"Miss Black," she jumped at the sound of Snape's voice as he approached them slowly. "Was it you that conjured that patronus?" she shook her head. "Who?"
"I – I don't know," she whispered, shaking her head. "Ple-please, Professor! Ha-Harry passed out from them and...and my – my dad –" she paused, looking down at her father who was also out. "He's really hurt! He needs help –"
"The Dementor's will take care of your father," Snape sneered as he summoned a floating a stretcher, then casted a charm to levitate Harry onto it.
"No!" She protested. "He'sinnocent!" Snape's lips curled in disgust as he conjured another stretcher. "He is! Peter Pettigrew! I stunned him! He should still be by the Whomping Willow!"
"There is no one there, Miss Black. Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley are both currently in the Hospital Wing."
"What!" She exclaimed as Snape pulled her up from the ground by her arm. "No! I-I stunned him! He-He's the one that killed those muggles! He's the one that sold Harry's parents out to Voldemort! He framed my dad-"
"Silence!" Snape hissed at her and she stared at him.
"I'm telling the truth, Professor! I – I know you don't like my father, butplease!He's innocent!"
"I saidsilence, Miss Black!" Snape glared at her. "You will keep your mouth shut until we reach the castle, in which then you will go straight to the Hospital wing," he ordered her as she watched her father's body levitate onto a stretcher. "Now go!" he hissed and she nodded numbly as she began walking beside her father's stretcher toward the castle.
She couldn't stop the tears as they flowed down her cheeks. She wanted to reach out to grab her father's hand, especially when she heard him stir. She ignored the murderous look from Snape as she took her father's hand gently. She saw Dumbledore making his way out of the castle with Professor McGonagall, and the Minister of Magic. McGonagall and Fudge gasped as they took the scene in.
"Where should I take Black, sir?" Snape asked, looking at Dumbledore, who seemed to be looking at Grace and Sirius with a curious expression, but she just glared at her headmaster and held her father's hand tighter.
"Up to the Dark Tower, Severus, it's been enchanted with impenetrable charms," Dumbledore told him and Grace's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"He'sinnocent!" Grace hissed, clutching her father's hand tighter. "It was Peter Pettigrew-"
"Pettigrew is dead, Miss Black," Fudge cut her off, his voice sharp and cold as he glowered at her.
"No, he'snot!I saw him! I stunned him!"
"Miss Black, let's get you and Mr. Potter to the hospital wing," McGonagall started, gesturing for her to follow but Grace didn't move.
"Now, I'm not sure what bewitchment Black used on you but know that you are safe-" Fudge started.
"I'mnot bewitched!" She hissed. "My father is innocent! He was framed! If you don't believe me then give me veritaserum!"
"Silly girl!" Fudge scoffed. "Veritaserum only works on the events you perceive astrue!"
"Then take my memory of tonight!" She shouted angrily, and Fudge looked at her appalled. "Take my memory! It will show youeverything!It'll show you that Peter Pettigrew is still alive! That he framed my father and killed those twelve muggles!"
"A memory that will be false," Fudge scoffed as he laughed, shaking his head at her. "You silly girl, you really think a word of a twelve-"
"I'mfourteen," she hissed. "And I've got a clean record here at school! I've got top grades and-"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you do well, but forgive me if I don't take the word of a distressed teenage girl who happens to be the daughter of a deranged criminal!" Fudge snapped. "Now, Minerva, please escort Miss Black to the hospital wing. Hopefully by then whatever bewitchment she's under will have faded."
"I'mnotleaving myFATHER!" She shouted.
"Grace..." Sirius whispered groggily, squeezing her hand gently. She looked down at him with wide eyes. "Go..."
"No! You're innocent! You've done nothing wrong!"
"Go..." he whispered hoarsely. "You know the truth...that's all that matters-"
"No! I want you to come home-"
"Perhaps it's best to get Miss Black out of here now before it makes matters worse," Fudge advised and Professor McGonagall went to grab Grace but she yanked her arm away.
"I don't want to leave you," she whispered, blinking the tears away.
"Go... Grace," Sirius whispered tiredly. "I'm proud of you-"
"Dad..." She cried.
"I love you, little star," he said softly, and Grace shook her head.
"Dad-"
"Take him," Fudge told Snape, who nodded and started guiding the stretcher her father was in away.
"NO!" She shouted as she went to follow them but Fudge grabbed her arm. "LET ME GO!" She yanked her arm away. "HE'S INNOCENT!"
"Minerva," Fudge said, as he went to follow Snape.
"NO!" Grace shouted as she took a step to follow.
"Miss Black, please," McGonagall said softly.
"I want myfather!" She shouted. "He's innocent! DAD!" She shouted, but when she tried to move, she found her legs were frozen. "DAD! NO! DAD!" She screamed over and over, and she screamed so loud her throat became raw. "DAD! PLEASE NO! HE'S INNOCENT!"
"Come now, Miss Black," Dumbledore said gently. "Let's get you to the hospital wing, and get you a calming draught-"
"I don't want-"
"On the way you can tell me your recounts of this evening," He continued. "Then, with your permission, perhaps that memory?" he asked, giving her a small smile. "I'm impressed you are aware of memory extraction and a pensieve..."
"My mother told me about them..." she muttered.
"Yes, yes, Miss Prewett would know about them," he nodded. "Come, let's go."
As they walked to the hospital wing, Grace told Dumbledore and McGonagall everything, well except for her father being an animagus that is. When they reached the doors, Dumbledore paused and conjured a small glass vial. "If I may, Miss Black?"
"Will it...hurt?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"No, it will not," he assured her, and she nodded. "Think about tonight's events, Miss Black," he instructed, and she nodded. She felt the soft press of the tip of Dumbledore's wand as she thought about everything that happened in the Shrieking Shack, and about stunning Pettigrew before following after her father. She stared in amazement as a silvery light filled the small glass vial. "Thank you, Miss Black," he smiled kindly at her. "Now, please go rest. You've had an eventful night."
Grace watched her headmaster walk away, and felt McGonagall usher her and Harry's stretcher into the hospital wing. She glanced around and saw Ron getting his leg wrapped in a cast. Hermione turned around and gasped at the sight of Harry, then she turned and caught sight of Grace.
"Grace!" Hermione exclaimed and rushed to her, wrapping her arms around the other girl tightly. "Are you alright?" she asked as she pulled away and Grace shook her head.
"They're taking Dad..." she whispered, her voice breaking and she clenched her eyes shut. She was so tired of crying, but she couldn't help it.
"I must take my leave," McGonagall said softly as she patted Grace's shoulder. "Poppy, please see that Miss Black has a calming draught. She's a bit distressed." With one more gentle squeeze, McGonagall left them.
"Here, dear," Madam Pomfrey said softly as she guided her to the bed next to Harry. "Have a lie down, I'll be back with that draught-"
"No thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Grace shook her head as she sat on the bed. "I'd rather not take anything."
"Are you sure, dear?" she asked concerned, and Grace nodded, staring blankly at Harry. "Well alright, if you change your mind just let me know," Grace nodded.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to her.
"Dad's hurt..." Grace whispered, her lips trembling. "I-I followed him and tried to help with a simple healing charm but... but it wasn't enough. We fell by the lake, and then Harry came... and then the dementors," she clenched her eyes shut as she tried not to cry. "They... they just swarmed us and – and then someone cast a patronus, a full patronus and they all went away. That's when Snape came," she sniffled, wiping her cheeks dry.
"They're going to perform the kiss on Dad..." she whispered, shaking her head. "I'll never see him again and it's all my fault-"
"No it isn't Gracie!" Ron assured her from his bed across from her.
"Yes it is!" She snapped. "I-I should've used the fully-body binding curse! But instead I stunned Pettigrew and he got away! My dad's going to die and it'smyfault!" she cried, hiding her face in her hands. Hermione wrapped her arm around Grace and hugged her tightly, neither her or Ron knew what to say to console their friend.
There was a stir sometime later, and they all turned to see Harry starting to wake up. "Harry?" Hermione asked, as she stood up from Grace's bed and hovered of him.
"I saw my dad," Harry said as he sat up from the bed. Grace frowned at him.
"What?" she asked.
"He sent the dementors away..." He answered, looking at her. "I saw him! You had to have seen him too, Grace, he was across the lake!"
Ron, Hermione and Grace looked at each other before turning back to him. "Listen... Harry," Hermione started carefully, glancing at Grace quickly before turning back to him. "They've captured Sirius. Any minute now the Dementors are going to perform a kiss..."
"A kiss?" Harry asked, frowning. Grace closed her eye and turned away, her hand wrapped around the necklace her father gave her. "You mean, they're going tokillSirius?" He asked, alarmed, turning to Grace.
"No," Hermione shook her head. "It's worse... they're going to suck out his soul..." she whispered and Grace rolled her lips between her teeth to keep herself from crying again.
"But...but he's innocent!" Harry exclaimed, looking between Grace and Hermione. Before Harry could say anything more, the doors to the Hospital wing opened and Professor Dumbledore walked in. Grace and Harry stood from the bed, and the girl rushed over to him.
"Professor, please! Tell me they're not going to give Dad to the Dementors! Please! He's innocent!"
"It's true, sir! Sirius is-"
"It's Scabbers who did it!" Ron exclaimed from his bed.
"Scabbers?" Dumbledore frowned in confusion.
"He's my rat, sir... Only he's not really a rat-" Ron started and Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes, yes, Miss Black told me the tale," he nodded.
"The point, sir, is we know the truth! You must believe us!" Hermione pleaded.
"I do, Miss Granger. I do, Miss Black has provided a beautifully untampered memory," Dumbledore told them gently. "However, I'm sorry to say that the word of four third year wizards will convince few others. A childs voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen," he said as he looked out one of the windows. "Ah... a shooting star, if ever one was to make a wish, now would be the time... but time, I'm afraid is precisely our problem," he continued, then he turned to them. "Mysterious thing, time... powerful, and when meddled with... dangerous." Grace frowned, wondering where he was going with this, and wondering if he was just trying to distract them from her father.
"Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower," he told them, turning to look at Hermione seriously, and Grace stared at her confused. "You know the laws, Miss Granger, you must not be seen. And you would, I feel, do well to return before this last chime. If not.. well, the consequences are really too ghastly to discuss," he told her. "Three turns should do it, I think. If you succeed, more than one innocent life may be spared tonight," he turned around and started to make his way out of the hospital wing, then he paused and turned around to look at them. "By the way, when in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin... good luck," and with that, their headmaster left the hospital wing, closing the door behind him.
"What the bloody hell was all that about?" Ron asked. Grace shrugged as she turned to look away from the door to see Hermione pull something gold out of her jumper, and loop a long golden chain over her, herself and Harry.
"Sorry, Ron, but seeing as you can't walk," Hermione said as she held up a gold circular pendant with an hour glass in the middle. Harry went to touch it but Hermione slapped his hand away as she twisted it three times.
Grace stared in awe as she watched everything that had just happened, and then more move fast around her until it stopped and the hospital wing was empty. Hermione pulled the chain from around them and stuffed the necklace back into her jumper. Grace blinked, looking around them in awe.
"What...what just happened? Where's Ron?" Harry asked.
"Seven-thirty... where were we at seven-thirty?" Hermione asked, turning to them.
"Huh?" Harry frowned. "Dunno...going to Hagrids?" He answered.
"Come on! And we can't be seen!" Hermione told them as she started making her way out of the hospital wing.