Defying the Stars

An Execution and Killer Trees

"Quick-" I pant, "-give me a stick-thanks," I smile at Harry as he hands me one. "Wingardium Leviosa." I levitate the stick to hit the knot, stunning it.

"Hurry!" I hiss and run into the tunnel, Harry and Hermione following behind me.

"What in the-" Harry begins, but I clamp a hand over his mouth and put a finger to my lips.

"Where does this lead to?" Hermione whispers.

"I don't think that you'll like that answer, so I'm going to respond with an 'I'm not sure," I respond, panic settling in my bones.

"This isn;t marked on the Map," Harry whispers over to me.

"For a good reason, but the beginning of this tunnel is." I whisper back.

The three of us crawl as fast as we can, desperate to get to where this passage ends.

Dad, what's happening? I ask through the link, but no response. Dad? He must not be answering me, which only makes my panic worse. What if someone from the ministry found him? What if the Dementors found him and not only gave Dad the kiss, but Ron as well?

Finally, we make it to the shack, and the three of us dust off.

"Amara...we're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?" Hermione asks, and I nod and go to say something, but I'm stopped by a creak from upstairs. And before I can say anything else, Harry's bounding up the stairs as Hermione follows behind him with me behind both, praying to whoever might be out there that my father and friend will still be alive when I make it to them. I release a breath of relief as I open the door and Dad's in one corner, and Ron-who is clutching onto Scabbers-is in another.

"Harry-it's a trap-the dog-he's an animagus-it's" Ron stutters, but Dad cuts him off once the three of us are standing in the doorway.

"Expelliarmus!" Dad croaks, pointing Ron's wand at Harry and Hermione and catching them as they fly over to them.

"I thought you'd come to help your friends...your father would've done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful...it will make everything much easier-Starshine," he breathes, seeing me as I push my way into the room along with Harry and Hermione, "Why aren't you with the girls? The full moon is-"

"Not important at the moment," I responded.

"Wait-Amara, you-you," Harry starts.

"No, Harry, it's not like that, you have to listen-" I start..

"You-you helped him? You helped him...this whole time-"

"No Harry, I haven't" I hold back a sob, "Listen to me please-my Dad's innocent, please-"

"I trusted you." He whispers as a sob escapes.

"I know," I answered. "I know you did. But if you'd please just listen-"

"Listen to what Amara? More lies? Ron was right, I was right! You're not a hero, you're just another Black!" He bellows as tears again race down my face. Swiftly. He moves to take my wand from my back pocket, and tosses it to Hermione.

"Hermione," I whisper, but it comes out as a sob, "please."

Neither Hermione or Ron look at me, the former pointing my wand at me, "Petrificus Totalus" she says, and I fall to the ground, unable to move.

"No-" Dad starts to walk over, but is stopped by Harry stepping in front of me, and Hermione and Ron standing as best they can in front of him.

"If you want to kill Harry-if you want your daughter, you'll have to get through us." Ron says, wincing as he struggles to put weight on his leg.

"Lie down," Dad says quietly. "Before you damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron asks weakly, clinging to the bedpost he's next to for support. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

Three. Not four.

"Only one will die here tonight," Dad grinning weakly.

"Why's that?" Harry spits, trying to push past Ron and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew...what's the matter, Black, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry," Hermione hisses, "be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roars in response, and finally he pushes past the barrier that Ron and 'Mion have created, lunging at Dad.

Silent tears continue to streak down my face, knowing that I can't help my best friend or my Dad in this match. I'm forced to lay here and watch everything that I love tear itself to shreds, without a way to help it.

Harry gets on top of Dad, who's unable to help himself-because of him not wanting to hurt Harry, and how weak he is on account of how he was treated for twelve years.

"But then again," Harry hisses, "You've been known to leave those you care about for the big picture. After all, you left Amara and Lupin for twelve years for murder-"

"Going to kill me Harry?" Dad whispers as Harry's hands wrap around Dad's neck.

"You killed my parents," Harry responds, his voice shaking.

"I don't deny it-but if you knew the whole story-" Dad says quietly.

"The whole story?!" Harry bellows furiously. "You sold them to Voldemort, that's all we need to know!"

"You've got to listen to me, you'll regret it if you don't...don't you understand..." Dad says as Crookshanks leaps on top of him, and Hermione releases a sob as Harry goes to attack her cat.

Muffled footsteps are echoing up through the floor-someone is moving downstairs.

Pop, stay down there, leave, go to the girls in the woods, don't come up here- I try to use the link, and Dad's head snaps back to me on the floor, his eyes filled with sorrow at my condition.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screams. "WE'RE UP HERE-SIRIUS BLACK-QUICK!"

Well this is going to get a lot more interesting, isn't it?

Hello again! Sorry again for the late update-I've lacked the motivation to write. On the bright side, I'm already writing the next chapter, so I'm hoping to finish this book within the next few hours! But before I say anything else-THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 8K! I didn't think that this book would get more than a hundred views, let alone the number we're at right now! Anyways, I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July (if you celebrate it, if not, Happy July!). As always, feel free to comment and vote, and the next chapter will be up here soon!

~Potterhead