After the game, nobody had stopped talking about Kirra's Patronus and people had been constantly coming up to her begging her to teach them and saying it was amazing, so she politely thanked them and tried to get away since she hated being overcrowded.
Luckily for her, her Slytherin friends had all noticed her sudden audience and how uncomfortable she was, so they made it their mission to stand by her, sending glares at anyone who even looked in her direction.
This was obviously extremely effective as people stopped coming up to her within the first 5 minutes.
Mattheo held the door open for Kirra to walk into the defence against the dark arts classroom, she thanked him and walked through, Mattheo following right after her and then purposely letting the door shut right on Jasper's face
"Thanks asshole" Jasper groaned while Mattheo and Theodore snickered in laughter
"No problem" Mattheo replied snarkily while Theodore just laughed at his cousin. They walked to the back of the classroom and took their seats. Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behaviour while Lupin had been ill.
'It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he set us homework?'
'We don't know anything about werewolves –'
'– two rolls of parchment!'
'Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?' Lupin asked, frowning slightly. The babble broke out again.
'Yes, but he said we were really behind –'
'– he wouldn't listen –'
'– two rolls of parchment!' Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face. 'Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay.'
'Oh no,' said Hermione, looking very disappointed. 'I've already finished it! 'They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who seemed as though he was made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking.
'Lures travelers into bogs,' said Professor Lupin, as they took notes. 'You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead – people follow the light – then –' The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Kirra was between Mattheo and Theodore, but –'Wait a moment, Harry and Kirra,' Lupin called, 'I'd like a word.'
Mattheo gave the girl a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll wait for you outside" he told her and she smiled at him, nodding her head
Kirra and Harry doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the Hinkypunk's box with a cloth.'I heard about the match,' said Lupin, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, 'I heard about your Patronus Kirra, it sounded like it was amazing...'
'It was' said Harry before the girl even got a chance to answer. 'Did you hear about the Dementors, too?' said Harry with difficulty. Lupin looked at him quickly.
'Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time ... furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds ... I suppose they were the reason you made your patronus?'
'Yes,' said Kirra.
'Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just –?'
'It has nothing to do with weakness,' said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind. 'The Dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have, it would be just as bad if not worse for Kirra, but she is fortunate enough to be able to produce a full and very strong, patronus.'
A ray of wintry sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating Lupin's grey hairs and the lines on his young face. 'Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, and they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory, will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself – soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. You have nothing to feel ashamed of.'
'When they get near me –' Harry stared at Lupin's desk, his throat tight, 'I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum.' Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though he had made to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's silence; then –'Why did they have to come to the match?' said Harry bitterly.
'They're getting hungry,' said Lupin coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. 'Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up ... I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch pitch. All that excitement ... emotions running high ... it was their idea of a feast.'
'Azkaban must be terrible,' Kirra muttered out softly at the thought of it... all that Sirius had gone through. Lupin nodded grimly. 'The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks.'
'But Sirius Black escaped from them,' Harry said slowly. 'He got away ...' Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it. 'Yes,' he said, straightening up. 'Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible ... Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long ...'
'You made that Dementor on the train back off, and my sister did it too' said Harry suddenly. 'There are – certain defences one can use,' said Lupin. 'But there was only one Dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist.
''What defences? Is it that blue light thing everyone is calling a patronus?' said Harry at once. 'Can you teach me?'
'I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting Dementors, Harry – quite the contrary ... if anyone could teach you i'd say your sister, but she isn't exactly the best teacher material'
Kirra knew he was right, she sucked at explaining things and sucked at teaching, they knew from experience, she cracked a smile at her old friend, "Shut up Rem" she said with a grumble and the two of them grinned at each other, leaving Harry standing there confused, but he knew by now that it was better not to question it, his sister was... odd
'But if the Dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them –'Lupin looked into Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said, 'Well ... alright. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill.'
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To make matters worse for the Gryffindor quidditch team, Hufflepuff flattened Ravenclaw in their Quidditch match at the end of November which then meant that Gryffindor was one loss away from being out of the running.
It also meant that Hufflepuff was going to win...
This of course was no surprise to the school, after all, Kirra Potter was the best seeker that they had ever seen.
Two weeks before the end of term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays.
Mattheo of course had to go back to the Malfoy manner for the holidays and Jasper had to go home as well, but Theodore was excited to tell the girl that he would be able to stay on the holidays with her to keep her company. To everyone's delight except Harry's and Kirra's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of term.
'We can do all our Christmas shopping there!' said Theodore, "Admit it KIrra, you know that I buy the best gifts."
"are you mentally deficient? I buy her the best gifts" Mattheo fired back at Nott. Kirra rolled her eyes at the boys, "You both buy me great gifts... but I buy the best"
"What are you talking about Princess? I do!" Theodore fired back
"Whatever you say Nott" the girl said with a grin as the four of them all sat at the Gryffindore table
"Is everything always a competition between you two?" Jasper asked Mattheo and Theodore and they nodded, Jasper rolled his eyes and let out a small chuckle.
"So J, are you looking forward to going home on the holidays?" Kirra asked the Slytherin boy who nodded his head
"Yeah I guess, i mean its kinda boring and my dad is a grade-a asshole but you know, same old same old" Jasper said with the shrug of his shoulders as he ignored the sympathetic look that he was getting from the Hufflepuff
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On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Kirra bid goodbye to Jasper, Theodore and Mattheo, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase with Harry, and headed back towards Library. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.
'Psst – Kirra! Harry!'They turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at them from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch. 'What are you doing?' said Harry curiously.
'How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?' Kirra asked the two boys in confusion
'We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go,' said Fred, with a mysterious wink.
'Come in here ...' He nodded towards an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Kirra and Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry and Kirra.
'Early Christmas present for you guys,' he said. Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it.
Kirras mouth dropped open in shock as she looked at the piece of parchment on the table, "that's impossible... how on earth did you find it?" she whispered to them both and the red-haired twins seemed to be confused
"You know what it is?" Fred asked her in surprise
"Of course I know what it bloody is," she said with a big grin on her face
Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it. 'What's that supposed to be?'
'This, Harry, is the secret of our success,' said George, patting the parchment fondly.
'It's a wrench, giving it to you,' said Fred, 'but we decided last night, your needs are greater than ours.'
'Anyway, we know it off by heart,' said George. 'We bequeath it to you two. We don't really need it any more.'
'And what do we need with a bit of old parchment?' said Harry.
'A bit of old parchment!' said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him but Kirra was offended even though she knew she shouldn't be, but her and her friends had spent a lot of time on it.
"Its more than a bloody bit of old parchment Harry" the girl said quickly
'Explain, George.'
'Well I don't really know how you know about it Kirra but ... when we were in our first year, Harry – young, carefree and innocent –'Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.'– well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Filch.'
'We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason –'
Kirra snorted, "for some reason?"
'So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual –'
'– detention –'
'– disembowelment –'
'– and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.'
"So the old bat had it the whole damn time..." Kirra whispered out
'Don't tell me –' said Harry, starting to grin.
'Well, what would you've done?' said Fred. 'George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open and grabbed – this.'
'It's not as bad as it sounds, you know,' said George. 'We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it.'
'And you know how to work it?' Harry asked in surprise
'Oh yes,' said Fred, smirking. 'This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school.'
'You're winding me up,' said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.
'Oh, are we?' said George. He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly and went to talk but the girl stopped him
"... could I please do it?" she asked softly and the twins nodded their head and handed it to the girl. Kirra took the parchment in her hands with a small sigh, this meant a lot to her, her and her friends had made it, and it reminded her of all the time she spent with them at Hogwarts
She pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the paper and said, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that Kirra's wand had touched.
They joined each other, they criss-crossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:
Messrs Stripes, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
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