안녕하세요 lovelies and a Happy New Year, both the solar and the lunar. I took some time off in December due to exam stress and I went on a holiday as well. I came back two days ago. Now I'm rested and ready to face the rest of the year. I shall upload as soon as I got my hours in for this week and do some extracurricular work.

Song of the Day: Closer by RM

Please comment and like! It gives me the motivation to write.

Spring was beautiful, but it also brought about a murky feeling. She had seen many beautiful Springs in the Highlands as many as she had seen bad Spring days. The days following the map revelation were nothing but filled with absolute stress. Despite having a small pool of students taking their leaving exams with her, they required her utmost attention at all times. It had gotten so bad that Eliza had stopped issuing homework for everyone – much to their relief as with each passing day, she would see a student running around in circles worried about their exams. She didn't have time to give Sirius a thought, not even at night when she arrived back in her room exhausted. Gone was the thought of confiding in Dumbledore. Remus and Eliza agreed – they needed to see Peter's name for themselves. For what it was worth, Poppy was happy for the exam season, as it meant that no student would venture out to the edges of the school grounds and taunt a dementor.

The Quidditch Cup final was upon them. A certain excitement filled her bones the closer the day got but she dreaded it still. She loved Quidditch. If life had gone differently, maybe she would have played in the professional league but her days of Quidditch at Hogwarts were tainted with house animosity.

She tucked her scarf around her neck. It was emerald and scarlet, an atrocious combination at best that clashed with each other and looked like one of those Christmas elves from the muggle world. But she bought it because she liked it and wanted to support all teams.

To her surprise, Harry sought her out after breakfast. He didn't look one bit nervous, a determined look in his eyes as the very team they were playing against was Slytherin.

"You know, Harry," Eliza began after a very concerning rant about how he would humiliate Malfoy. "Not all Slytherins are bad."

"I know, prof – Eliza," he corrected. "It's just… they haven't been good."

"That's because the only Slytherins you know are the children of former Death Eaters. Their Quidditch team which, might I add, is not a good representative and is bought."

"Only bad wizards come out of Slytherin house."

Eliza raised her eyebrow. "Then what am I? Merlin was a Slytherin as well, you know. The world is a lot more nuanced than that."

"Nuanced?" Harry asked. "What does that mean?"

"I'm saying…" Eliza took a moment for herself. She wondered who had taught him about Wizarding World politics and how absurd they were. Harry was young, but that didn't mean he didn't and shouldn't try to understand.

"A lot of wizards, Harry, hate muggles. Not necessarily because they are non-magical, but because muggles have hunted magical beings for years and years. That causes a lot of mistrust. When there is hurt inside of you, especially when it concerns who you are, you will grasp for a sense of security. Being a wizard is part of you, and you should embrace that. Being a Gryffindor is part of you. But never ever look down on someone just because they are something, but rather what they do. Being something does not excuse any atrocities that you can commit. Never ever. Not one being is above another and I've never understood this obsession with how many precent wizard are you that makes you better than anyone –"

Eliza smiled at Harry and shoved an egg toast in his direction. " – because in reality, we are stronger when we realise how we can help each other. So you can have a distaste for young Malfoy and his friends, the Quidditch team. But don't think for once that there isn't a kind Slytherin in their midsts."

He stayed silent for a moment. If the message got into his head, he didn't say. Then, gingerly, he took the food she had offered.

"So are you saying you would be mad if Slytherin won today?" Harry said slyly.

She chuckled. "I have a bet running with Snape. Please, I'd like to save some face too."

To her luck, Gryffindor won the house cup. Snape was particularly grumpy about it the rest of the school year. Weeks went by without another sight of Sirius. Remus would catch her looking out of the window again and again, her glance at the Black Lake ever telling. Her caution was that she would reveal the secret of the Marauders, which was Remus' biggest fear. It was this fear of being caught by Dumbledore, but also being caught by Sirius if she were to ever venture into the school grounds that kept her held up in the castle for the majority of May.

"You can't stay here all the time," Remus exasperated. "You're looking rather pale, do you know that? When was the last time you saw the sun?"

"Just now, you."

"I mean actually went outside," he said sternly. Eliza had been thinking about the sun shining through the window. He gingerly took the feather she had in her hand. "C'mon. Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

"Isn't it… the full moon today?"

"It's also the last exam day," Remus reminded her. "I think that warrents a little celebration, yes? It won't hurt. Nothing will hurt you out there."

Eliza wasn't so sure about that.

"I'll buy you a drink at the Three Broomsticks – no argument! I'm making my own money and can pay a drink for you once."

"But Severus –"

"He will be here with the potion when he is here with the potion," Remus caught her off. "You need to get out of here."

Eliza let out a breath of air. "Alright, give me a moment."

She exchanged her teaching robes for that of muggle clothing. With one look in the mirror, she felt what Remus had said. There was a pale tint to her skin, as though she hadn't seen the sun for ages, but there was nothing she was going to do about it now. Hopefully, the warmth of fire whisky would bring the colour back.

But Remus was gone when she came back. The door was left open as though he had left in haste.

Odd, Eliza thought. Perhaps she should go ahead to Hogsmeade and meet him there.

But as she passed Remus' table shortly, she found out the reason for his hasty exit.

On the Marauder's map, running at a fast pace towards the Shrinking Shack, were 5 little blips. Harry. Ron. Hermione.

Sirius Black.

And Peter Pettigrew.

"Shafiq?" Snape's voice cut through her thoughts. Her breathing was getting shallow. The air was getting thin, was it? Was that the reason why she felt so lightheaded and her hands were shaking?

"Eliza," Snape repeated. He set the mug down on the table. Remus was now on the map, running towards the Shrinking Shack. "Where's Remus?"

"Shack."

"I'll need more than that," Snape said annoyed. "Now is not time for one of your childish meltdowns."

"Shack," she pointed at the map, the blip moving close to the entrance.

"Why?"

"Black."

Those were the only words that left her mouth, and it was all Snape needed to leave the room.

She needed to do something. Snape, without a doubt, will help the kids but he is extremely prejudiced towards Sirius, Remus at worst. Things will not go well. Eliza was in no position to actually help, not as long as her hands were shaking and she felt like she was going to faint.

No, now was the time. With no hesitation, she needed to see the Headmaster.

They were arguing. Eliza had run up the stairs and found Dumbledore and Fudge arguing with each other.

"All of this is rather embarassing," Fudge said loudly. "We still haven't got Black and the team is getting restless –"

The arrival of Eliza made Fudge cut off his sentence.

"Ah, professor," Dumbledore announced. "I see you're here for our meeting."

Meeting?

Eliza noticed that he was buying an excuse to get out of the conversation with Fuge.

"Yes," Eliza cleared her throat. "I'm sorry if it's a bad time, minister."

"I was going to take my leave," he grabbed his bowler hat and put it back on. "It was good seeing you again, ms. Shafiq. I see you've … recovered well."

He rushed out of the room.

"What was that?" Eliza looks at Dumbledore.

"Our dear friend Buckbeak has made an escape, it seems. Hagrid is over the moon," there was a glint in Dumbledore's eyes. "Now, I think I know why you are here."

"Do you?"

"You have something weighing on your conscious, Eliza. You are notorious for not speaking up sometimes," he gestured to the seat in front of him. "Tell me."

When Eliza sat down, she felt fragile. The lightheadedness was gone and it left her feeling sore and tired. But the kids were in danger, and so were Remus and Snape. And goodness knows what was actually going on.

She produced her wand and tapped it to her temple.

"Eliza?" Dumbledore knew what she was doing the moment the silvery string appeared at the tip of her wand.

"I need to tell you everything," she insisted. "Everything about the Black brothers. They were both innocent."

She felt remorse and anger fill her body as she ran through every memory Dumbledore needed in order to understand the past twelve years. She had to relieve every heartache, every pain, and happy feeling, the disappointment, every touch she still remembered from those who loved her.

Dumbledore looked at her through his crescent moon glasses and gingerly took her wand from her. She felt empty as he pushed the silvery strand into the water of the basin that had appeared.

"May I look at it?" Dumbledore asked. He was giving her one more chance to step away. She wanted to say no, but she thought of the Shack and whatever was happening there right now. Eliza was not a fighter. She would leave that to the others. But if there was some way she could at least persuade Dumbledore to believe that Sirius was innocent, then it was better than any spell she could conjure.