Two months had passed since that conversation with George. Salem had decided after that revelation of George that she would need some more time, she didn't want to lash out at her friends and she would try to tackle the trauma on her own. She wanted to be back to her old self before she returned to her friends. Though, she did give them a heads-up this time, she had written each of them a letter in which she explained her predicament and her decision.
She had apologised for the fact that she had left them so suddenly and that it wasn't her intention to hurt them. She would explain it to them once she had everything figured out and then they would also receive a proper apology.
To Fred in particular she had written that it hadn't been his fault for her sudden absence. She had emphasized that it had nothing to do with what had almost happened during the last time they had talked. Salem just hoped that he believed her.
The girl knew that it was important to talk about the trauma she had been through. It was proven to her more than once that she couldn't do it on her own. So, she had talked to Dumbledore about the possibility of talking to a professional about it at St. Mungo's, but she still had yet to hear of the man. Her anger towards her headmaster had faded over the past few months and had been redirected at someone else, namely the person who had put her through all this. Could she call him a person though? Voldemort was a fucking lunatic and then some more.
She spent a lot of her time with Sirius as well as Remus. With Remus she talked a lot about the upcoming O.W.L.s and she still brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for him each month under professor Snape's supervision. Her dad knew that something had happened and just like Sirius he had tried to get her to talk about it, but no such luck, Salem changed the subject each time as soon as Remus had tried to broach it. Mostly with Sirius she kept him up to date with what was happening around the castle and that despite her numerous attempts at trying to convince Ron to give Peter to her she had failed most of the time due to Crookshanks appearing in the room.
Ron hated that cat more than anything and when Peter had faked his own death once more he had been furious with Hermione since he believed that Crookshanks had brutally murdered his rat. If only...
Since then Peter had gone missing and sadly Salem didn't have access to the map anymore either, because Fred and George had gifted it to Harry in order for him to visit Hogsmeade as well. Sirius had been devastated when she told him, but in the end he came out all the more determined to prove his innocence and he went scouring through the castle and its grounds to find the nasty rat.
Right now Salem was sitting outside enjoying the warmth of the sun and quietly studying for her last O.W.L. she would have to take the next day. She wasn't all that worried about the History of Magic exam, since it was one of the subjects she liked most. Her reading was interrupted by a golden coloured owl which landed near Salem's feet and she knew that the animal came to deliver her a message from Dumbledore.
She carefully retracted the letter from its paw and searched through her bag for the sweets she always carried with her. Her hand enclosed around one of them and she offered it to the bird who pecked it off her hand gratefully. It unfolded its wings once more and Salem watched as the bird flew away to return to his owner.
She opened the letter quickly, curious as to what Dumbledore had decided.
Dear Miss Black,
I'm saddened to inform you that I cannot allow you to see a professional about the matter at St. Mungo's. You will put yourself and others at risk by doing so.
Nobody knows about your condition and it must stay this way to ensure your safety. Voldemort is yet to be informed about your existence and is therefore unaware of your abilities. The more people that get involved in this matter, the more risk there exists of your secret being outed to the world.
On top of this concern lies that when the wizarding world is informed of your abilities the risk arises of people wanting to know how far these powers of yours reach, much like what Voldemort will want to do.
Therefore it is unsafe to grant you permission to speak with a professional, however if you feel the need to talk remember that I'm always here.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
The anger which she had managed to lock away reared its ugly head again. He must be joking, he can't be serious... She had accepted it the first time when he had told her that nobody was to know of her abilities, but now she didn't get permission to get over her trauma by talking to a professional about it as well?
"If you feel the need to talk remember that I'm always here," she mocked in a high pitched voice and crumpled up the paper angrily. She threw it several meters away from her in frustration and the urge to hit something was growing by the minute. She would have to watch out that her hair wouldn't turn into a ruby red, it was another problem she had been struggling with these last couple of months.
Dumbledore could go suck a dick, she was done with all this secrecy and bottling up her feelings only because it was supposed to make her 'safer'. It only had the opposite effect and so she decided that today was going to be the day that she would finally tell Fred, George, Lee and Macy the whole truth. No more hiding and telling lies.
Her thoughts were interrupted by shouting which was soon followed by a pained cry. It was coming from near the stones where a path lay which led to Hagrid's hut. She looked up in alarm and quickly gathered her books in her bag and snatched the piece of paper off the ground, she didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands.
She took off quickly just in time to see her cousin make a run for it and pushing Goyle out of the way to make it to safety while holding his nose. Her eyes wandered over to the other group and focused on Hermione who was shaking her right hand in the air, and Salem concluded that she had been the one to punch Draco in the face.
The girl smirked at that. Go 'Mione!
Her feet pounded against the grass as she made her way over to them. She slung an arm around the other girl and grinned broadly at her. Hermione looked at her in surprise, but it quickly faded into a genuine smile at Salem's arrival.
The boys turned to look over their to see who had joined them, Harry's eyes twinkled in joy at her presence and Salem shot him a wink which made the boy snort out a laugh making the girl snicker in amusement. Ron, however, was only able to sent a smile which seemed more like a grimace than anything else her way. She couldn't really hold it against him though, seeing that the twins were his older brothers and they had most likely told him about their fallout.
"I'm quite sad that I missed that remarkable punch you threw at Draco's face." Salem pouted and Hermione beamed proudly at the girl.
"Well, you really missed out on that one, it was a magnificent sight," Harry teased with a mischievous grin and went on to describe how Hermione's fist had connected with Draco's nose in full detail. The older girl nodded impressed, but the easygoing smile that had decorated her face slowly faded as her eyes landed on Hagrid's hippogriff, Buckbeast.
The trio noticed her quick change of mood, but understanding flashed through their eyes as they as well took in Buckbeak who was painting a serene picture as he was lying calmly in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. The hippogriff was running his beak across a spot on one of his front paws which, Salem assumed, was itching.
"What is the ministry going to do with him?"
Ron swallowed down a lump in his throat before he answered her. "The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures decided that Buckbeak must be executed for attacking Malfoy... That's why Hermione hit him, he was making fun of Hagrid and just the entire situation in general, bloody arsehole that he is."
"Hermione called him a cockroach, which made it slightly better, but someone really needs to put him in his place."
Salem balled her fist and felt the familiar bubbling of anger in the pits of her stomach. She clenched her jaw and looked away. She would put Draco in his place, she would make sure of it. It was time that the Black Queen showed herself once more, it had been far too long.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the confused expression on Ron's face as he scrutinized the top of her head. It was as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on top of her head and she quickly reigned in her anger, taking control of the roots of her hair which were starting to turn into a ruby red colour.
Ron looked at her hair for a bit longer and Salem was afraid that he might start to ask questions, but she inwardly let out a sigh of relief when he shrugged and continued walking toward Hagrid's hut.
The four of them stood in front of Hagrid's door and waited patiently for him to open the door since Harry had knocked on it. Shuffling could be heard from inside and Fang was barking loudly. A muffled 'Quiet, Fang!' could be heard and the door swung open, revealing the four teenagers to the half giant.
He appeared to be genuinely surprised by seeing them on his doorstep. "What are yeh doing here? Yer not supposed to be outside this late."
Salem scoffed and waved off Hagrid's concern with a warm smile. "Don't worry so much Hagrid, I'm with them. And what's the worst which could happen?"
Hagrid raised one of his large and bushy eyebrows in disbelief. "What's the worst that can happen yeh ask? Sirius Black going on a murder spree and coming across y'all perhaps?!"
The girl shrugged while an overconfident smile graced her lips. "I could squash him like a cockroach if I wanted to."
Hagrid shot her an incredulous look while the others glanced at her as well, unconvinced.
"But if you're so scared that he might attack us out here, it might be best if you let us inside rather then letting us standing on your doorstep."
The man couldn't argue with that and stepped to the side letting the four teenagers inside. Salem shot him a grateful smile and walked over to Fang who was wagging his tail enthusiastically at seeing their arrival. She ran her hand over the top of the dog's head and cooed at him softly.
Ron, Hermione and Harry had each taken a seat and watched as Hagrid poured tea in four cups, he handed them out to each one of them and gazed sadly out of the window.
"Look at him, just sittin' there not knowing what's comin'... I considered setting him free, yeh know? But the ministry would find out and come after me."
The defeated expression on Hagrid's face pulled at Salem's heartstrings and she went over to him to squeeze his hand in comfort. Draco really was going to pay for this.
"We'll stay with you Hagrid!" Harry offered suddenly and Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.
"Yes, we'll stay with you until it's over."
Hagrid violently shook his head and looked at them with big eyes. "Yeh will do no such thing, I don't want yeh to see something like that. Besides, if the minister saw yeh here Harry yeh would be in a lot of trouble as well as meself."
The boy opened his mouth to utter a protest, but slowly sealed his lips shut when Salem shook her head dejectedly. He slumped his shoulders and sighed in defeat.
"Oh, before I forget, Ron," the giant started and walked over to one of his dresser, which several pots were planted on top of. His hand reached for the middle one and pulled the lid off while he grabbed something out of the pot with his other hand. Hagrid carefully put the lid back on top of the pot and made his way over to Ron, handing him a rat. "Yeh should watch yer pet better, I found it running around near the edge of the Forbidden Forest before I plucked him off the ground."
"Scabbers!" Ron called out overjoyed and Salem's heart skipped a beat as her eyes were trained on the damn rat. Hermione raised an expectant eyebrow at Ron while standing in front of him with her arms folded in front of her chest. He merely glanced once at her, not wanting to acknowledge her.
"Shouldn't you apologise to someone, Ron?" She eventually asked, seeing that the boy wasn't going to apologise if it came down to himself.
Harry's eyes had zoned in on something behind Salem and he quickly strode over to the window. He had noticed that Dumbledore, a member of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and a man who was draped in an entirely black outfit, most likely the executioner. The raven haired girl noticed Harry's disinterest in the whole argument which was breaking out between Ron and Hermione once again and shot a look over her shoulder, taking in the three nearing men as well.
"Guys," she called out which stopped Ron and Hermione's bickering, "We need to leave... quickly."
Hagrid looked through the window as well and despite the fact that he already looked as white as a sheet, his complexion paled even more at seeing the arrival of the three men. He ushered them out of his back door and shot them a pleading look to hurry up. Panic flashed across his eyes as, most likely, the minister banged on his door loudly.
Salem squeezed Hagrid's hand one more time before joining the trio who were hiding behind the pumpkins which were stacked on top of each other near the tree line of the forest. All four pairs of eyes were trained on Dumbledore who was the last one to enter the hut.
The snapping of a twig from behind them caused them to turn around. Salem narrowed her eyes at the moving tree branches and knew that something was off, but she couldn't tell what exactly.
She listened closely, making use of her enhanced hearing. She heard the shuffling and uncomfortable attempts at smalltalk which the committee member tried to initiate with Hagrid, their own breathing, Peter Pettigrew's annoying squeaking in rat form and their own breathing. But she heard the breathing of three more people from behind the trees as well.
Salem grabbed her wand in alert and quietly made her way toward the tree line.
"Salem!" Hermione called out in a whisper and her hand shot out to enclose on the raven haired girl's wrist. Their eyes met and Salem read the blatant panic in the other girl's gaze. Hermione tugged at the golden necklace that was hidden underneath her shirt and understanding washed over Salem as she took in the timeturner which hung around Hermione's neck.
Salem had had her suspicions about how Hermione was able to follow all the different courses during that year, and now her suspicions were confirmed. She owned a timeturner, no wonder that she never missed a single class.
"Did you see something, Sal?" Harry asked and looked over the girl's shoulder in suspicion. She glanced at Hermione once more before looking back at Harry.
"No, I thought I did...but it was just a squirrel."
The boys nodded in understanding and cast a quick look at Hagrid's hut before sprinting their way back up the path to the stones with the girls following suit. The garden and Buckbeak were hidden from view, but they could hear the door opening and closing.
The four teenagers could see how the man who was draped in black walked out of the hut and toward the garden and then disappeared out of view. An outraged cry filled the air and they watched as the axe had been lifted high up in the air and swooped back down violently. The swishing of the axe rang through their ears and Salem an expression of horror had been etched on her face.
The squeaking from Pettigrew was getting louder by the minute and Salem shot the nasty rat a nasty glare. He was wringing himself around in Ron's hands and she just knew that he was trying to make a run for it.
Shit, she needed to do something.
"Ron, could I hold Scabbers for a minute? I know this special technique which makes rats calm down."
Yeah, like twisting his neck, that should calm him down alright...
Ron looked at her suspiciously but still extended his arm toward her. Sadly for Salem Pettigrew then decided that it would be a good idea to bite Ron in his finger. He dropped the rat in a reflex and it shot between their legs, legging it through the grass with an almighty speed.
The boy looked at his friends in astonishment. "He bit me... Scabbers bit me!"
Salem searched the ground for the rat and saw him running toward the Whomping Willow. Just as she decided to sprint after the animal Ron had beaten her to the punch and eventually caught up to the rat. He threw himself on the ground while he clasped the rat in his hands tightly, ensuring that his pet wouldn't make a run for it another time.
The others caught up with him quickly and Salem grimaced at the tree started to move around wildly. Harry and Hermione looked at the tree in alarm as well and opened their mouths to warn him.
Ron paled all of a sudden and pointed at something which was standing behind them. His mouth opened and closed quickly, but he was able to squeeze the words out at last. "Harry, th- the G- Grim."
They all turned around immediately and Salem took in the familiar black dog. She let out an aggravated sound and glared at him in frustration. Sirius was growling lowly and bared his sharp teeth. His hackles were raised and Salem knew then and there that nothing good would come of this confrontation.
The dog sprinted toward them and she heard the frightened scream from Hermione, but Salem knew that he wasn't after them, but rather after the rat in Ron's hand. Sirius leaped over their heads and dug his teeth into the fabric of his clothing.
Salem watched in horror as her uncle dragged the poor boy toward the hole that lay near the tree's trunk. Ron had hooked his leg around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground and Salem quickly closed the distance between them and threw herself at his other leg. Her hand had just wrapped itself around his ankle when a horrible crack cut through the air like a gunshot; Ron's other leg had broken and a moment later both Salem and Ron had vanished from sight.