➥COMPLETED
Nova Black hadn't thought she would ever set a toe behind those thick castle walls she had fought to forget about during the past thirteen years, but here she was at Plattform 9¾, staring at the scarlet train in front of her with wobbly k...
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WHILE NOVA, in all honesty, wasnt that fond of their stroll through the night with her lunatic brother still being on the run, Scabbers, the rat, broke out in full panic, and now the librarian found herself running after two bodyless heads of Harry and Hermione, an angry ginger with a bleeding hand, a red cat and a rat that was obviously scared to the bones.
"I got him!", Ron suddenly screamed, diving forward and wrapping his two hands around Scabbers. "Get off, bloody cat!", he hissed, the still struggling rat in his hands, sitting up in the grass.
"Ron — come on back under the cloak —", Hermione panted as they reached Ron. "Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming back out in a minute —"
But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws. Something was bounding toward them, almost quiet as a shadow — an enormous jet-black dog.
Nova reached for her wand, but those split of a second she took to get it, the dog had already jumped against Harry's chest, throwing him off his feet, before the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll.
Nova tried to get an aim at the dog, but she was too afraid to hit Ron instead; then out of nowhere, something cut across Nova's face, just before she felt like being kicked in the stomach and thrown of her feet.
"Lumos!", she could hear Harry yell. He was also on the ground, blood trickling from his forehead.
The wandlight showed the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer. And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight.
While Harry and Hermione were screaming for their friend, Nova's blood became ice, as she heard a crack shot through the night and Ron's leg, that had hooked around a root to keep the dog from further dragging him away, broke like a twig. The ginger was pulled into the gap, into the tunnel, where at the end a full-grown werewolf was waiting for them.
And out of nowhere, the red cat darted forward, all the branches and twigs missing it by inches, so it could place its paws on the knot at the trunk. The Whomping Willow froze. Not even a leave was rustling in this night that had fallen eerily silent.
"Hey! HEY! What are you doing?! No!"
Nova rushed forward, but Harry and Hermione had already reached the gap and were climbing inside.
Nova wished she could trust into the Wolfsbane Potion just like that. Nevertheless, she knew that there was a reason the werewolfs separated themselves, even though they had taken it. Remus himself insisted to be brought to the Shrieking Shack, no matter how many times Dumbledore had offered him to stay in his office during the full moon nights. There was still a remaining risk, and those three kids were about to find out about the consequences.
She could only hope that the moon would kept hidden tonight ...
Nova jumped after them, calling their names, but while Hermione only threw anxious gazes over her shoulder at Nova, Harry utterly ignored the librarian, until she had reached them and grabbed his shoulder.
"Harry James Potter!", she hissed, surprised about the power in her own voice. "The two of you will immediately return to the castle!"
"This dog is big enough to eat Ron!", complained Harry. "We need to get him out of there!"
"No, I will get him out of there, and you will —"
"I will save my friend, and there's nothing you can do about it!", Harry yelled at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "It might be your family tradition to let your friends die, but in my family, we do everything to save them!"
Nova's jaw clenched; this wasn't the right moment to discuss this, and Nova knew that the young boy was right. The Potters' bravery was floating through his veins, just like it had with his father and uncle. And thinking about it, Johnathan hadn't been much older when he started to risk his life, fighting for her ...
She shook her head, remembering the end it took for Harry's uncle, as well as for his father. A noble reason to die still came along with death, and a third year Hogwarts student shouldn't have to risk his life for anyone.
Especially, if there was an adult around. As much as Nova tried to shove it into the back of her consciousness, she had grown up and had to carry responsibilities. She could no longer hide behind her fear. Not now.
"You listen to me now, Potter, because I will only say this one time", she growled. "I am not my brother! I'm well aware about the pain the sheer reason I'm alive caused your family, but believe me I didn't want any of this to happen. And all I can do now — the least I can do now to make up for all of this, is to safe your stupid heroic butt. So don't you dare to set another toe into this tunnel! You'll wait right here and won't move a muscle until I come back with Ron and that stupid rat. We will return to the castle before curfew, and never talk about this ever again!"
With his teeth visibly pressed together behind closed lips, Harry nodded barely visible; he didn't talk back, and Nova didn't grant him a chance to change his mind, turning her back on him and strode off deeper into the darkness in front of her.
