing coming.'

'You know, George has had a good influence on you over the years,' said Fred approvingly. Willow cast him a smile.

'Where is George anyway?' asked Judy.

'Madam Pomfrey said only two people at a time were allowed to see you,' explained Fred. 'And since you like me best…'

'Just because I flew into a goalpost because I was looking at you, doesn't mean I like you best,' said Judy.

'You did what?!' asked Willow amused. 'How come nobody told me about that?' she asked disappointed.

'May be you should spend some more time talking to George instead of kissing him,' said Judy with a smile. Fred laughed.

'I take it she is awake?' Lupin's familiar voice asked gently as he walked toward the bed.

'Yes, she's awake,' said Fred with a smile. 'And there seems to be nothing wrong with her sense of humour.'

'Well, that is very reassuring,' said Lupin warmly. 'Would you two mind giving us a minute?'

'Of course,' said Willow quickly. 'We were about to leave anyway.' She cast a smile at Judy. 'You take good care of yourself…Potions isn't any fun without you.'

'I'll try,' said Judy amused.

'See you later, gorgeous.' Lupin arched a brow at Fred. 'I'm sorry, sir, but she is,' said Fred as Willow pulled him away toward the doors leading to the corridor.

'Are you sure he doesn't fancy you?'

'Remus…I mean, Professor,' said Judy quickly.

'Don't worry, there's nobody here but us and Madam Pomfrey,' said Lupin. 'And she already knows.'

'She does?' asked Judy surprised.

'Yes, after yesterday all the teachers know.'

'All the teachers?' asked Judy in disbelief. 'Including Snape?!'

'It's Professor Snape, Jude,' corrected Lupin. 'And I'm afraid so.'

'But why?!' asked Judy as she pushed herself up.

'Because what happened yesterday is likely to happen again and the other teachers were bound to get suspicious if they noticed me visiting you all the time,' explained Lupin.

'So will the students,' offered Judy.

'I can hide my actions more easily from the students than the staff,' retorted Lupin.

Judy sighed as she looked at him. 'I suppose you're right.' She paused for a moment. 'So what happened yesterday is going to happen again?'

'Yes, that is very likely.'

'And my mother had this too?'

'Your mother only had it once. In our first year at Hogwarts,' said Lupin. 'And she had been having dreams for years, so it was less intense than what you experienced.'

'But if my mother only had it once…'

'You're not listening, sweetheart.' Lupin paused as if to think. 'Your mother was much younger when she started developing her Sight. She had had many dreams before she experienced what you did yesterday. Her body and mind were far better prepared than yours.'

'I don't want this,' said Judy, her eyes stinging with tears. 'I don't want to see. I don't want tot know.'

'I know it must be difficult, but try and see it as a gift…'

'A gift?' Judy snorted. 'Do you call seeing your loved ones die and knowing there is nothing you can do a gift?'

'Did you…?'

'No,' said Judy honestly. She thought of her mother's words. 'But I think Mom did. She knew she would die because of magic.'

'Your mother always said that not all was decided…' said Lupin gently. 'Would you mind telling me what you saw?'

'Mom and Dad. Arguing. It was the night before me and Mom left.'

'But,' said Lupin, thinking. 'You were staying with James and Lily that night.'

'I know…it wasn't a memory. Not my own memory anyway.' Judy looked past him. 'Remus,' she said, thinking. 'Mom could see the future. How come I can see the past?'

'Magic can develop in different ways than usual when it exhibits itself at a later age…' said Lupin. 'I'm afraid it is not my field of expertise, but I am sure Madam Pince will have a useful book for you.'

Judy nodded absently as she stared at one of the darkened windows. Lupin sat by her side in silence for a while and then got to his feet.

'Try and get some more sleep,' he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. 'Madam Pomfrey told me you can leave tomorrow if you rested enough tonight.'

'I'll try,' said Judy, managing a weak smile. Lupin turned to walk away.

'Remus?' asked Judy hesitantly.

'Yes, sweetheart?' he turned back.

'Is there any way to stop it?' she asked hopefully.

'Your mother learned to control it after a while. I am sure you will too,' he said warmly.

'Yes,' Judy said softly. 'I guess I will too.'

'Goodnight, sweetheart.'

'Goodnight,' Judy lay back on the bed again and stared at the ceiling. The unsettling feeling in her stomach hadn't quite gone, as her thoughts remained with what she had seen and heard. Her mother hadn't only referred to herself when she said magic would not be able to save them.

Judy turned on her side and pulled her blanket tightly around her as a cold shiver ran down her spine. Had her mother meant that her father would die by magic as well? And what about herself? Would the last thing she'd see in her life be the curse flying out of a wand aimed at her heart? And if so…when would that moment come?