Chapter 32
LB
That impatient foolish idiot! I grumbled to myself when the news of Sirius Black reached my ears. I had been woken up by Remus, his eyes frightened and alarmed. Telling me that Black broke into the Gryffindor common room, standing over Ronald Weasley's bed with a knife. The security around the castle increased and though the twins had frowned at the tightened security, which made it harder for them to sneak around and pull pranks, it was still easy to sneak out of the castle as Loki.
So, the day after it happened, I trotted over to the forbidden forest after making sure Harry was okay. When I didn't find Black in the forest, I didn't dare to go too deep, knowing what hides in there, I walked back out to see Crookshanks waiting for me. I cocked my furry little head at the cat. He stuck his nose in the air and turned around. I rolled my wolf eyes and followed the cat. Of course, the cat stopped in front of the whomping willow. I walked under the swaying branches and looked over my shoulder to the cat.
"Aren't you coming?" I asked. Crookshanks gave a slight shake of his head before turning and walked back to the castle. "Alright then." I grumbled and slid down muddy pathway.
After a ten-minute walk, I entered the Shrieking Shack. I walked into the room we last met. Sirius Black was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring through the window in front of him. As I walked in the room, I turned back into my human form and paced in front of him. It didn't even dawn on me to draw my wand or that I wasn't afraid to turn my back on the alleged mass murderer.
"What the fuck were you thinking, Black!" I cried out after I ceased my pacing and looked to my biological father. His eyes had averted from the window and looked at me curiously. "Breaking into the castle! Not just the castle but the GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM! You've spent twelve years in Azkaban, you should've learned how to be patient! I'm trying to get Scabbers, okay. But Ronald thinks Crooks already ate him because he's missing!"
"How long have you been an Animagus?" He asked calmly.
"What?!" I asked, my eyes nearly bulging out of my sockets.
"How long have you been an Animagus." He repeated slowly, his eyes searching for something.
"About three years now." I said still confused about the question.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen. What's with the twenty questions?"
"Just curious." He shrugged. He was quiet for a moment before he said. "You were thirteen when you became an Animagus?" He asked surprised and a little impressed, his eyes large.
"Uhm, yeah." I turned around to look out the window.
"Why?"
"Why what?" I asked not turning around.
"Why did you want to become an Animagus, why so young?"
"Why did you?" I asked turning to him with a fixed glare. Sirius Black leaned against the headboard and stretched out his legs in front of him.
"I had my reasons."
"So did I." I mumbled. It didn't escape me how alike we were, but I really, really didn't want to admit that.
"Sorry." He whispered, and my head shot up from the ground to the bed. "I shouldn't have gone in the castle. But I couldn't help myself."
"Obviously." I rolled my eyes.
"When I was in the castle... I heard kids talking." He said slowly. I looked to him and tried to keep a neutral face, afraid what he might have heard. When I didn't respond, he continued. "I heard that Lupin, Professor Lupin has a daughter who goes to this school."
"He does." I said, trying not to look away because otherwise he would know I'm keeping something from him. "You can ask him when we get Pettigrew. But that won't happen if you break into the castle again."
"I know. I'll stay on the grounds and in the forest." I sat down on one of the old squeaky chairs, my arms leaning on my knees as my head was bent low. "You trust me."
I scoffed, tilting my head just a little to scowl at him. "I believe you, there is a difference."
"Perhaps." A curious look passed through his eyes. "Why do you believe me though?"
"I have my reasons." I shrugged and stood up. "I better get going. Because someone-" I pointedly looked to him. "Broke into the castle, and they tightened security. Even trolls guard the castle now." I turned back to Loki and looked to Sirius Black one last time.
"Being an Animagus comes in handy like that." I saw a ghost of a smile before he turned to look at the window again. With a deep breath, I trotted back out the room, following the wooden floors out of the shack.
LB
The first time I joined the seventh years for Potions in Januari, I received a few dirty looks. But in the first class, I made the perfect Wolfsbane, and though some reluctantly, they accepted me. I was happy that Wolfsbane was the first, because I've been brewing it for years now. At the end of the class, Snape gave me a subtle nod, that I could take the potion with me for Remus.
I was now working on Veritaserum. If I'm successful, I highly doubt that Professor Snape would let me keep this, shame. I had stirred it four times, before lowering the fire underneath and let it stew for a bit. I started cleaning up my station and putting the leftovers in the designated box. With a potion brewing for at least fifteen minutes and my station cleaned, I looked around the room. The seventh year NEWT level class was small. Three Slytherins, two Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws and three Hufflepuffs, and well, me. Eleven in total, and because I only joined in the second half of the year, everyone was already paired up. Not that I minded, I loved working alone on my potions, I preferred an empty room, but hey, you can't have it all. I hopped on my stool and opened my book to see the next steps.
"Miss Lupin-Black." Snape's bored voice came from in front of me. I looked up from my book, to see him standing there with a few pieces of parchment in his hands. "If you pass your NEWT's, you still have two years in Hogwarts left. During a meeting with the other professors, they suggested you might be interested in an apprenticeship. Look over the information and get back to me before May."
I opened my mouth to reply, but before a single syllable fell out, Snape had turned and sat back at his desk. Looking like this didn't just happen. I looked to the parchments he left on my desk, and I rolled them up and placed them in my bag to look over later. Ten minutes later, I added six drops of water from Loch Lomond before putting my potion on statis. I put the lid on it and put a few charms on it, so that no one could mess with it and placed on the top shelf of the cupboard. When I came back to my desk, I wanted to start up summarizing our potion for next week, when a seventh year whispered my name.
"Lupin-Black." I turned to look to the Ravenclaw boy. He had long black hair, that was tied up in a low ponytail. He looked from Snape to me. "My potion is green. I don't know what I did wrong." He whispered.
I hid the smile that wanted to creep up, and with a quick glance to Snape, who was busy grading essays, I turned back to Azen. "Too much frog legs. Add six strings of Valarian root to counter it."
The boy did what I told him without any hesitation. When the green turned to a colourless liquid, he grinned at me. "Brilliant! Thanks, Alec."
"No problem." I mouthed as I saw Snape stand from his desk and walk over to inspect the potions. Snape stopped to look at Azen's potion. He looked carefully in the potion before looking up to Azen and then to me. He knew. He knew that I helped him, I was sure of it. But he didn't say anything. He gave Azen a nod before looking to the others. Even with my back to the boy, I could hear him let out a breath of relief. I smiled as I put my attention back on my book.
LB
I was sitting in the library with Harry helping him with potions when Draco walked in alone. It wasn't much of a shock to me anymore, seeing him alone, or just with Blaise and Theo. He had left his bodyguards behind ever since Christmas break. When he saw me sitting at the table, he came over with a smile. But it faltered when he saw Harry sitting across from me, a scowl taking its place. He walked past us and sat down at the table a little further away. Harry didn't notice Draco arrive as he was frowning at his potions essay.
"How's it going?" I asked, looking from Draco to Harry.
"Miserably." He muttered as he looked up. "What?" He asked as I frowned myself.
"'S nothing. I promised Draco that I would help him too." I said, nudging my head to the blond.
"Oh." His scowl back in place. "I'll let you to it then, Hermione can help me finish this."
"No, Harry. Why don't we ask Draco to join us."
"No." He shook his head. "No way. Buckbeak is most likely to be sentenced to death because of him." He was standing already.
"Harry." I touched his hand softly. "He's not the same boy anymore. He tried to ask his father to stop with the trial, but he wouldn't listen. He's trying, slowly and with ups and downs, but he is trying."
"I don't know." He frowned as he risked a glance over his shoulder.
"I'll be here. I won't let you two alone."
"Fine." He flopped back down on his chair and turned his attention back to the essay.
"Draco." I whispered. The young Slytherin looked up from his own potions book. "Come here."
"Why?" He whispered back. I rolled my eyes at him and gestured him over. I saw him huff as he packed up his things and walked over.
"Sit down." I patted the chair next to me. Draco's grey eyes, that matched mine, went comically large as he looked from me to Harry. "I need to help you both, it's easier if we're sitting together."
"I- ugh- fine." He dropped in the chair next to me and placed his book in front of him. I smiled to myself as I knew both would have thought that Hell would freeze over before they would study together. But here we are, the three of us sitting together to study. An unlikely trio: The golden boy, his arch nemeses from their first year here, and the daughter of the alleged mass murderer, Sirius Black. I wouldn't lie, we did get some curious glances shot towards us. Curious was putting it mildly to be honest. The three of us knew, that by this time tomorrow the word had spread. Even though we were an unlikely trio, it shocked the kids the most that Harry and Draco were sitting at the same table without wands drawn. Everyone knew, Harry and I got along, and that Draco and I were cousins. But still, I was in my happy place as I was seated with them at the little table in the library. Because both of them were my family. Draco my blood, Harry by uncles, best friends, godfathers and whatever.
We studied together for almost two hours. It went better than I thought. Yes, Draco snorted at some of Harry's questions as if Harry was the biggest idiot in school. And I had to remind him that Harry didn't grew up with an uncle that taught him potions before school, or the fact that his uncle was picking on Harry every chance he got. Harry's grin went wide, as Draco mumbled something incoherent as he tried to push back a blush.