The Snow Fox

Chase

She had had multiple coffees that day in preparation for an all-nighter. Luckily, she ended up finishing her work earlier than she had anticipated, it was only 2am and she was returning to her dorm. She hummed to herself, taking quiet steps through the halls to not wake up any late night workers or sleeping teachers. She was ready to dance the rest of the night or catch up on a new book she had since she had already had caffeine. Venus turned the corner and saw a shaggy man enter through a courtyard opening. His clothes were raggy and hair black and wild. She pushed back against the wall, trying to appear as flat as possible to hide herself.

"What the- Crystal! Go wake up Professor McGonagall!" She whispered to her owl, who was dozing off on her shoulder. "GO!"

Venus shook her off her shoulder, making her fly off grumpily. She looked around the corner again and watched the man flip through notecards. He kept repeating words at the portrait, until Sir Cadogan finally swung open. She quickly ran in after him before the portrait closed fully, slipping through. Pressed up against the wall, she listened carefully for the man's steps. He began climbing up to one of the dormitories. She didn't know which one.

Think, think, what could he want?!

She tried to listen to his quiet steps again.

Harry!

It was an assumption, but not illogical, many people wanted to kill the boy, and if this was truly Sirius Black as she suspected, he would be after him.

She quietly rose the stairs to the boy's dorms and listened for the man's movements. She heard him enter a door and a quiet ripping noise, then a scream.

Venus kicked open the door, splintering the wood, everyone groggily waking up from the scream.

"Ron!" she cried running towards the redhead who looked traumatized. "What happened?"

"Sirius Black! Was over me- h- holding a knife!"

"Where did he go?!"

"Out the window!"

Venus quickly put a leg up on the open window frame and looked around the exit. She saw a raggy tailcoat above her and she pushed herself up to stand on the edge of the windowsill.

"Venus what are you-"

"Seamus, Dean, give me a boost!"

The two boys scrambled to push the girl up by her feet, giving her the altitude she needed to grab onto the next windowsill.

She pulled herself up, hearing the Gryffindor head teacher run into the boy's room below. A hooting noise followed and she yelled for her owl.

"Crystal!"

The owl flew out of the bottom window and through the open she was climbing into.

"Follow him!" she said, pointing to the man that was running away across the room.

After getting into the room, she drew her wand.

"Accelerare momentum!" Her feet tingled and she bolted through the door, chasing after the bright blue owl.

They ran all the way until they reached a set of moving staircases. Venus reached the stair opening to see her owl sitting on a ledge, stairs moving away. A glimpse of the tailcoat going through the opening below them.

"Salazar's beard!" she cursed.