I do not own…
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Stormy Game & Second trip to Hogsmeade
For the next few days the school talked about nothing but Sirius Black; wondering how he got in the castle. Some believe that he must have disguised himself, or flown in or apparate, an ability that witches and wizards can use to travel to different places. But only a few, like Hermione and Vanessa knew the third one wasn't impossible as the castle had all sorts of enchantments to keep people from Apparating into the castle.
For the Fat Lady's portrait, she was replaced with Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. She was too scared to come back so Professor Dumbledore gave her time to recover. Only Sir Cadogan took the job as none of the pictures wanted to. Nobody was very happy about this as Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels and kept changing the password.
Then there was the real annoyance towards Harry and Vanessa. After the attack the two had noticed that they were being watched closely by teachers and Percy. The teachers would find an excuse to walk along the corridors with them. Percy was acting like a guard dog when he saw them, most likely under orders from his mother. What really topped it off was when Professor McGonagall called them into her office. She told them that she wasn't sure if it was a good idea for the two of them to be out training in the evening without protection. Vanessa reminded her that they needed to practice as their first game on Saturday. This made Professor McGonagall think about it, as she wanted to see Gryffindor win the Cup more than anything. So she suggested that Madam Hooch to oversee their training session until Black is captured.
Later on as the weather was getting worse and worse but this didn't dampurted the Gryffindor team from practicing. They trained harder and harder under the watchful eye of Madam Hooch. On their final training session before Saturday's match Oliver Wood told them that they wouldn't be playing Slytherin. According to Flint, the Slytherins' team captain, their Seeker's arm was still injured. Everyone knew he was faking it and just using this so the Slytherins' wouldn't have to play in bad weather. Instead they are playing against Hufflepuff, whose new Captain and Seeker is Cedric Diggory. Wood was the only one that was freaking out about this as Cedric was a really good Seeker and knew he put together a good team.
Then to everyone's surprise for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Lupin was absent. Substituting his classes was Professor Snape. A lot of people were disappointed as Snape's lectures weren't as fun as Lupin's but Snape did know his stuff. Vanessa was a bit surprised about two things. One, they were to write an essay about werewolves, when they had done that in their third year. Two, she was the only one that was given sixth year DADA homework.
"According to what Professor Lupin has written down, he and the Headmaster have agreed that your powers are far above than the natural standard for any witch we had. Especially since you have already displayed that you can do wandless magic without being taught by her. Which I believe you have self taught yourself during the summer time. Am I right?" Snape said
Vanessa couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"And for once I have to agree." Snape said "Unless you don't think you can handle the extra work."
It may add to extra work to her plate but Vanessa took the challenge.
The next day the storm had gotten worse but it wasn't enough to cancel the match. When the teams got into their uniforms they all headed to the middle of the pitch. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands. When they saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount your broom", they all mounted. She blew her whistle and they were off. Everyone was soaking wet and frozen to the bone. It was hard to play but they did their best. With her eyes, Vanessa was able to see through the rain and capture the quaffle. She, Angelina and Katie were able to get a few goals in. For Harry, besides being soak and frozen, he could hardly see his teammates, let alone the tiny Snitch. He couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. It wasn't long till Harry heard Madam Hooch's whistle and saw the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground.
"I called for time-out!" Wood roared "Come on, under here…"
They all huddle at the edge of the field under a large umbrella.
"What's the score?" Harry asked
"We're fifty points up." Wood said "But unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."
"I've got no chance with these on." Harry said, waving his glasses.
At that very moment, Hermione appeared. She took his glasses and placed a spell on them to repel water. This brightened Wood up and the team headed back up. The spell had done the trick. Harry was still numb with cold but at least he could see now. He was able to look for the Snitch properly, avoid the Bluders and duck beneath Diggory. When he was searching he stopped for a bit when he noticed something in the stands. It was a large shaggy black dog. Harry nearly dropped a few feet when he saw this. When he got his balance back he looked up at the stand and the dog vanished.
"Harry!" Wood yelled. "Harry, behind you!"
Harry looked around and saw Cedric Diggory pelting up the field and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them. With a jolt of panic, Harry threw himself flat to the broom-handle and zoomed towards the Snitch. Vanessa was able to get in another goal until she felt the air getting colder. She looked up and stopped in her flight. Up above, there were at least a hundred Dementors and they were heading towards Harry.
"Harry!" She yelled in fear.
Forgetting about the game Vanessa turned her Firebolt around and tried to save him. The Dementors sucked on Harry's lifeforce that he ended up falling off his broom. Vanessa dived to grab Harry but the Dementors made a grab for her next. Suddenly her inner powers were fighting to get out. Unable to keep it in, her eyes glowed red and her hair turned white, with a wave of her hand she summoned a bolt of lightning. Making a whip of it, she strikes them all.
"BACK OFF, NOW!" She roared
She struck them again with another lightning and this time she scared them off. Once they were gone Vanessa looked for Harry. To her relief he was saved by Dumbledore but the game was over and Hufflepuff won as Diggory caught the Snitch.
"Vanessa! Are you okay?" Angelina asked
"Yeah... I'm fine." Vanessa said.
She flew down to the ground and followed after her cousin. They took him to the hospital wing and after Madam Pomfrey had a look at him she let the team come in. Before Vanessa could step in Professor Dumbledore called for her to follow him to his office.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I…" She said but Dumbledore cut her off.
"It is all right, Vanessa. I am sorry that you and Harry had to deal with what happened." Dumbledore said "The Dementors weren't supposed to be on the grounds. If you haven't gotten rid of them I would have. But to tell you the real reason why you are here. You were able to summon the lightning and control it without your wand."
"My magic has been getting stronger lately. Even my hair took longer to change back. And my medallion was still on." She said
It wasn't until they got to the hospital wing that her hair changed back.
"Both your mother and grandmother had gone through this stage." Dumbledore said "But...because of your blood...your powers will get stronger. And when that happens I am not sure how long your medaillon would disguise you."
"What should I do?" She asked
After some thinking Dumbledore had agreed to help her with these new powers once a week. When she got to the hospital wing she saw that Harry was awake and only Ron and Hermione were with him. Seeing that he was okay she decided to come visit him later. For now she'll leave him with his friends. When she turned to walk down the staircase she saw Hunter hurried up. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was alright.
"I was worried about you." He said before hugging her.
"I'm fine, really." She said
After making sure that they were alone he reached inside his cloak and took out a letter.
"A letter from your father." He whispered "It arrived just now."
There was no return address to it but she saw the family crest embedded on the back. They found a secured place before she opened the envelope.
Little Rose,
I am sorry that I haven't been able to write to you sooner. The Dementors were on my tail when I returned to London. The reason why I came back is because I was tracking Sirius Black myself. He was always a slippery being. I hope you and Harry are being careful like I told you to. My sources tell me that she is in England now. Keep an eye out.
Love, Papa.
.
.
.
The weekend had passed and Harry had just returned from the hospital wing. He was still bummed out from the loss of the game and his broomstick. Vanessa had told him that Adam and Bell will buy him a new one if he asks them. Beside his broom he was still worried about another Dementor attack for the next game. When the news of Professor Lupin returning Harry decided to ask him for some anti-Dementor lessons. He would have asked Vanessa but knew that she already had a lot on her plate with Prefect duties, extra lessons with Dumbledore and studying for her O. .
At the end of November everyone on the Gryffindor team was in a good mood. Ravenclaw had flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match. Though Wood did become repossessed of his manic energy and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly weather of December. When Christmas was nearby everyone was excited. This year Harry was gonna go to Auradon with Vanessa so they all were gonna do their christmas shopping on their next Hogsmeade trip.
Hunter and Vanessa, who had already finished shopping, hung out with Marius, Jay, Carlos and Dawn. They were walking down the trail towards the Shrieking Shack when they spotted Draco and his little gang. They were starting their usual bullying with the golden trio. Thinking that it's time to put Draco in his place, Hunter formed a plan and whispered it to the others. The boys all grin at this and Carlos and Jay leave to get the main thing for the plan.
"How dare you speak to me. You filthy little mudblood." Draco sneered at Hermione.
SMACK!
Draco stumbled a little as a snowball hit him in the face.
"What did I tell you about calling people that word Malfoy?" Hunter said
He and the others came walking towards them.
"This doesn't concern you, you blood-traitor." Draco glared
He was scared of Hunter but he was proud to stand down.
"You hear this kid, Marius. Thinking that he's better than all of us just because he's pureblood." Hunter smirked
"I wouldn't be that proud. From what I hear...most of the so-called purebloods are actually form a lot of inbreeding." Marius said "But do you know what I see? A Codfish. That's what he is."
Harry and Ron snorted a little at the nickname.
"A what?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you're right. He is like a Codfish." Hunter laughed "And you know what happens to Codfishes."
"The Tick-Tock Crocodile sniffs them out and comes to eat them." Marius said
"You're both off mental, that's what you are." Draco said
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
"Yeah, hear that. It's the Crocodile." Hunter smirked
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
The sound of the ticking was getting louder as the sound got closer and closer. It was making both Draco, Crabb and Goyle scared and looking around. Harry looked over at Vanessa and just gave him a look that this was gonna be fun. Suddenly the icy-lake that was nearby started to crack.
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
A very large head of a blue Crocodile popped out of the icy-lake with a mosterist hiss. Draco and his gang scream at the sight of the large Crocodile. They ran away when it started to run after them.
"Run, Codfish! Run!" Hunter laughed
Jay and Carlos, who were hiding in the trees, pull a long rope, making them trip. Draco let out a girlish scream when he saw the Crocodile getting closer and ran faster without his friends. With their large forms Crabb and Goyle were able to pick themselves and ran the fastest they could. The Tick-Tock Crocodile stopped as it let out a roaring hiss before it transformed into Malcom.
"Wow, I've never seen those two run that fast before." He laughed
Everyone laughed, except for Hermione. She thought it was a horrible prank, no matter how much Draco deserved it. But they did see her trying to fight a little smile.
After their little fun they decided to head to the Three Broomstick to warm themselves up with Butterbeer. Like always it was extremely crowded, noisy, warm and smoky.
"That's Madam Rosmerta." Ron said "I'll get the drink, shall I?"
He left with a hint of blush across his cheeks.
"I'm gonna go help before he spills or drops them when he makes a fool of himself. Jay, come and help." Marius said
Jay nodded and followed Marius to the bar.
The others made their way to the back of the room, where there was a booth between a window and a beautiful Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Marius, Jay and Ron came back first, carrying three jugs of Butterbeers.
"Merry Christmas!" Ron said happily
They all took a few sips of their drinks when a sudden breeze came in the place. Carlos, Dawn and Marius, who had a good view of the door. They saw Professor McGonagall and Flitwick coming in, followed by Hagrid and a portly man in a lime green bowler hat and a pinstripe cloak.
"Who's the man with Professor McGonagall, Flitwick and Hagrid?" Carlos asked in a whisper.
"That's Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic." Dawn whispered
"What's he doing here?" Jay asked
The four adults sat at a table right beside theirs but didn't notice them as the tree was blocking them. Madam Rosmerta came over with their drinks.
"Lovely, to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us…" Fudge said
"Well, thank you very much, Minister." Rosmerta said
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Madam Rosmerta asked
Carlos saw the Minister look around, making sure no one was listening.
"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" Fudge said
"I did hear a rumor." Rosmerta admitted
"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" McGonagall said
"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" Rosmerta whispered "What about Vlad Tepes?"
"Still no signs of Tepes." Fudge said "But for Black, I'm sure of it."
"You know that the dementors have searched my pub twice?" Rosmerta glared "Scared all my customers away...It's very bad for business, Minister."
"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do." Fudge said "Necessary precaution...unfortunate, but there you are...I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore...he won't let them inside the castle grounds."
"I should think not." McGonagall said sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"
"Hear! Hear!" Flitwick squeaked
"All the same, they are here to protect you all from something much worse… We all know what Black's capable of…" Fudge said
"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it. Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought...I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead." Rosmerta said
"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta." Fudge said "The worst he did isn't widely known."
"The worst?" Rosmerta said in curiosity. "Worse than murdering all these poor people, you mean?"
"I certainly do." Fudge said
"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta. Do you remember who his best friend was?" McGonagall asked
"Naturally. Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here...ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!" Rosmerta laughed
Harry nearly choked on his Butterbeer.
"Precisely. Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both are very bright, of course...exceptionally bright, in fact...but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers…" McGonagall said "The only ones that could keep them in line was Mina."
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" Flitwick chimed "Inseparable!"
"Of course they were." Fudge said "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him Godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."
"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" Rosmerta whispered
"Worse even than that, m'dear…" Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. Dumbledore, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted Mina, James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."
"How does that work?"
"An immensely complex spell." Flitwick explained "Involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find...unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. He even added a Secret Guardian to hide the village location. As long as the Secret-Keeper and Guardian refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily, Mina and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting-room window!"
"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" Rosmerta whispered "Who was the guardian?"
"Vasilisa Henchfor. She was a good friend of Minas' and a powerful witch, at that. James Potter told Dumbledore that Black and Henchfor would die rather than tell where they were, that Black and Henchfor were planning to go into hiding themselves...and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper and guardian himself." McGonagall said "And he wasn't the only one. Vanessas' father, Vlad Tepes knew You-Know-Who was after Mina because of who she was. That's why she and Vanessa went into hiding as well. You-Know-Who knew that having a Grand White Witch on his side would make him more powerful. And the fact that she married the King of the Vampire race. They would have won the war. From what Dumbledore told me, Vlad didn't trust this plan as he didn't trust the keepers."
"They suspected the two?" Rosmerta gasped
"They were sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements." McGonagall said darkly. "Indeed, Dumbledore had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."
"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"
"He did." Fudge said heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed…"
"Black betrayed them?" Rosmerta gasped
"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it…"
Hagrid went on a little rant as he got a bit drunk, after it, Fudge continued to walk.
"It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew...another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself." Fudge said
"Pettigrew...that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" Rosmerta asked
"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter. Never quiet in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I...how I regret that now…" McGonagall said
"There, now, Minerva. Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses...Muggles. Of course, we wiped their memories later...told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…" Fudge said "Unknown of who was really responsible, Tepes, sought out the hiding place of where Henchfor was hidden. He believed that she had a hand in their deaths as she was the Secret Guardian. Without informing this to us or handing her in for us to see if it was true he took vengeances into his own hands. The fight ended up killing over a dozen muggles. We had no choice but to arrest him for their deaths."
Vanessa had to hold in a growl and gripped the table, nearly breaking it.
"No one could blame Vlad for what he has done." Hagrid sniffed "Los'in the love of yer life. She was his soulmate. N his kind mate for life."
"Yes, well, the Ministry couldn't let it slide. Actions have consequences no matter what." Fudge muttered "Now that I think of it he might be going after Black next."
Then he went on about how mad Black was as the Dementors didn't effect him like the others. Now that he's out Fudge believes that he's trying to find You-Know-Who after killing Harry. When they finished their drinks they all left without knowing that both Potters heard everything.