"If Professor Trelawney tells us to 'broaden our minds' one more time, I might take my mind and pitch it out the window," I said, in the middle of another lesson in the hot, stuffy Divination classroom.
"You must look beyond!" Trelawney said, waving her arms in the air dramatically. "The art of crystal gazing is in the clearing of the inner eye!"
Weasley gave out a snore next to me. Hermione nudged him in the side, and he woke with a start.
"Now, what do we have here, hmm?" Trelawney asked, coming to our table. Potter took his head off the table and I tried to blink the tiredness out of my eyes.
"Oh, do you mind me trying?" Hermione asked. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, as Hermione never participated in this class if she could help it. "You know, I think that's the Grim!" She said, feigning surprise.
"My dear, from the first moment you stepped foot in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination," Trelawney said, taking Hermione's right hand in her two knobby ones.
"Ah, you see here?" She asked, running a finger over the lines in Hermione's palm. "You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid's."
Hermione had a look on her face that could compete with my mother's.
"Your soul, as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave, mm-hm," Trelawney continued.
Hermione ripped her hand out of the woman's grasp, and, upon standing up, knocked the crystal ball right off the stand and onto the floor. Weasley, Potter, and I looked after her in surprise as she proceeded to shoulder her bag and walk right out of the class.
Hermione Granger, leaving in the middle of a lesson. I was appalled, as I assumed were the rest of the students.
"Have I said something?" Trelawney asked innocently.
"She's gone mental, Hermione has," Weasley said as we walked back down the winding staircase. "I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's out in the open for everyone to see."
"Hang on," Potter said, bending down to pick up the crystal ball that Hermione had apparently sent halfway down the stairs. "We better take this back."
"I'm not going back," Weasley said, aghast.
"I'll come," I sighed.
"Fine. See you later, Ron," Potter said, and we walked back up the stairs and through the door. The familiar blast of hot air and the smell of sickening perfume met my nose as we made our way to the tables.
It was completely empty, and an eerie feel had settled. Potter placed the crystal back on Trelawney's desk, but paused just as we were about to turn away. He stared into the smoke for a second, and then grabbed my arm.
"Alexandra. Let's go," he said frantically.
"What... why?" I asked worriedly.
Just then, an arm appeared from behind us and put its hand on Potter's shoulder. We both jumped and whipped around to see Professor Trelawney. But she was different.
Her eyes were wide and afraid, and her face was slack.
"He will return tonight," she rasped. Her voice sounded multiplied and was deepened greatly. I grabbed Potter's hand and tried to pull him away, but Trelawney's own grip was too strong.
"Sorry?" Potter gasped at her words.
"Tonight, he who betrayed his friends, whose heart rots with murder, shall break free. Innocent blood shall be spilt, the boy's heart shall become longing, and Servant and Master shall be reunited once more," Trelawney managed out, and then choked into a coughing fit.
She caught her breath and then looked around, confused. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear boy," she apologized, completely normal. "Did you say something?"
"No," Potter replied, looking to me and then back in horror. I'm sure my expression was similar.
"Nothing," I agreed, and pulled us both back to the door. "Good afternoon, professor."
We both ran ran down the staircase as quickly as possible, and flew through the castle to the Great Hall. There, Weasley and Hermione were both waiting for us, looking extremely confused. I realized my fingers were still intertwined with Potter's, and quickly took my hand away.
"What took you two so long?" Hermione asked.
"We... we went back to Trelawney's..." I said managed out breathlessly.
"We went to go give the crystal ball that you bashed back, and Trelawney grabbed me and started saying all this stuff about blood being spilled and a Servant and a Master being reunited," Potter explained.
Hermione and Weasley were quiet for a moment. Then Weasley said, "She didn't mean... Sirius Black? Did she?"
"Let's hope not, Weasley," I said. "Because she mentioned tonight. Whatever's happening is happening tonight."
We went outside just before dark to check on Hagrid, since today was the fateful day of Buckbeak's execution. We all felt absolutely terrible, me especially, since it was my father's doing, and wanted to comfort Hagrid while we could.
As we walked, Hermione recited the lines of the prophecy Trelawney had spoken.
"Betrayed his friends... heart rotting with murder... who else could it be besides Black?" she asked desperately. None of us had an answer.
"But he's already broken free from Azkaban. Is there something else he needs to be free of?" I asked.
"And what about the 'innocent blood shall be spilt' part?" Weasley asked. "That doesn't sound too cheery."
"But 'Servant and Master shall be reunited' is the the worst part," Hermione said. "Because if the 'Servant' really is Black, then that means the 'Master' has to be Voldemort."
"Don't say his name," Weasley said forcefully.
"Harry does!" Hermione shot back.
"Well, Harry survived a killing curse from the wizard, didn't he? He has nothing to be worried about!" Weasley argued.
"The only part that makes no sense is 'the boy's heart shall become longing,'" Hermione continued. "I'm assuming 'the boy' is Harry, but it could mean too many things."
"I think Potter's going to fall in love," I teased.
"Shove off, Malfoy," he said.
"Oh, now I'm Malfoy? I thought that name was only reserved for my brother?" I questioned teasingly.
"You're only Malfoy when you're being a git," he answered.
"When am I Alexandra then?"
"The rest of the time."
"So I must be pleasant the rest of the time."
"That's a bit of a stretch-"
"You two are worse than Ron and I," Hermione exclaimed, exasperated.
"We've reached an all time low, Potter," I said, and walked ahead so I was next to Hermione and the two boys were behind us.
Suddenly, there was a scraping of metal on metal. We turned around a low-hanging tree to see a man wearing all black, even over his face, sharpening an axe the length of my leg. Crows surrounded him, the birds of death.
The man smiled terribly at us, showing crooked, yellow teeth. We hurried past.
"That's the executioner," I whispered.
"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak," Hermione said frustratedly, as we got to the grounds. "It's just too horrible."
"It just got worse," Weasley said, looking out over the hill.
"Did I tell you?" Draco's obnoxious voice came from a little ways in front of us. "Father said I can keep the hippogriff's head. I think I'll donate it to the Gryffindor's common room." Him, Zabini, Nott, and Riddle were all standing behind a tall tree, taking turns looking through a pair of binoculars.
Hermione turned to me for permission. Permission for what exactly I wasn't sure, but I gestured ahead. I didn't care if she pushed him off the Astronomy Tower.
"Look who's here," Nott smirked, pointing to the four of us.
"Ah, come to see the show?" Draco asked, laughing.
"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" Hermione yelled, taking her wand out in front of her and pointing it directly at Draco's neck.
"Woah, calm down little Mudblood," Nott chuckled.
"Nott," I greeted. "Enchanting to meet you here."
"Ah, Malfoy," he responded. "Beautiful as ever. You could be so much better, if only you left these Gryffindors for us."
I pointed my nose in the air and said haughtily, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm going to have to politely decline."
"Pity," he hummed. "You've been tainted."
"What do you think you mean by tainted?" Potter asked dangerously, taking a step forward. But I held out my arm to stop him. Nott was impossible to argue with, especially when Hermione was possibly about to murder my twin.
"Hermione, stop. He's not worth it," Weasley said.
She carefully lowered her wand from Draco's neck and turned away. He stopped his whimpering, looked to his friends, and began to laugh again. Faster than I could comprehend, Hermione whipped around and punched my brother square in the face.
Nott and Riddle went up and grabbed Draco under the arms. Zabini stood there shaking his head, like this type of ordeal came as no surprise to him in the slightest. The four boys ran back to the castle, Nott winking at me as he passed.
Potter went to go after him, and I grabbed his arm. "What is wrong with you, Potter?" I asked.
"That felt good," Hermione said admittedly, half a smile on her face.
"Not good. Brilliant," Weasley corrected.
I hid a laugh behind my hand, and Hermione saw me. "I'm sorry, it kind of just..." she began.
"No, don't apologize. If anything, I'll ask you to do that more often," I assured.
Thunder rumbled overhead as we finally made it to Hagrid's hut. The pumpkin patch was grey, and smoke wafted up from the chimney. Buckbeak was chained to a wooden stake in the patch, his hoof pawing at the ground nervously, like even he knew something was wrong.
"Oh, look at him," Hagrid wailed, opening the door for us before we even knocked. "Loves the smell of the trees when the wind blows through em."
"Why don't we just set him free?" Potter asked as we sat down at the small kitchen table.
"Ah, they'd know it was me," Hagrid answered. "And then Dumbledore would get in trouble. He's comin' down, you know, Dumbledore. Says he wants to be with me when they... when it happens," he said dejectedly. "Great man, Dumbledore."
"We'll stay with you, too, Hagrid," Hermione announced, standing up.
"You'll do no such thing!" Hagrid said. "Think I want you seeing something like that? No, you just drink your tea and be off. Oh, and before you do, Ron..." Hagrid added, taking something out of a blue, metal tea container. When he turned back around, he was holding a wriggling Scabbers in his hands.
"Scabbers!" Weasley exclaimed, taking the rat from Hagrid happily. "You're alive!"
"Yeh want to keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron," Hagrid scolded.
"I think that means you own someone an apology," Hermione said.
"Right," Weasley replied sincerely. "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."
"I meant me!" Hermione remarked furiously.
Next to me, a clay pot filled with some type of sand split open with a loud crack.
"Blimey!" Hagrid cried out.
"What was that?" I asked, looking out the window. Nothing was there. Hermione was holding a small black rock in her hand, but there was no one that could have possibly thrown it. Then another one hit Potter in the back of the head.
"Ouch!" He cursed. He looked out the window like I had, and then said hurriedly, "Hagrid!"
Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and the executioner from earlier were all walking up the path to the house, feet away.
"It's late. It's nearly dark," Hagrid said, voice shaking. "You shouldn't be here. If someone sees you outside the castle at this time of night, you'll be in trouble; big trouble. Particularly you, Harry."
There was a rap at the door.
"With you in a moment!" Hagrid called. "Quick!" he whispered, ushering us out the back door.
"Hagrid," Potter said one last time, pausing. "It'll be fine."
"Go on! Go!"
We paused at the door, waiting until the three wizards were nearly inside, and then we ran down to the pumpkin patch, hiding behind a particularly large pile of gourds.
"It's the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff known as Buckbeak, hereinafter called the condemned, shall be executed this day at sundown," the Minister's voice came from the open window.
"Oh dear," Hagrid sniffled.
"Now, now, Hagrid," Dumbledore comforted him. "All right, it'll be alright."
From behind us, a twig snapped in the forest. Hermione turned around a peered into the trees.
"What?" Potter asked.
"I thought I just saw..." Hermione trailed off. "Nevermind."
"Let's go," Weasley said, and we stayed near the tree line until we got back up to the hill. I looked back one last time to see Buckbeak, looking sadly after us. The tree that Draco had been hiding behind mostly blocked our view, so we could only see Dumbledore, Hagrid, and the Minister off to the side.
We watched the executioner raise his axe high in the air, and then bring it down with a sickening slice. The crows surrounding the patch cawed simultaneously and flew away.
I stifled a sob, and heard Hermione do the same. I brought my hands up past Potter's chest and wrapped my other one around his neck, burying my tears in his shoulder. He held onto me tight, and, though I would never admit it, I appreciated the act more than I could explain in words.
Then, there was a small squeal, and Weasley said, "Ow!"
I slowly pulled away from Potter, and we looked at each other for a split second before the moment was interrupted by Weasley. Again.
"He bit me! Scabbers bit me!"
He ran down the hill, chasing his rat, and the three of us followed.
"Ron?"
"Ron!"
"Weasley!"
"Wait!" Potter yelled, but Weasley ignored him. He had stopped right under a tree and was on his side, holding Scabbers, who was desperately trying to escape again.
"Do you realize what tree this is?" I asked.
"That's not good," Potter realized. "Ron, run!"
Weasley looked up, and then his face went white. "Harry, Hermione, Alexandra, run!" he pointed behind us. "The Grim!"
I turned around when I heard a growl, and saw a huge, black dog with matted fur and sharp teeth. He ran too fast for us to get a chance to move. I froze, but the dog jumped right over our heads and went for Weasley, barking madly.
Weasley screamed and began to get dragged by his leg across the grass to the Whomping Willow. "Harry!" He cried, still managing to hold onto Scabbers, and using his other hand to claw at the ground uselessly.
Potter jumped forward and landed on his stomach, trying to grab for Weasley's open hand. Their fingers brushed, and then the Grim pulled Weasley and Scabbers down together through a hole in the roots.
"Ron!"
Hermione helped Potter up from the ground, seconds before a branch from the Whomping Willow came down, throwing all three of us backwards. The tree was twisting and whipping its branches around, enraged. I could hear Weasley screaming from inside.
"Come on," Potter said, and we ran at the deadly tree again. This time, we knew to dodge the whips. But I was too late to duck on one, and got thrown off to the side, landing flat on my back. For a moment, I couldn't breath.
I sat myself up with a groan and saw Hermione and Potter wrapped around a branch, hanging on for dear life. Potter grabbed my arm, and I was pulled with them through the air. Hermione let Potter and I drop at exactly the right time, and we slipped through the hole.
I landed on top of Potter, and then Hermione on top of me. When we were all up with no serious injuries, I asked, "Where do you suppose this leads to?"
"I have a hunch," Potter answered. "I just hope I'm wrong."
We walked through the dirty tunnel until we reached a room that resembled a cave. Roots poked out through the walls, and broken furniture was left splayed across the floor. Every step I took seemed to echo, until finally we walked up a rickety set of stairs.
"We're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?" Hermione asked.
"Come on," was Potter's only answer. I took that as a regretful yes.
I peered into one of the two rooms coming off the landing and saw Weasley, sitting against a half-destroyed bed and clutching his leg.
"He's in here!" I yelled.
"Ron, you're okay!" Hermione exclaimed.
"The dog, where is it?" Potter asked.
"Harry, it's a trap!" Weasley said, pointing. "He's the dog! He's an Animagus!"
There, in the corner of the room, was Sirius Black. He stood in a teared prison uniform and a filthy, thin coat. His face was terrible as he took a step forward.
I jumped in front of Potter and grabbed his hands. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all of us, too," I said, sounding much more confident than I felt. The air changed, and Potter's breath hitched behind me, but I was too filled with adrenaline to figure out why.
"No. Only one will die tonight," Black said, voice like rough sandpaper.
"Then it'll be you!" Potter yelled, and pushed past me, tackling the man. I tried to stop him, but I could do nothing. He landed on top of Black, and with one hand around his neck, he used his other to point his wand at Black's face.
Black only gave a crazed laugh. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?"
Potter did nothing.
Then, the door burst open. I was shocked to see Professor Lupin, with the same look on his face that he had worn when Potter told him about seeing Peter Pettigrew on the map. He sent Potter's wand flying out of his hand, and then jerked his head to the side.
Potter scrambled up and stumbled back next to me. Not caring who saw, I grabbed Potter's hand in both of mine and pulled him close to me.
"Well, well, Sirius," Lupin said, pointing his wand down at Black. "Looking rather ragged, aren't we? Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."
"Well, you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Moony?" Sirius smiled. Something about that name registered in my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Lupin paused for a moment, and then dropped his arm. He helped Black up, and they embraced. The four of us stared on in horror.
"I found him!" Black was saying shakily. "He's here!"
"I understand," Lupin was saying calmly.
"Let's kill him!" Black whispered.
"No!" Hermione yelled, stepping forward. "I trusted you. And all this time, you've been his friend."
When Lupin and Black only shared a glance, Hermione looked at us. "He's a werewolf! That's why he's been skipping classes!"
Lupin looked especially scary. "How long have you known?" He asked.
"Since Professor Snape set the essay," Hermione answered.
"Well, well, well, Hermione. You really are the brightest witch of your age I've ever met," he chuckled.
"Enough talk, Remus!" Sirius yelled out. "Come on, let's kill him!"
I squeezed Potter's hand tighter. I was never letting go, even if that meant I was going to die along with him. There was something in me that wouldn't allow it.
"Wait," Lupin said, but Black's face contorted.
"I did my waiting!" Black screamed, voice cracking. "Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!"
Lupin looked at Potter, then me, and then down at our hands. "Very well," he finally gave in, holding out his wand. "Kill him." Black took it immediately, and cold dread flowed through my veins.
"But just wait one more minute," our professor pleaded. "Harry has the right to know why."
"I know why!" Potter yelled. "You betrayed my parents! You're the reason they're dead!" The raw emotion in his voice made my gut twist.
"No, Harry, is wasn't him," Lupin said, and he took another step closer. "Somebody did betray your parents, but it was someone who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead."
I had heard those words before.
"Who was it then?" Potter yelled.
"Peter Pettigrew!" Black laughed manically. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out, come out and play!"
"Expelliarmus!" A new voice came from the doorway. Professor Snape flew is, disarming Black. Scabbers squealed.
"Ah, vengeance is sweet," Snape said, sounding almost as crazy as Black. "How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you."
"Severus, it..." Lupin began, but Snape pointed the wand at him, and he backed away.
"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle, and now here's the proof," Snape said, his voice vibrating strangely in the room.
"Brilliant, Snape," Black said. "Once again you put your keen and penetrating mind to the task, and as usual, come to the wrong conclusion. Now, if you'll excuse us, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to!"
Snape jerked the wand forward, poking Black in the neck and cutting him off.
"Give me a reason," Snape whispered. "I beg you."
"Severus, don't be a fool," Lupin said quietly.
"He can't help it, it's a habit now," Sirius laughed.
"Sirius, be quiet," Lupin warned.
"Oh, be quiet yourself, Remus!" Sirius yelled. Lupin turned away in defeat.
"Listen to you two, quarreling like an old married couple!" Snape prodded.
"Why don't you go along and play with your chemistry set," Sirius responded, which I thought was a pretty rash thing to say when one had a wand at their throat.
"I could do it, you know," Snape said in a dangerously soft tone. "But why deny the dementors? They're so longing to see you." At this, Black's careless demeanor dropped.
"Do I detect a flicker of fear?" Snape asked. "Oh, yes. A dementor's kiss. One can only imagine what that must be like to endure. It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best."
"Severus, please," Lupin begged again.
I felt a hand brush against my side, and I gasped quietly. It was Potter, slowly taking my wand out of my pocket. I stared at him and he nodded. I reluctantly let go of his hand.
"After you," Snape said to Black, pointing out the doorway.
Potter walked forward, pointing his wand at Black. Snape nodded for him to go out the door, but Potter pointed his wand at him instead and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Snape was sent flying backwards into the wall.
"Harry, what did you just do?" Weasley exclaimed.
"You attacked a teacher!" Hermione said.
"Tell me about Peter Pettigrew," Potter said, pointing his wand back at Black.
"He was at school with us!" Lupin said. "We thought he was our friend."
"No. Pettigrew's dead," Potter said. "You killed him!" He yelled at Black.
"No, he didn't," Lupin cut in. "I thought so, too, until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map."
"The map was lying, then!" Potter argued.
"The map never lies!" Black shouted. "Pettigrew's alive! And he's right there!" He pointed to Weasley, who looked like he was maybe about to throw up.
"Me? He's mental!" Weasley cried.
"Not you," Black scoffed. "Your rat!"
"Scabbers has been in my family for..." Weasley began.
"Twelve years!" Black finished for him. "A curiously long life for a common garden rat. He's missing a toe, isn't he?"
"So what?" Weasley asked.
"All they found of Pettigrew was his fi-" Potter realized.
"Finger!" Black agreed. "The dirty coward cut it off so that everyone would think he was dead. And then he transformed into a rat!" He yelled down at Scabbers.
"Show me," Potter demanded.
Black reached down to grab the writhing rat, but Weasley fought back. "What are you trying to do to him? Scabbers! Leave him alone!"
Black placed the rat down on the nearest surface; an old, rusted piano. Scabbers ran across the length of the keys, and then was back down on the floor. Just as he was about to jump through the hole in the door, he transformed.
A pair of dirty pants formed on fat little legs. Lupin and Black pulled the body into the room and threw him back. Weasley gasped.
"Remus? S-S-Sirius! My old friends!" The man, who could only be Peter Pettigrew, said with a terrible tremor in his voice.
Pettigrew turned to the four of us and said desperately, "Harry! Look at you! You look so much like your father... like James. We were the best of friends, he and I..."
"How dare you speak to Harry!" Sirius yelled. "How dare you talk about James in front of him!"
Pettigrew went around the back of the piano, but Lupin and Black had him cornered.
"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you?" Lupin asked.
"I didn't mean to," Pettigrew cried. "The Dark Lord... you have no idea of the weapons he possesses. Ask yourself, Sirius! What would you have done?"
"I would have died!" Black yelled. "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"
Pettigrew crawled under the piano to escape, but Potter ran in front of the door. Pettigrew went up to him and grabbed his shoulders, whispering in his ear. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. Your dad... your dad would have spared me! He would have shown me mercy!"
Black ripped him away. "You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, then we would," he said, looking to Lupin. "Together!"
"No!" Potter yelled suddenly.
"Harry, this man..." Lupin said, taking a deep breath. "This man is..."
"I know what he is," Potter said. "But we'll take him to the castle."
"Oh, bless you, boy," Pettigrew said, falling to his knees.
"I said we'd take you to the castle," Potter continued. "After that, the dementors can have you."