Sirius Black was spotted in Dufftown. I don't know what he wants. But I don't think it's to kill Harry. Harry never did anything to Sirius. Even with all that's happened I don't think Sirius would hurt Harry. That's not the guy I knew.
I knock on the door to Remus' office.
"Come in," Remus tells me.
I smile as I open the door. "Hello."
Remus smiles slightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
I chuckle lightly. "Came to see if your office is nicer than mine." Remus shakes his head. "It's not by the way." I smile widely. "And I heard you had a boggart in your closet."
"Did you want to face it for yourself?" Remus questions.
I shake my head. "I already know what my boggart is." Remus raises an eyebrow. "Losing Maddie. If anything, ever happened to her I don't think I would ever be able to move on. It was hard enough when I lost Rowan." I force a smile. "Is yours still a full moon?" Remus nods. "Did you get a chance to see Madeline's boggart?"
Remus shakes his head. "She was next in line after Harry but after his boggart turned out to be a dementor I ended class a little early."
I nod my head. "Should have made him go last."
"Would have been a smart idea," Remus admits.
"You're keeping an eye on him?" I ask. Remus nods. "Good. Lily and James would appreciate it."
Today was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Not having my own need to go into Hogsmeade I keep myself busy. I had a few papers to grade. I may have fallen asleep while grading the last few. I had rounds last night and didn't sleep well after. When I wake up, I realise I'm already late for dinner.
I walk down the corridor towards the Great Hall. I stop dead in my tracks when I spot a large black dog in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady at the entrance of the Gryffindor dormitory. Suddenly the dog turns into a human. Not just any human. It's Sirius Black. He shouts at the Fat Lady to open the door, but she won't. In anger his hand turns into a paw, and he slashes the painting. He turns and notices me. His face softens.
"Annalise."
I shake my head slightly. "Go before dinner is over and this hallway is filled with Gryffindor students."
Sirius looks at me for a moment before turning back into the large black dog and heading off down the hallway. I start back up the corridor a little. I don't need anyone knowing I let Sirius Black get away. I know Remus and I will already be the primary suspects for Sirius even getting into the castle. When I hear the chatter of students, I start back towards the Gryffindor dormitory. I see Dumbledore surrounded by students.
"Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall," Dumbledore orders.
"What's happened?" I ask Dumbledore.
"Sirius Black was here," Dumbledore tells me.
"Inside the castle?" I ask.
Dumbledore nods. "I need you to help me round up the students and bring them to the Great Hall."
I nod my head. "Of course."
Maddie and her friends come rushing my way. "Mum! Was he really here?" Maddie asks.
"Was Sirius Black really in Hogwarts?" Ron asks.
I wrap my arm around Maddie. "I know as much as you know."
"Come on," Maddie remarks. "You want us to believe that?"
"You're a professor," Hermione states.
"And I haven't been told anything yet," I assure. "Come on. You're all sleeping in the Great Hall tonight."
I stand with Dumbledore in the Great Hall. All the students are fast asleep in sleeping bags laid out on the floor. I can't stop thinking about Sirius. He didn't look like the man I knew. He looked like a broken sickly man hardly capable of hurting a fly. He wasn't the strong badass boy from our youth.
"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, sir. But there's nothing there," Filch tells Dumbledore.
"Ah, thank you," Dumbledore tells him.
"The third floor's clear too, sir," Flitwick tells him.
"Very good," Dumbledore says.
"I've done the dungeons, headmaster. No sign of Black, nor anyone else in the castle," Snape says as he walks towards us.
"I didn't really expect him to linger," Dumbledore admits.
"Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter Hogwarts Castle on one's own..." Snape looks at me "Completely undetected?"
"Quite remarkable, yes," Dumbledore agrees.
"Any theories on how he managed it?" Snape asks.
"Many. Each as unlikely as the next," Dumbledore replies.
"You may recall... prior to the start of term I expressed concerns... about your appointment of Professor..." Snape starts.
I know he is talking about Remus. But I also know that Remus still thinks that Sirius is guilty. Hell, I don't even know if I fully believe Sirius is innocent. Something about what happened has always sat wrong with me. Sirius would never hurt James or Lily.
Dumbledore cuts him off, "Not a single professor inside this castle would help Sirius Black enter it. I'm quite convinced the castle is safe... and I'm more than willing to send the students to their houses."
"What about Harry? Should he be warned?" I ask.
"Perhaps. But for now, let him sleep. For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud," Dumbledore says.
I walk into my room having just finished rounds. I throw myself down on my bed only to hear a knock on the door. I can't imagine a knock this late can be anything good. I pull myself back up to my feet and open the door. A black dog runs right past me into my room. The same black dog from two days ago. I watch as the dog turns into Sirius Black.
"Close the door," Sirius instructs.
I stand almost stuck in place, unable to look away from him. A part of my heart breaks seeing him like this. Sirius walks over and closes the door. He stares at me for a moment before stepping away.
"I could scream, and you wouldn't be able to get away fast enough," I threaten.
Sirius smiles. "Still a bit dramatic, Annie."
"What are you doing here?" I question.
"I'm innocent," Sirius states.
"What are you doing here?" I repeat. "Everyone says you're here to kill Harry Potter." Sirius doesn't say anything. "Are you?"
"No," Sirius states.
"I'm gonna ask you one more time. What are you doing here?"
""I am here to kill someone... but not Harry Potter," Sirius admits.
"Then who?" I question.
"I'm here to kill Ron Weasley's rat," Sirius tells me.
I look at him confused. "You escaped Azkaban to kill a rat?"
"It's not just a rat it's Peter Pettigrew," Sirius states.
"You think Scabbers is Peter?" I question. I shake my head. "Scabbers has been in the Weasley family for..."
"Twelve years? Curiously long life for a common garden rat. He's missing a toe, isn't he?" Sirius says.
"So?" I question.
"Don't you remember all they could find of Pettigrew was his finger. Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead. And then he transformed into a rat," Sirius explains.
"So, you want me to believe that you didn't kill Peter? He ran away and has been living as a rat for twelve years?" I question.
"I know it sounds crazy..." Sirius starts.
I cut him off, "Try absolutely mental." I shake my head. "And if he is here, why go after him?"
"Annalise, Peter is the one who sold out James and Lily Potter to Voldemort," Sirius tells me.
"What?" I question.
"It was never me, Annie. You have to believe me," Sirius pleads. I nod my head slightly. "Harry? Is he happy?" Sirius asks.
"I would like to think so," I tell him.
"Good. Good." Sirius nods. "Madeline?"
"Maddie is constantly getting into trouble with Harry." I laugh. "Just like Rowan used to get into trouble with you and James." Sirius smiles slightly. "You should go. It's too dangerous for you to stay. You can head to the Shrieking Shack. I'll bring you food."
"Thank you," Sirius tells me.
I head to visit Remus. Last night was a full moon. I know he'll be tired. I find him in his office.
"You look like crap," I state.
Remus smiles. "Thank you, Annalise."
I smile widely. "You're welcome." I can see a scratch on his neck. "Where's your first aid kit?"
Remus gestures to a large cabinet. "In the cabinet over there."
I walk over to the cabinet and retrieve what I need. "Loosen your tie." Remus does as I tell him. "Is this the only one?"
Remus nods his head. "Severus has been making me a potion. It's a very recent discovery. It makes me safe; you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding to keep my mind when I transform... I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again."
I smile as I wipe the dried blood from his cut. "Good. You deserve the peace of mind, Remus." I use magic to heal the cut as much as I can. It will still scar because it's a werewolf inflicted wound, but he doesn't need to be walking around with blood on him. "All done."
"Thank you, Annie," Remus tells me.
I wave him off as I sit in the chair across from him. "It's just like old times. Only now I'm fixing you up in your professor's office instead of the Shrieking Shack." Remus smiles. "Maddie tells me Severus completely derailed your lessons."
"How so?" Remus asks.
"Severus decided to teach about werewolves today," I inform him.
Remus shakes his head. "I swear he wants the world to know."
I nod my head. "And he assigned two rolls of parchment on the werewolf due Monday."
"I sure hope Severus will be the one grading those," Remus remarks.
"You know he won't," I remark. "And everyone was heartbroken. There's a Quidditch game tomorrow."
Remus shakes his head. "Some things never change."
I smile widely. "Maddie plays. She's a chaser."
"Like her mother," Remus states.
I nod. "She's better than I ever was."
Remus chuckles. "I don't think I've ever heard such humble words come from your mouth."
"Having a daughter has changed me, my dear Moony." I smile. "Mostly for the better."
"She's a troublemaker, Madeline is," Remus tells me. I chuckle. "Wonder where she got that from?"
"I wish she knew her father. They're just so much alike," I confess. "It's just not fair, Remus."
Remus grabs my hand in his. "You've told her about Rowan, haven't you?" I nod my head. "Then she knows what her father did. That he loved her."
I nod my head. "Sometimes I just wish things had happened differently."
The weather is absolutely bloody horrendous. The rain is coming down hard and the wind is blowing something fierce. I played in a game like this my sixth year. I took a bludger to the head five minutes in. But Gryffindor managed to win without me.
Harry went up to catch the Golden Snitch and I lost sight of him in the clouds. Out of nowhere Harry comes tumbling towards the ground. He shows no signs of stopping until Dumbledore uses magic to save him. Everyone rushes towards him.
We all stand around Harry in the hospital waiting for him to wake up.
"He looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?" Ron remarks.
"Peaky? What do you expect?" Fred remarks.
"He fell over 100 feet," George reminds him.
"Come on Ron, let's walk you off a tower and see what you look like," Fred taunts.
"Probably a right sight better than he normally does," Harry remarks. He opens his eyes and sits up slightly.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asks.
"Oh, brilliant," Harry jokes.
"You gave us a right good scare there, mate," Fred tells him.
"What happened?" Harry asks.
"Well, you fell off your broom," Ron tells him.
"Really? I meant the match. Who won?" Harry asks.
"No one blames you, Harry. Dementors aren't supposed to be on the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. After he saved you, he sent them off," Maddie explains.
"There's something else you should know too. When you fell, your broom sort of blew into the Whomping Willow, and... Well..." Ron unwraps the broken pieces of the broom.