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❝ I'll bite your hand next time you do that to me ❞
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𝕳ARRY’S 𝕰UPHORIA of finally winning the Quidditch Cup was short-lived as he and Rozelle fought yet again for a small reason that Harry gave more importance to his friends than her. This time a few people witness it as well.
After the match, Harry, Ron, their dormmates, the Quidditch team, Crystal, Hermione and their dormmates along with Rubiela, Colin and a few second year were all enjoying the brownies Crystal made to share with them. Harry was savouring the taste when Rozelle came and stood in front of him. She snatched the plate of brownies from his hand and threw it on the floor. This led to things and eventually, the couple started having escalated arguments. Harry was fuming to his core.
"One more word from you Rozelle Ainsworth and we are done forever," Harry said, his voice low but sharp.
Rozelle left the common room crying... yet again... The miserable look on her face made Harry look like a bully and this didn't sit well with her admirers but Harry also had many people supporting him.
Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender, Colin even the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team stood in support of Harry that he did nothing wrong. Crystal stayed away from this as she knew Rozelle was cranky about her and made Rubiela stay away too. She was sent back to her Ravenclaw dormitory, the girl grumbled and cursed but she followed her order reluctantly.
Zachary felt responsible for this. However much effort he put into trying to get Harry together with Rose so that the boy would be away from Crystal, he too, didn't wish this for his friend. He felt guilty for playing the part of secret cupid in their relationship.
Harry didn't raise his voice at her even once while she was yelling and shouting at him. It was an ugly sight to witness at one point. They saw a new side of Rozelle and didn't understand why Harry was putting up with Rozelle.
He admitted that he hasn't been the best boyfriend Rozelle could ever get but he did like her at first though it faded slowly with time, then suddenly he agreed to date her to forget about the kiss with Crystal. He messed up. He used her but he was starting to like her again because she was a sweet girl who cared about him and meant well. He admitted that he could've done better to get to her expectations but her expectations were to sever all ties with all his friends and be with only her and her friends.
Those friends who didn't hesitate to ogle him whenever given a chance. He didn't like those girls. He hated to be around them. It made him extremely uncomfortable to even drink water in front of them. So he stopped hanging out with Rozelle whenever she was with her friends and this started triggering her.
To his surprise, Rubiela was the only one well-behaved among her friends for her time in Hogwarts that year even though she hung out with those parasites. He thought maybe Crystal kept an eye on her. It was true in the background, Zachary had been instructed to keep a watch over her from the beginning of the school year.
Rozelle's behaviour towards his friends, hurt, angered and disappointed Harry deeply. Especially her deep hatred for Crystal out of her petty jealousy, when everything between him and Crystal was finally back to normal as it was before. He tried to be with Rozelle, to make it work out by forgiving her once but it just wasn't enough.
He was also sure that Rozelle didn't hold back from saying something inappropriate to Crystal because she was behaving as though Rozelle didn't exist in the world.
"I'm sick and tired of this. . ." He muttered miserably. He didn't deserve it. Crystal didn't deserve it. She was getting all this hate just because she was his friend.
◆◇◆◇◆
As June approached, thedays became cloudless and sultry.
Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazingaround outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, tryingto bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer airdrifted in through the windows.
Even Fred and George Weasley had beenspotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (OrdinaryWizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (NastilyExhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. People thought that Percy had lost it as he was becoming increasingly edgy but Infact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione.
Harry and Ron had given up asking her how she was managing to attendseveral classes at once, but they couldn’t restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule she had drawn up for herself. The first column read:
________
Monday
9 o’clock, Arithmancy
9 o’clock, Transfiguration
Lunch
1 o’clock, Charms
1 o’clock, Ancient Runes
________
Crystal thought the schedule was ridiculous. She had a rough idea that Hermione had a magical tool in her possession to make her disappear. But what kind of magic was it? How was it helping her to attend all her lessons and exams at the same time? Can magic meddle with time? Several questions crossed her mind at the same time remembering the day she saw her disappear. She hadn't asked Hermione yet because she was obviously hiding it from everyone so there would be no point if she lied.
“Hermione?” Ron said cautiously because she was liable to explode when interrupted these days. “Er — are you sure you’ve copied down these times right?”
“What?” snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. “Yes, of course, I have.”
"But how, just HOW?" Crystal questioned as though her life depended on it.
“Is there any point asking how you’re going to sit for two exams at once?” said Harry ignoring Rozelle's eyes on him. He has been ignoring her ever since their last fight. He stopped giving her importance because of the upcoming exams. He could fool around all year but at the end of everything, his parents expected good grades from him and he can't afford to have his position dropped from the top ten considering that his tickets to the Quidditch World Cup this August depended on it.
“No,” said Hermione shortly. “Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?”
“Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading,” said Ron, but very quietly. Hermione started shifting heaps of parchment around on her table, looking for the book. Just then, there was a rustle at the window and Cash fluttered through it, a note clutched tight in his beak.
“It’s from Hagrid,” said Harry. Crystal tossed him a knut and it flew away. Harry ripped the note open. “Buckbeak’s appeal — it’s set for the sixth.”
“That’s the day we finish our exams,” said Hermione, still looking everywhere for her Arithmancy book.
“And they’re coming up here to do it,” said Harry, still reading from the letter. “Someone from the Ministry of Magic and — and an executioner.”
Hermione looked up, startled.
“They’re bringing the executioner to the appeal! But that sounds as though they’ve already decided!”
“Yeah, it does look like it,” said Harry.
"Of course, they were totally planning it from the beginning because of Lucius Malfoy's words and I'm sure he bribed someone," said Crystal.
“But they can’t!” Ron howled. “I’ve spent ages reading up on stuff for him; they can’t just ignore it all!”
"We know you worked hard, Ron, but it doesn't matter to them," Crystal said with sympathy, "That's the harsh reality, Ron,"
Harry agreed with her, he too had a horrible feeling that the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures had had its mind made up for it by Mr. Malfoy. Draco, who had been noticeably subdued since Gryffindor’s triumph in the Quidditch final, seemed to regain some of his old swagger over the nextfew days due to this reason.
The worst thing of all was that they had no time or opportunity to go and see Hagrid, because the strict new security measures had not been lifted, and Harry didn’t dare retrieve his Invisibility Cloak from below the one-eyed witch.
Exam week began and an unnatural hush fell over the castle. The third years emerged from Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday, limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they had been set, which had included turning a teapot into a tortoise. Crystal's tortoise turned out to be mutilated because she couldn't control the excess power.
Then, after a hasty lunch, it was straight back upstairs for the Charms exam. Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms.
Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself.
After dinner, the students hurried back to their common rooms, not to relax, but to start studying for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy.
Crystal looked like the most chilled person out of all of them. Instead of studying, she was checking some files from her work, casually sipping her cold coffee in between. Zachary had been given preparation leave on demand for half a month before the exams so all the work now depended on her.
Crystal was known to not waste a second so she had already studied enough to get presentable marks while doing her homework, killing two birds with one stone to save her time. She was more worried about practicals.
◆◇◆◇◆
Hagrid presided over the Care of Magical Creatures exam the following morning with a very preoccupied air indeed; his heart didn’t seem to be in it at all. He had provided a large tub of fresh flobberworms for the class.
Hagrid told them that to pass the test, their flobberworm had to still be alive at the end of one hour. It was fine as flobberworms flourished best if left to their own devices, it was the easiest exam any of them had ever taken and also gave Harry, Crystal, Ron, and Hermione plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid.
They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Try as Harry might, he messed up a little and couldn’t get his Confusing Concoction to thicken as Snape stood watching with an air of vindictive pleasure, and scribbled something that looked suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away.
Crystal with a very cool mind was making her potion. It thickened just the right amount and but the colour was slightly off. Snape swirled the potion himself to verify it and remarked it as below expected.
Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower, which was Crystal's ace subject and the only subject which could get her full marks without much work; History of Magic on Wednesday morning, which was also good as Crystal had already read through them thoroughly as a part of Successor training.
Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking-hot sun; then they went back to the common room once more, with sunburnt necks, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over.
To Crystal, exam week was less hectic than usual as she had some time to take a nap after the exam.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had a newly found admiration for Crystal for her coolheaded attitude towards her hectic life at the same time it finally sank into them that Crystal was different from them and balancing her life between school and work.
Harry feared that she'd break one day with all the pressure. School can be overwhelming and exhausting enough not to mention work. He never heard a word of regret or complaint from her. Crystal as usual, good at bottling up things thinking of everything as her destiny.
Their second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new boggart.
Crystal had a solution for this too, 'offense is the best defense' and she implemented it perfectly. She fired the spell before anything tried to attack her, even before the boggart could fully take shape, she completed the exam in a record time. At last, she had a smile of triumph on her face when she climbed out of the trunk.
“Excellent, Crystal,” Lupin muttered proudly as Crystal passed by him, "Full marks,"
"I know, Professor," Crystal whisperer as a smile tugged the corner of her lips, "thanks,"
Soon, it was Harry's turn and he too overcame each obstacle in the exam perfectly and got praised by Lupin.
Flushed with his success, Harry went to Crystal to watch Ron and Hermione. Ron did very well until he reached the hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire.
Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming.
“Hermione!” said Lupin, startled. “What’s the matter?”
“P-P-Professor McGonagall!” Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. “Sh-she said I’d failed everything!”
It took a little while to calm Hermione down. When at last she had regained a grip on herself, she, Crystal, Harry, and Ron went back to the castle.
Crystal was patting her back to calm her and quietly hearing (not paying attention) her ramble about the exams and going on that she would get less marks. Ron was still slightly inclined to laugh at Hermione’s boggart, but an argument was averted by the sight that met them on the top of the steps.
Cornelius Fudge, sweating slightly in his pinstriped cloak, was standing there staring out at the grounds. He started at the sight of Crystal and Harry.
“Hello there, Crystal! Ah, and Harry!” he said. “Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?”
"Hello, Minister." Crystal gave a small nod in greeting, not in the mood to talk to him.
“Yes,” said Harry. Hermione and Ron, not being on speaking terms with the Minister of Magic, hovered awkwardly in the background.
“Lovely day,” said Fudge, casting an eye over the lake. “Pity... pity... ”
He sighed deeply and looked down at Crystal.
“I’m here on an unpleasant mission, Crystal. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation, I was asked to step in.”
“Does that mean the appeal’s already happened?” Ron interrupted, stepping forward.
“No, no, it’s scheduled for this afternoon,” said Fudge, looking curiously at Ron. "Didn't Crystal inform you all? We have kept the Head of the Calisto updated on this issue for the letters she kept sending to the Ministry."
Crystal figured that he was indirectly mocking her.
"Why yes, I did, Minister. After all, the court made the decision with such professionalism I was yet to witness." Crystal reverted eloquently with a graceful smile in a business-like tone then taunted indirectly, "But who knows the Hippogriff might get off considering all the odds at appeal,"
Harry, Hermione and Ron were surprised, they didn't know she could talk like that.
Fudge stared at her. Before he could answer, two wizards came through the castle doors behind him. One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black mustache.
Harry gathered that they were representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, because the very old wizard squinted toward Hagrid’s cabin and said in a feeble voice, “Dear, dear, I’m getting too old for this... Two o’clock, isn’t it, Fudge?”
The black-mustached man was fingering something in his belt; Harry looked and saw that he was running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs and jerked her head toward the entrance hall.
“Why’d you stop me?” said Ron angrily as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. “Did you see them? They’ve even got the axe ready! This isn’t justice! Crysie, do something!”
"I did what I could, didn't you see how I was mocked again?" Crystal shot back.
"Did he mock y— "
“Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can’t go saying things like that to his boss!” said Hermione, but she too looked very upset. “As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can’t possibly execute Buckbeak... ”
Harry could tell Hermione didn’t really believe what she was saying. Crystal already knew that it was a lost case, but couldn't break their hopes.
Crystal, Harry and Ron’s last exam was Divination; Hermione’s, Muggle Studies. They walked up the marble staircase together; Hermione left them on the first floor and Crystal, Harry and Ron proceeded all the way up to the seventh, where many of their class were sitting on the spiral staircase to Professor Trelawney’s classroom, trying to cram in a bit of last-minute studying.
Harry and Ron went to sit with the boys and talked to Neville while Crystal went to a window and propped her arms on the windowsill gazing at the vast scenery from height, waiting for her turn. She was thinking about the Crystal gazing lesson that day.
Harry had a hunch that something was bothering her but he didn't want to ask and make her uncomfortable. He was waiting for her to tell him herself.
Finally, Ron was called and twenty minutes later he came down the ladder. Then Professor Trelawney called Harry and Crystal together so she could wrap the exam up fast as they were the only ones left.
The tower room was hotter than ever before; the curtains were closed, the fire was alight, and the usual sickly scent made Harry cough as he stumbled through the clutter of chairs and tables to where Professor Trelawney sat waiting for him before a large crystal ball.
“Good day, my dears,” she said softly. “If you would kindly gaze into the Orb one by one... Take your time, now... then tell me what you see within it... ”
Crystal leaned towards the Crystal ball and concentrated on the swirling mist. At first, nothing happened but slowly it started to swirl again as it happened last time in the class and the same scenes played like a fast video.
This time Crystal focused more so she could see more and as wished this time a new scene showed; it was dark, there was an entrance to some camp which she couldn't read clearly then there was darkness again, everywhere, just scarcely lit by fire torches and— skulls— a lot of skulls and bones... and ground split in two, molten lava floated within the core engulfed in huge flames of fire.
"My dear! You went to that side!" said Professor Trelawney interrupted. "What did you see?"
Crystal gasped for air, jerking back into her seat.
"Two huge buildings, a lot of water and fire everywhere, a sword, trident, lotus, lightning, blood and a place full of skulls and bones." Crystal wiping her sweat, "Pretty much, yeah,"
"You really see that?" Harry whispered. He believed she made it up like he was about to do. Crystal nodded slightly in answer.
"Excellent, my dear! So what does it mean?" Professor Trelawney exclaimed as though she was satisfied with bones and skulls.
"Death?" Crystal gave a trial answer but Professor Trelawney looked very impressed.
"Next, you have a look, dear," She said to Harry.
Harry bent over the crystal ball and stared, stared as hard as he could, willing it to show him something other than swirling white fog, but nothing happened.
“Well?” Professor Trelawney prompted delicately. “What do you see?”
The heat was overpowering and his nostrils were stinging with the perfumed smoke wafting from the fire beside them. He thought of what Ron had advised and decided to pretend.
“Er —” said Harry, “a dark shape... um... ”
“What does it resemble?” whispered Professor Trelawney. “Think, now... ”
Harry cast his mind around and it landed on Buckbeak.
“A hippogriff,” he said firmly.
“Indeed!” whispered Professor Trelawney, scribbling keenly on the parchment perched upon her knees. “My boy, you may well be seeing the outcome of poor Hagrid’s trouble with the Ministry of Magic! Look closer... Does the hippogriff appear to... have its head?”
“Yes,” said Harry firmly.
“Are you sure?” Professor Trelawney urged him. “Are you quite sure, dear? You don’t see it writhing on the ground, perhaps, and a shadowy figure raising an axe behind it?”
“No!” said Harry, starting to feel slightly sick.
"Professor! Sorry to interrupt but could you please refrain from talking like that, this is not enjoyable!" said Crystal and she stood up.
“Sit, my dear, I must have scared your delicate heart. then there's no blood? No weeping Hagrid?”
Crystal rolled her eyes at the question, it was starting to annoy her so much that she wanted to leave. This subject was a farce anyway, so she decided to drop it for next year's course.
“No!” said Harry again, wanting more than ever to leave the room and the heat. “It looks fine, it’s — flying away... ”
Professor Trelawney sighed.
“Well, dear, I think we’ll leave it there... A little disappointing... but I’m sure you did your best.”
Relieved, Crystal grabbed her bag. Harry got up, picked up his bag and turned to go with Crystal, but then a loud, harsh voice spoke behind them.
“It will happen tonight.”
Harry wheeled around. Professor Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging.
Crystal thought she was having a fit. She clutched on Harry's sleeve and he placed his other hand on top of hers. Both were a bit scared but extremely surprised.
“S — sorry?” said Harry.
But Professor Trelawney didn’t seem to hear him. Her eyes started to roll. Harry and Crystal stood there in a panic. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure. They hesitated, thinking of running to the hospital wing — and then Professor Trelawney spoke again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own:
“The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant’s aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master... ”
A shivering chill ran down Crystal's spine. She had no idea whether it was true or not but she had also predicted this much with her logic that someone out there, was still trying to help Voldemort as even in his powerless state, he tried to attack them for the last two years. There were still plenty outside hiding and waiting for him to rise to power again.
Professor Trelawney’s head fell forward onto her chest. She made a grunting sort of noise. Harry and Crystal were rooted there, holding onto each other, staring at her with wide terrified eyes. Then, quite suddenly, Professor Trelawney’s head snapped up again.
“I’m so sorry,” she said dreamily, “the heat of the day, you know... I drifted off for a moment... Is there anything wrong, my dears?”
"How could you just say that Vold— " Crystal started but Harry quickly wrapped an arm around Crystal's shoulder and covered her mouth with his other hand and continued the same question with more filter.
“You — you just told us that the — the Dark Lord’s going to rise again... that his servant’s going to go back to him... ”
Professor Trelawney looked thoroughly startled.
“The Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? My dear boy, that’s hardly something to joke about... Rise again, indeed —”
Crystal removed Harry's hand and said, “But you just said it! You said Vol—mmph ” Harry covered her mouth tightly this time. Crystal glared at him.
“I think you must have been hallucinating, my dear!” said Professor Trelawney. “I would certainly not presume to predict anything quite as far-fetched as that!”
Harry had an idea that she didn't remember. He dragged Crystal away and they climbed back down the ladder and the spiral staircase.
"I'll bite your hand next time you do that to me," She hissed.
"With pleasure," he replied but he was distracted, "Did we just hear Trelawney make a real prediction?" said Harry wondering, "Or had that been her idea of an impressive end to the test?"
"You didn't let me ask!" Crystal exclaimed, glaring at him.
"You were constantly using his name, Ryslie, she'd have gone crazy and maybe failed us in the exam," Harry reasoned. Crystal huffed looking away knowing that he was right.
"Is someone going to escape from Azkaban?" Crystal said pondering, "Can we believe her words?"
"I don't know. . . "
"Whatever it is, this can't be good, Harry," said Crystal, "l have this bad feeling about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew now that it's the end of our school year... "
"Peter Pettigrew?" Harry was confused.
"Yes, I don't have complete details but this Pettigrew guy does not seem clean."
"Can you please explain in detail, I'm extremely confused," Harry requested.
Crystal looked around and beckoned Harry to come closer as they walked. She told him everything she had found till now from her sources and all the theory and possibilities that she came up with.
"And you are telling me this now?" Harry said in disbelief, "So you're telling me that Sirius Black might be an animagus and he may not be here to kill us."
"Yes," Crystal nodded. "You know that your father is an animagus, right?" Harry nodded, "Though still unregistered and hid it from you but I believe that his friends—Black and Pettigrew are also animagus—you know this best friends things, you do it, I do it?"
"You never do what I do," Harry said flatly.
"Why should I?"
"Stop talking nonsense. That's what you do nowadays—" Harry said rather calmly, "If I believe what you said for now so what now? Can we do anything? I don't believe so,"
"Well, yes, if we can prove that Sirius Black didn't kill Peter Pettigrew—"
"You crazy little—what am I going to do with this girl—" Harry looked fed up, "Are you insane? He killed all those Muggles along with Pettigrew!"
"Well, I suppose. . . " Crystal said nonchalantly. "But not Pettigrew—" Harry looked mad.
"Great! Now, don't tell me that Pettigrew is going to become un-dead somehow," Harry jested with a low scoff but Crystal stopped in her tracks. He stopped too and turned around noticing she was not following him. He groaned looking at her expression, and walked to her stopping in front of her.
"Listen, sweetie," Harry cupped her cheeks in his palms as his long fingers reached her neck and made her capture his beautiful green eyes with hers, "You don't have to take that seriously, I was only joking, okay?" He said gently looking down at her, "Don't look so stressed, please? We will be fine—" He was rather trying to reassure himself but—
"But I think it's true," Crystal mumbled. Harry laughed as he lightly traced circles on her cheeks with his thumb, shaking his head. "Harry, I'm not joking. I think I saw him!"
Harry instantly stopped, he took a step back letting go of her. He couldn't believe her.
"You saw him in person? Where?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"I didn't see him in person— but I saw his name on that Map—"
"How? I didn't let you have that map—"
"I saw the name on the very day we got it from the twins—I didn't pay much attention to it at that time but one day when I was going over the reports from my sources again, it suddenly occurred to me that I have already seen his name there!" Crystal explained.
"I'm quite curious about these sources of yours," Harry keenly asked, "I want to see those reports,"
"Harry, we're close but there are some things you can't—you're not authorised to meddle with my things and forbidden to ask any questions regarding my sources," Crystal said firmly, making each word clear, it was a border which he was not allowed to cross.
Harry stared back at her, his face stoned for a moment, and then he turned around and started walking without saying anything, leaving her behind. Crystal followed him, thinking about how she could get intell on all the prisoners in Azkaban ASAP.
By the time they had reached the portrait hole and entered the common room, it was almost deserted. Over in the corner, however, sat Ron and Hermione.
“Professor Trelawney,” Harry said, “just told us —”
But he stopped abruptly at the sight of their faces.
"What is it?" Crystal asked.
“Buckbeak lost,” said Ron weakly. “Hagrid’s just sent this.”
Hagrid’s note was dry this time, no tears had splattered it, yet his hand seemed to have shaken so much as he wrote that it was hardly legible.
_______________
Lost appeal. They’re going to execute at sunset.
Nothing you can do. Don’t come down.
I don’t want you to see it.
Hagrid
_______________
“We’ve got to go,” said Harry at once. “He can’t just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!”
“Sunset, though,” said Ron, who was staring out the window in a glazed sort of way. “We’d never be allowed... ’specially you both, Crysie, Harry... ”
Harry sank his head into his hands, thinking.
“If we only had the Invisibility Cloak... ”
“Where is it?” said Hermione.
"Don't ask... The things I've had to go through to save this silly — wait— Harry, you still haven't got it back?" Crystal said.
Harry rolled his eyes looking away from her and told Hermione about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch.
“ ...if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I’m in serious trouble,” he finished.
“That’s true,” said Hermione, getting to her feet. “If he sees you... How do you open the witch’s hump again?”
“You — you tap it and say, ‘Dissendium’,” said Harry. “But —”
Hermione didn’t wait for the rest of his sentence; she strode across the room, pushed open the Fat Lady’s portrait and vanished from sight.
“She hasn’t gone to get it?” Ron said, staring after her.
She had. Hermione returned a quarter of an hour later with the silvery cloak folded carefully under her robes.
“Hermione, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately!” said Ron, astounded. “First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney —”
"I'm really impressed I must say... " said Crystal, her eyebrows rose making her eyes bigger.
"Thank you, Hermione! You saved it!" Harry said with a smile.
Hermione blushed and looked rather flattered with all the praise.
They went down to dinner with everybody else but did not return to Gryffindor Tower afterwards. Harry had the cloak hidden down the front of his robes; he had to keep his arms folded to hide the lump. They skulked in an empty chamber off the entrance hall, listening, until they were sure it was deserted. They heard a last pair of people hurrying across the hall and a door slamming. Hermione poked her head around the door.
“Okay,” she whispered, “no one there — cloak on —”
"You guys carry on," Crystal said, "I'll catch up later,"
"Where are you going?" Harry questioned.
"To Dumbledore's office—I have got hands on the suspicious transaction from Lucious Malfoy's vault to one of the jury members in the court," said Crystal, "It's on the way, Cash is bringing the report,"
"Great job, Crysie!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed delighted.
"And she had her sources find that but she will not tell me, of course," Harry muttered under his breath.
"But you'll be seen if you go to Hagrid's without us!" Ron whispered.
"No worries,"
The next second, she became invisible. She cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and disappeared, camouflaging her surroundings and leaving Harry and Ron shocked.
"Hermione! You said we cannot disapparate inside Hogwarts!" said Ron shocked, "Look! She's gone!"
"Oh, Ronald! She didn't!" Hermione retorted, "Crysie, put that charm on me too! I don't want to be alone with these guys!"
Crystal's wand seemed to be floating in midair as she took it out and muttered the charm making Hermione disappear too and hid the wand back in her robes.
"What—" said Ron astonished, blindly swinging his hand in the air.
"Stop it, Ronald... You're looking like an idiot," They heard Crystal's voice and Hermione's giggles from a couple of meters ahead of them. "And close your mouth, you'll catch flies!"
"Harrry! They're somewhere here — "
"No. They're somewhere there," Harry sighed then grabbed Ron by the back of his collar and threw the invisibility cloak over them said to the girls, "Just be careful you both," Not knowing they already left on their way.
Poor Cash was still circling midair with a letter in his beak, confused that he saw Crystal but he couldn't find her.
◆◇◆◇◆
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!
When Crystal reached Dumbledore's office, no was there. She looked around and waited for Cash and them. Cash found her and delivered the documents but it didn't seem like Dumbledore, Fudge or committee members were going to be coming soon. She was pacing around impatiently looking at Fawkes, the Phoenix at every turn when it suddenly occurred to her—
"Oh, no! Shoot!"
She left the office and sprinted towards Lupin's office. She reached, panting heavily and knocked on the wide open door urgently but it looked like there was no one.
"Professor Lupin? Are you there?"
Silence. No one was in the room. Crystal muttered a quick sorry and entered and found what she was looking for, the Marauders Map. It was laying open on the desk. She seized it, located Hagrid's hut and found the very people she was looking for. The labels of Dumbledore, Fudge and other people were returning to the castle that means the execution already happened but rather than feeling sad for Hagrid, something surprised her more—
"What the — James Potter? Sirius Black, Lupin, Peter Pettigrew? What are Harry, Ron and Hermione doing in Shrieking Shack? And Snape is on the way— "
"Mischief managed," She folded the map, keeping it aside and ran outside the school towards the Whomping Willow.
It all made sense from the information she got her hands on from her sources, plus the map never lies, Lupin once said when she tried to get the map again and it was clearly showing the name of Peter Pettigrew on it again.
Crystal saw the opening of the gap in the tree. The tree stood calmly. She tried to take advantage and sprinted towards it but BAM —
She underestimated the violence of the tree and was thrown a few feet away from it. She tried to open her eyes but it blurred for a few seconds, zoning in and out of the vision. She clutched the throbbing side of her head and saw her palm covered in blood and looked up at what hit her.
The nasty tree of the Willow was swinging its branches, Crystal forgot the reason the tree was so famous for.
The tree swung its branches to attack again, she didn't have much time to dodge or get up but Crystal wouldn't repeat the same mistake — she took the wand out of her pocket and —
"IMMOBULUS!" The tree froze in its place like a statue, the branch that was coming her way stopped in midair just a few feet away from her face. Not a leaf twitched or shook.
Crystal tried to get up carefully and gingerly walk but staggered back to the ground again because her head was spinning as soon as she stood up.
Be careful, Crystal. A voice said. It was a man's voice but she couldn't figure out from which direction it came. It sounded like it came from all directions. She looked up at the sky. Maybe she imagined it?
Her head was pounding, she closed her eyes took a few deep breaths and opened feeling a new energy.
"Okay, let's catch Peter." She muttered and crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.
She lit her wand and moved as fast as she could, the bent almost double. And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted. Crystal could see a patch of dim light through a small opening, she cautiously went through it and walked through the damaged rooms.
At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs and there was a lot of noise. It was Harry's voice, he was yelling at someone.
Crystal didn't wait anymore and quietly crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide clear stripe on the dusty floors and stairs had been made by something being dragged upstairs and the footsteps that she followed. She reached a dark landing.
“Nox,”
Crystal stood beside the doorway and sneaked a peek inside. They were all there and Snape was saying something.
“I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow,” said Snape, throwing the cloak aside, careful to keep this wand pointing directly at James's chest. “Very useful, Potter and Potter Senior, I thank you both... ”
James smacked his wand away from him.
"Urgh, I've got to purify this cloak with Holy water five times now, there is the essence of a greasy git stuck on it," James made a disgusted face and rolled his eyes then glanced at Harry and said, "Son, I didn't give it to you so that you let grimes like him borrow it!"
"I would suggest you keep your mouth shut as it's spouting garbage," Snape snapped.
Crystal came out of hiding, Snape turned to look behind him and scowled looking at her. A scowl that always got on Crystal's nerves.
"Well, is this a new hide-out y'all? Not very lungs friendly," She said running a finger on the doorknob and flicking the dust on her finger. "What are you doing here? I don't think you are here for the same reason as me," She said to Snape.
"You of all the odd people, shouldn't be here," Snape said moving towards her.
"Ah, really? Well, same to you." She smiled, "Stupefy!"
-: ✧ :-
I need help guyyssssss
🌕 I'm confused what patronus should I give to Crystal.
Based on her "unique" personality I have a few narrowed down like:
1. Albatross,
2. Abraxan Winged Horse,
3. a Snowy Owl,
4. Granian Winged Horse,
5. Fire-Dwelling Salamander.
Any suggestions? If yes, please write down in the comments or else the next chapter will be delayed until I figure it out, thanks! :))
🌕 Also, for year 4 to DH , do you want the chapters in the same book or should I create a new book?
Soooo, thanks a bunch for reading this chapter. Vote and comment, I love reading them.
Byesss for now!!
~Cia.