Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Harry’s reaction to the house was a lot like how mine probably was. He seemed a bit awkward about having his own room now—one that was actually his and not a hand-me-down, but was also more than okay with hearing he might share with Draco at times. I could understand that, what with the dorm situation at Hogwarts. Having a room to yourself feels a bit weird. Dobby is a constant fixture. Much to Sev’s ire. The house-elf was a sobbing mess when Draco and Cissy had to leave for the Manor. I think when he’s not over here bugging Sev, he’s visiting Hogwarts. Ellie had mentioned a lot of house-elves that were released ended up working there, but most were donated I think.

Mrs. Sue laughed when she met Harry for the first time. “Another young one for the horde, Mr. Snape?” She had asked. Harry finally laughed once I explained what had happened with Draco. Sev had us both on dish washing duty after dinner, but it was worth it laughing at his expense. I think he secretly enjoyed it.

Matilda and Hedwig got along, thank Godric for that. They definitely had their work cut out for them, sending letters back and forth between all of our friends. Hedwig handled Ron and Hermione, while we used Matilda for Draco and Theo. Speaking of…Theo isn’t radio silent like last summer, but his letters are still infrequent. I hope everything is okay at home. I hate having to worry about him. Draco seemed to feel a lot better about his letters, making the comment that they were more frequent than even before I knew him. So maybe I was worrying for nothing.

Harry and I are working hard to clear up our summer work, so that we can convince Sev to let us wander the shops more. Maybe catch a film. Especially with Draco having arrived. The swot had finished up his work days ago.

The only sounds within the house were crackling logs from a dying fire and rain smashing against the window. Thunder cracked in the distance. Setting an empty tea cup down, Severus Snape leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. The burn of his eyes had nothing on the pounding pulse in his head. Not to mention the pain in his back from leaning over his desk.

Another flash of lightning illuminated his second floor window, bringing light to the piles of books he had been scouring for the last several hours. His left arm had burned for the first time in thirteen years during dinner that night, and he’d been trying to find out what had caused it. Correction: trying to find a different reason than he thought.

The idea of Voldemort coming back had been a nagging threat in his mind since Quirrell’s little venture to get the Sorcerer’s Stone. But there was a small hope it was simply just a follower’s desperation. After the Chamber fiasco, however, Severus knew it was far more than that. The darkening of his mark only solidified his theory. Yet, he still hoped to find something else that could be the cause.

As thunder rumbled through the house again, he started to chuckle. This type of weather used to be Regulus’ favorite. He used to go on and on about how it comforted him. Severus always teased him for it. Saying he only liked it because it left the girl’s shirts either transparent or clinging to their figures. The photo of them upon his mantle grabbed his attention, turning his amusement to a sad remembrance.

“You’d know exactly what to say or do, wouldn’t you?” Severus muttered.

Switching his tea for a pour of firewhisky, he pulled the photo down to look closer at the memory. It had been a few weeks into his fourth year, when Aurora bombarded them with a camera. Insisting that they had to let her take a photo.

“She’s insufferable.”

“She’s brilliant.” Regulus smiled dumbly as she snapped photos. “I’m going to marry her one day.”

Severus had laughed at his declaration, and thoroughly enjoyed watching him try to woo Aurora for the next year before she agreed to go on a date. It seemed that the date had led to a much closer relationship than either of them had let on because Regulus did in fact marry her. It was nothing short of a tragedy that they had so little time together.

The torrent of rain continued as lightning cut across the sky again just before thunder made the windows rattle. Only moments later, the phenomenon repeated telling Severus the storm was directly overhead by now. Maybe the worst of it would pass by the morning. At least he hoped.

The clock on his mantel told him it was three in the morning. Witching hour. How ironic. Drowning the last of his drink, he set it down at the same time he thought he heard a pounding on the front door. He waited with furrowed brows, listening hard to hear over the storm. It didn’t take long for the knocking to happen again, pulling Severus from his office to rush to the door.

The likelihood that the children would wake from the knocking was unlikely if the storm hadn’t done so. However, if he knew those three half as well as he thought he did, they were likely still awake and waiting out the storm. Regardless, as soon as the pouding began again Severus was at the door and swung it open ready to berate the arsehole that had decided to take a stroll in a storm.

Words died on the tip of his tongue when he saw the person before him. It had been a little over a month since Severus had laid eyes upon the boy, but he was positive Theodore Nott had grown in height as much as his hair had in length. Dark brown curls clung to his face. That, in combination with his clothes being soaked through completely, he looked the image of a drowning victim.

“Sev…”

The boy’s voice held something behind the shake that Severus couldn’t place while his eyes trained to the pool of water accumulating on the stoop. Only, it wasn’t just water. Red mixed with the rain that trailed down his arm and off his fingers, joining the already tinted pool below his shoes. When he finally looked up, there were cuts, swelling, and bruises in various stages of healing across his face.

The visible signs of abuse were not what made Severus’ blood run cold. It was the look in Theo’s dark brown eyes. A darkness the older man had hoped—begged—prayed the children of this generation would never have to hold.

Severus reached out and pulled Theo inside. Instantly, he dried the boy and cast a cleaning spell to siphon the remaining blood from his hands and clothes. Without speaking a word, he guided him into the sitting room before making him a hot cup of tea. Upon seeing Theo’s shoulders hunched while he continued to look down, Severus decided to add a splash of whisky to help calm his nerves.

After a few moments and sips, Severus knelt down and lifted Theo’s chin. “I’m going to heal those.”

Theo nodded but didn’t say anything as Severus healed every bruise and cut upon his face. Only after asking about additional injuries did Theo let his professor know about the pain he was having in his ribs and the swollen ankle he’d had for the last week. Once Theo was completely healed, Severus moved to sit on the couch next to him and made a show out of not hearing the stairs creaking.

“What happened?”

“I could—just kept going on and on—the beatings were—” Theo took a shaky breath, “last year when—” looking up, Theo looked at Severus like everything within him was breaking. “She’s so good. Smart, so much smarter than anyone else. And kind. Yet all he saw was her blood status. Claimed all she was good for was —if it’s just me then…I could handle it. But I can’t—couldn’t let—” His eyes filled with tears but his jaw was set. Determined. “I had to stop him.”

“Stop him?” Severus searched Theo’s face. “Theo, did you use the Killing Curse?”

“No.” Theo shook his head, breaking eye contact. “I couldn’t get it to work. That’s what all…this was for.” He gestured to his face and ribs. “I had to wait until he was asleep…”

Hurried footsteps was the only warning as a blur of dark hair collided with Theo. Maddie, in her pyjamas and very much awake, wrapped Theo into a hug just on the side of crushing. Draco and Harry caught Severus’ attention, still waiting on the other side of the doorway. Their expressions were pinched with concern, but were unsure whether to crowd Theo’s space anymore than Maddie already had.

“Only one of us is allowed to be dramatic at a time.” Maddie’s muffled words could barely be made out with her face pressed into his shirt.

Theo wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave a huff at her words, “I must have missed the memo. When will you be done being dramatic? Just so I can clear my schedule.”

“Tippy?” Draco asked.

“Hogwarts, probably. Not freed.”

Maddie sniffled, finally pulling away from Theo. There was a look in her eyes that told him she wanted to ask more, but didn’t want to in front of the others. “You have to be added to the chore wheel for when Dobby isn’t here. Do not let Harry take all of your kitchen days, even if he begs.”

“I like kitchen duty.” Harry crossed his arms, taken up post leaning against the door frame. “Besides, Draco’s cooking still isn’t good!”

“First of all, rude. Second of all, I’m getting better.”

“He can’t practice if you’re always the one cooking.”

“You all should be practicing how to see the backs of your eyelids.” Severus raised a single brow at the sheepish looks from the children. “It is three in the morning.”

“Where will Leo sleep?”

“Let’s go up and I’ll transfigure a bed.” When they arrived at said bedroom, he raised a brow, “Bunk beds it is.”

“Yes!” Harry pumped a fist in the air. “Dibs on the bottom.”

“Do you want the top bunk or the single bed?” Draco rolled his eyes.

“Top.” Theo climbed up without another word and passed out within moments.

The next days were spent in preparation to celebrate Harry’s thirteenth birthday. Severus had offered to take them all out somewhere in Muggle London to celebrate but Harry had insisted he just wanted a small gathering at Spinner’s End. He even insisted he didn’t want any presents. Well—except for Severus to sign the permission slip to let him go to Hogsmeade. Severus looked regretful that he had to say no because he was not legally his guardian. Harry seemed rather put out as well, but the subject had been dropped after that.

Theo had stayed pretty quiet for the most part, and as badly as Maddie wanted to ask what exactly had happened, she was terrified to find out. The bruises and cuts hadn’t been healed yet when she first saw him in the sitting room, so she had an idea of what led to it. It was the details about who he was protecting that were gnawing at her. It made her curious if her theory was actually correct, but a part of her didn’t want it to be. Because that would mean more than one person had been suffering from the hands of Thaddeus Nott.

Shaking her head, she continued eating the eggs Draco had made that morning. They were perfectly fluffy with a hint of garlic and she grinned proudly when she saw him sit down and pour a drink. Harry was crunching on some bacon while Theo pushed his own eggs around.

“Do you want some toast or a muffin?” Maddie whispered to him, hiding it behind a sip of juice.

“No.” He sighed and reached for his own glass.

She didn’t push and instead addressed Harry. “Are you sure you don’t want to invite Hermione for Saturday?”

“Have any of you talked to her this Summer?” Theo asked, more lively than he had been since arriving.

Draco furrowed his brows, but kept his eyes on his plate.

“She was feeling a little ill in her last letter.” Harry spread jam on his toast. “I didn’t want to pester her, especially since they’re visiting family right now. Besides, she doesn’t know I’m staying here.”

“Ugh, this sucks.” Maddie pouted. “We’ll have to meet up in Diagon Alley then and get ice creams or something. Good morning, Sev!”

Severus shuffled into the kitchen with a grunt and a subtle nod reaching for the coffee mugs. Maddie and Harry exchanged small smiles. It had been a running joke between the two of them how much Draco and Severus despised mornings. The only reason Draco had even started waking up earlier was so he could have more opportunities to practice cooking. Theo was not much better than the other Slytherins, not that Maddie was going to tease him about that for now.

While Maddie’s attention was on trying not to laugh at Severus grumbling that he had to wait for more coffee, a ruddy brown barn owl floated silently through the open window. Within its grasp was a rolled up paper while a small leather pouch was tied to its leg. Harry grabbed the paper, but before he could even open his mouth to ask for a knut, the bird flew away. Shrugging, Harry rolled it open and began to read.

“Who is Sirius Black and why would he be coming for me?” He asked after a moment.

The cup of coffee Severus had finally been able to pour fell from his hand. The ceramic shattered and hot liquid coated the entirety of the kitchen, but the man didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were locked onto Harry who was still reading the paper. Maddie had moved to read over Harry’s shoulder, and it was Draco who answered.

“He’s your Godfather.” Draco shrugged, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

“Mass murderer Sirius Black is Harry’s Godfather?” Maddie scoffed.

“Mother doesn’t think he killed anyone.” Draco frowned, finally looking up from his food. “What is that?”

“He’s escaped Azkaban?” Harry held up the special edition Daily Prophet for the table to see.

“Lovely picture.” Theo rolled his eyes.

“You can’t escape Azkaban. There’s a hoard of Dementors.”

“Let me see this.” Severus demanded, not unkindly.

The children watched quietly as he read through the entirety of the article before pinching the bridge of his nose. “No questions until after coffee.” He said, tossing the paper back down.

Not wanting to upset him further after his first coffee had spilled, the children finished their breakfast in silence. The paper remained untouched where Severus had left it, none of them even chancing a look at it. It wasn’t because they were afraid of the man, but because they much preferred when he was in a good mood to when he was deprived of sleep and caffeine. When he was in a good mood, he would smile, laugh, and even joke. There was once when he helped Maddie and Harry prank Draco that resulted in him being covered in water and feathers.

By the time everyone was finished eating, Severus had collected the paper and began to read it again. His finger tapped restlessly on the table top while his eyes moved furiously across the words. The sound of the Floo, however, pulled his attention faster than anything else might have been able to at that moment. The children tripped over their chairs and each other before they were able to squeeze into the door of the sitting room to reveal Draco’s mother.

Narcissa Malfoy was the picture of elegance that morning, her bright blonde hair was twisted and pinned behind her head, showcasing the modest cut of her dark blue dress. A silver necklace that housed a single charm of a star on display proudly around her neck. Silver eyes simply moved from her son to Harry before landing on the paper in Severus’ hands.

“You’ve heard then.”

“It arrived a half hour ago. I was about to speak with them.”

Understanding flitted across her face as she smiled. “Shall I make some tea?”

“We have fresh coffee.”

“Oh, that would be so much better.”

“I’ll get you a cup, Mother.”

Narcissa paused as everyone moved back to the table. “Theo, aren’t you–”

“Extenuating circumstances.” Severus sighed, watching Theo’s eyes pinned to the table.

She hummed at the non-answer and accepted the mug of coffee from Draco, taking a seat next to Severus. The paper laid in the middle of the table, replaying the raging image of Sirius Black.

“They could have chosen a better picture.” She tsked.

“I’m sure that was their first priority.”

“To make him look like he’s crazed—it absolutely was!” Narcissa took a deep breath. “They should be giving him an apology—instead they are making him out to be —” she waved her hand at the paper.

“Could—” Harry paused, not meeting either Narcissa or Severus’ eyes. “Could you start from the beginning? I know he had to have been close to my parents to be my Godfather…but that’s all I know.”

“Sorry…” Draco muttered.

Narcissa closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She began speaking, sounding both fond and tired. “Sirius was indeed close with your parents. We went to school with them and were in the same year. He got sorted into Gryffindor with your parents. And got into so much trouble with your father and their little gaggle of lions.”

“I believe Lily and Peter tried to keep them in line.”

“They had their hands full. It didn’t help with you and Re—with both of you antagonizing them.” Narcissa lightly scolded.

Severus shrugged and took another sip of his coffee to hide a small smile Maddie could see forming.

“In any case, their group were thick as thieves and James and Sirius were the kings of the den. Because of…certain family beliefs, Sirius was excommunicated and ended up being taken in by the Potters. Around their fifth year, if I remember correctly.” The children listened on with rapt attention, none more so than Harry. “Those two became like brothers, so it wasn’t any surprise when they announced Sirius would be your Godfather. The choice of Godmother, however, took a little longer and I’m still not sure who they decided on. Lily’s last letter to you had them narrowing down to two, correct?”

“Yes. She wanted it to be a surprise announcement, though, so no one was made aware while her and Potter decided.”

“I thought you weren’t that close with my dad?” Harry asked. “In the memo—”

“Thank you, Harry.” Severus gave him a blank stare that slid into a smirk. “There was adequate recompense. Trust me.”

“They fought and teased like you two, from what Madeline writes me.” Narcissa smiled, looking between Harry and Draco. “I’d have to see for myself if you both are as petulant, however.”

Severus huffed in amusement, ignoring the curious looks from every child at the table. Maddie blinked several times as she remembered something.

“Mr. Weasley was right. You were a troublemaker in school!” Her grin was blindingly bright at the news. Her comment was pointedly ignored by Severus.

“What about Sirius though? If he was so tight with Potter, why does the Ministry think he killed them?” Theo asked.

“What?” Harry coughed, wide eyes snapping from Theo to Narcissa and Severus.

“Was that not in the article?” Theo’s eyes bounced from Harry to the paper.

“Severus grabbed it before I got that far.”

“But you see why I don’t believe he did it.” Narcissa replied calmly. “The claims he had ties with the Dark Lord and Death Eaters are baseless. If he weren’t in Gryffindor he would have been in Hufflepuff with how loyal the man was—is.”

“As loyal as a dog…”

“Is that a joke about his name?” Draco scrunched up his face.

“When he goes around saying no, I’m Sirius every time someone asks are you serious around him…yes—I have all rights to berate him.”

“In any case, there was no proper investigation, let alone a trial.” Narcissa stepped in, patting Severus’ hand with a small smile. “It’s ridiculous. I have been trying for the last twelve years to—”

“I’m still confused…” Harry said before his eyes went wide, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just…why do they think he’s tied to Tom?”

With the casual drop of his given name, Severus had to fight a smirk, despite the heavy topic at hand.

“I feel a preface is needed for this conversation.” After a moment of contemplation, he gripped onto Narcissa’s hand as if he needed an anchor before addressing the four children directly. “The Dark Lord had a way with words. He was able to find the exact ones to spark passion in even the most collected person. I cannot speak to how he was when he was younger, as he attended Hogwarts in the twenties, but from pieces I’ve learned professors seemed to adore him. He was within the top of his class and had a brilliant way to manipulate situations. A talent he retained, adapted, and maneuvered to fit his agenda as needed.

“He valued tradition above anything else. Craved consistency, but power even more so. However, the lengths he would take to get the power he desired were hidden behind pretty words and charismatic smiles. He whispered to the people he needed and silenced those that opposed him so no others would learn truths.

“By the time he became public in his rise, he had the backing of some of the most influential families within our world. So, as young and easily influenced children, myself and several others believed the scripted words and painted smiles.”

Harry’s gaze was steady as Severus spoke. Each word sank in carefully to make sure he understood everything his professor was trying to tell him. History was never one of his favorite topics, but he retained enough to understand.

“So…” Maddie was the one to speak, seeing as Draco and Theo didn’t seem surprised by the story being told. “He was Hitler with charisma?”

“Very much so.” Severus nodded before swallowing down the regret climbing in his throat. “Upon leaving Hogwarts, war had already started and many of us realized too late that we were in too deep.” He gripped his left arm quickly but didn’t break his attention away from the children. “War against Muggle-borns and Muggles had already been well underway and sides had been chosen. Despite being a Muggle-born, your mother was still very close to myself and other Slytherins. Knowing that we had only joined The Dark Lord because he made us believe we wouldn’t have to hide from Muggles any more. He sold a vision of coexisting without the need for the Statute of Secrecy to be in place. I’m not sure when the message got twisted but by then there was little we could do without risking being killed on the spot.

“So, instead of speaking out directly, I turned spy with a few others. I spoke with Potter and Black as often as I could. They had begun working as Aurors by then and had mastered being able to move around without being recognized. It was one of those meetings that changed everything for the war and our world. As Black and I were leaving our meeting spot, we found Dumbledore meeting with Trelawny for a position at the school. She had given a prophecy while the two sat in the middle of a crowded pub. A prophecy that spelled out the end of The Dark Lord by means of a child born at the end of July to parents who had defied him thrice.”

“The Dark Lord was not there personally, otherwise he would have heard the full prophecy. One of his faithful members was, however.” Narcissa took up the story, knowing how hard the next part was for Severus. “He rushed to tell The Dark Lord what he had heard. Severus had insisted then and there to have Sirius hide Lily and James. As Lily was still pregnant when all that started. It didn’t take them long to find a location to have a Fidelius charm placed.”

“That’s one of the charms around the school.” Maddie looked between the adults, thinking back onto that part of Hogwarts: A History.

“Yes. It’s a charm placed on a location to be able to keep it hidden from anyone not given the location by the Secret Keeper. Which leads us to Sirius.”

“It seemed the obvious choice to have Potter’s best mate be the Secret Keeper. He was extremely loyal and had already shown over and over again the ends to which he would go to keep you all safe.” Severus’ full attention was on Harry, “Everyone knew, or should have known that he would have died long before even thinking about telling The Dark Lord of their location. However, that also put a target on Black’s back. So, I tried to convince them to choose someone else. It took a few tries, but eventually they understood and it was Black who suggested another one of their friends. Peter was often overlooked by those outside the group of friends, which made him the perfect choice. Except they ended up going with someone else instead of either Black or Peter.”

Severus’ jaw clenched so tightly, Maddie was sure he was about to crack a tooth. Leaning forward onto the table, she and the boys waited with bated breath for him to get control of his ire enough to continue the story.

“They trusted the wrong person which led to The Dark Lord finding them and trying to kill you all. Lily died trying to protect you.” Emotion that Harry had never seen within the onyx eyes of his professor took his breath away. He knew that Severus and his mother had been friends, but it seemed like their friendship bordered on the lines of found family, very similar to how he felt about Hermione, and it began to break Harry’s heart. “Love is extremely powerful, and when combined with sacrifice and an exceptionally powerful magical core, it can fend off even the worst of spells. Which is exactly what it did that night.”

When he paused to swallow his emotion, Narcissa placed a hand upon his arm and continued for him.

“Everyone within our community knew of the Potters going into hiding. None, however, knew who their Secret Keeper actually was so they all assumed it was Sirius. So, when Sirius showed up at the destroyed house to find them dead, he tried to take you from Hargrid who had also arrived per Dumbledore’s suggestion. They argued about the old man’s plans, but eventually Sirius conceded and let Hagrid take you until he could get back. Then he went after Peter. When he found Peter, they were able to talk long enough for him to tell Sirius much of the truth. But Peter was being watched closely. When he was found with Sirius, they were attacked. The one that had attacked them caused an explosion that killed several Muggles as well as himself.

“Sirius was held at the Ministry for a few hours before being sent to Azkaban, and I took the opportunity to speak with him then. He told me that he had started laughing because of the Death Eater’s stupidity but he was unable to tell me what happened to Peter before I had to leave so I would not be caught talking to him.”

The crazed picture of Sirius Black on the cover of The Daily Prophet continued to loop while Harry digested the information. The thick, dark waves fell down to the man’s shoulders before he would shake his head sending his hair in every direction. The picture was in black and white, but it was clear he possessed the same grey eyes as Narcissa and seemed to look into Harry’s very soul even within the photo.

“He’s been rotting in there for twelve years.” Harry whispered, gaining a nod from Narcissa. “Why? Why was he left there if he was innocent?”

“The war had made everyone short tempered. All the Aurors saw was a man laughing in the middle of a group of murdered Muggles with the last name of a family known to be working with The Dark Lord. They didn’t want to look beyond that, so they threw him in Azkaban instantly. The knowledge of James and Lily wasn’t known until later that day and I believe that was only spread because The Dark Lord had also seemingly vanished into thin air. Known followers were gathered quickly and also thrown into Azkaban without even the thought of a trial unless the person was influential.” Narcissa all but sneered the last word and refused to look at Draco.

“Why now?” Theo asked after several tense moments.

“Why indeed.”

Chapter Text

Draco and I made Harry's cake…well, Theo tried first and we took over. Dobby wanted to do the whole thing, but we managed to convince him to let us handle that at the very least. Cissy had brought presents from Aurora and Lyra. One of Zonko's joke boxes and a really nice leather jacket. Harry looked very sharp in it. Sev wasn’t too happy about the joke box though. We’ll just have to wait until school to use it. I’m sure Fred and George will love it.

Lucy ended up coming back home a few days later, meaning Draco had to leave as well. He really, really didn't want to go. None of us wanted him to go, but I have a feeling if he didn’t things would end up much worse for him at a later date. I’m really starting to hate that bloody man.

“Do you have any idea how nice it is to not have to go back to the Dursley’s?” Harry sighed, sinking into the clover blanketing the backyard.

Above them, the sky was beginning to darken, causing the string of lights draped throughout the backyard to turn on. The thick greenery climbing up the trellis and covering the two and a half meter fence provided enough privacy that the three children didn’t have to worry about anyone looking in on them or hearing what they were saying. Of course, the Silencing and Disillusionment Charms also helped with that.

Maddie turned and smiled at Harry, “I do, actually. I think we both can understand.”

Theo nodded silently from Harry’s otherside. He had been pretty quiet since the first night of his arrival, but Maddie wasn’t going to try to make him talk. She had seen Severus take him into his office to talk a couple of times, but again, she didn’t feel it was right to question what they spoke about.

“Harry!”

Maddie jolted at the abrupt yell, Harry and Theo following suit as not to have Severus have to call for them again.

“What’s wrong, Sev?” Maddie asked.

“Did I forget some—Dudley?” Harry finally took notice of his cousin standing silently behind Severus.

“Madeline, why don’t you and Theo put on some tea while Dudley joins Harry and myself in the study.”

"Alright…" Maddie shared a confused look with Theo as the new arrival followed Harry and Severus awkwardly into the house.

“Who’s the large bloke?” Theo asked quietly.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

By the time tea was ready, Maddie arranged it all onto a tray and Theo offered to carry it in. Not wanting to interrupt something important, but most definitely wanting to know what was going on, the two walked quietly to the door and paused.

“--then her ruddy dog started barking. I guess it reminded her of something, because she began asking about you. Dad told her some story about you going to youth court.”

Maddie watched Severus inhale sharply, but didn’t interrupt Dudley talking. She kept Theo back, putting together that this must be Harry’s cousin. And it was his terrible Uncle that was spreading lies about him. She pressed a finger to her lips and looked back to the three.

“Started laughing she did, and saying how we should have expected it. Said your dad was worthless and unemployed. Then she started talking about your mum and saying terrible things about the two of you and…well…” Dudley paused and looked to Severus briefly, “Am I going to get in trouble?”

“Why would you be getting into trouble?” Severus asked, instead of answering immediately.

“You can trust him, Dudley.”

Nodding, he looked back to Harry. “The whole time I thought it was just you. But then, when you left, things kept happening. Mum and Dad blamed it on rest—ris—something left over. But then Aunt Marge said all those terrible things…and…” he blew out a heavy breath as if mimicking something blowing up while his hands flared.

“You blew up Aunt Marge!” Harry jumped up.

“I didn’t mean to! At least I think it was me. She just started to swell up then floated out of the garden! Are the wizards going to arrest me?” He looked to Severus again.

Maddie took that opportunity to bring in the tea, giving the professor a chance to come up with a response. Theo had to roll his lips in order to keep from laughing, accurately reading that it was not a time to introduce humor.

“No! At least, I don’t think they are. Wait—where are your mum and dad now? Do they know where you are?”

“Are you mad? Of course they don’t! They went to hospital with Aunt Marge. Left me home.”

“Mr. Dursley–”

“Dudley.”

“Dudley…how did you find yourself in the company of Aurora?”

“Aur–Oh. Well, see I was outside and watched my parents drive off. Then I was kind of starting to freak out and all of the sudden, BOOM giant purple bus! The guy asked where to go and the only place I remembered Harry talking about was some place called Diagon Alley. By the way…that place is brilliant! Anyway, after I made sure I wasn’t going to vomit because that bus is miserable, they practically tossed me off. So I just started walking. I didn’t even notice, what did you say her name was—Aurora—isn’t that someone from a Disney movie? Don’t answer that—” He waved away Harry’s answer and continued, “I didn’t notice her at first because there was another lady with her. And let me tell you, she was gorgeous! Blonde, gray eyes, nice—she was super nice…” Dudley swallowed after noticing the glare he was getting from Severus, “Anyway, when she spoke up I recognized her and asked if she knew where you were. So, here I am.”

He finished his tale with wide eyes while his hands folded into his lap. The toe of his shoe was tapping erratically, while Maddie and Theo had to practically stuff their fists into their mouths to keep from laughing.

“So—wait, you’ve had bouts of magic?” Harry looked flabbergasted at the thought. “Would—wouldn’t he have gotten a letter, then, Severus?”

Severus tapped his finger on his cup while he thought. “Not if he’s been repressing it. He saw the way his parents treated you, so subconsciously he might have been holding it in. That can be very dangerous.” He set his cup down and leaned forward, “Do you remember any other times you knew it was you and not Harry?”

“Well, there was this time Harry was being chased by some jerks at school. I wanted him to get somewhere safe and the next thing I know, he’s on the roof of the school building.” Dudley thought some more before he let out a strangled sort of laugh. “I got myself trapped in a python enclosure. I really wanted to look at that bloody cool snake.”

“Well—to be fair…” Harry scratched his neck, “I think I’m the one that put the glass back up. I was afraid you’d hurt the snake. He just wanted to go home.”

“That’s fair, Piers and I were being right foul gits the entire day.” He snorted. “I’m glad you got some ice cream, though.”

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and released a heavy breath. “What would Lily do?” He whispered more to himself than anything. Maddie was actually positive he didn’t mean to say it out loud at all. “Have you been experiencing headaches? Or even body aches lately?”

“Yeah…actually.” Dudley shrugged. “But I play rugby, so I thought it was just soreness from that.”

“Harry, what kind of core do you have?”

“...magic?”

“Wand.”

“Oh! Phoenix, like Maddie.”

“Theo?”

“Dragon Heartstring.”

“Good, we have all three. Let him try your wand.” He gestured for Harry to hand it over to Dudley. “It won’t work nearly as well as his own, but it’ll give us an idea.”

“I get—you want me to hold a…a magic wand?” Dudley went pale. “What do I do with it?”

“You’ll just have to hold it. That will tell me if you have enough magic to warrant your own and a possible idea of what type of magic you’d grasp easiest.”

Harry wasted no time in shoving his wand into Dudley’s hand. Maddie could tell he was a little disappointed when nothing seemed to happen at first. Severus suggested he wave it in no specific way. When he did, books flew out of the shelf behind him making everyone have to duck.

“Well, I don’t think Phoenix will be the right choice for you. Try Theo’s.”

Theo reluctantly handed over his wand and they all watched Dudley turn slightly pale. Without having to even wave the wand the teapot exploded, sending tea and porcelain everywhere.

“Oh God! I’m so sorry!” Dudley practically threw the wand back at Theo.

Theo shrugged, slipping his wand back into a holster Maddie hadn’t noticed on his arm until just then.

“Try mine.” Severus sighed, holding out his wand for the skittish boy to grasp. “Don’t worry about the teapot, I’ll fix it afterward.”

Dudley gingerly took the ebony wand, scrunching his eyes closed and holding his breath. When nothing happened, he opened one eye to see four different expressions. Severus had raised a single brow while Maddie was biting her lip hard to keep from laughing. Theo sighed with his eyes closed and Harry just looked on with rapt excitement.

“Nothing exploded, give it a wave.” Harry smiled and urged his cousin on.

Dudley released his held breath slowly and dragged the wand through the air softly. At first, it seemed like nothing happened. Then, droplets of tea began to pull themselves from the rug and float among droplets that drifted off the table. The other children shared smiles at the sight while Dudley stared on in dazed wonder.

“Looks like you might have a proclivity for Charms.” Severus held out his hand for the wand. “It’s getting late and I’d rather not have Petunia in a fit. We can arrange a time to get you a wand of your own.”

“So…” Dudley stood and looked to Harry, “I’m magical. Like Harry?”

“And like your Aunt Lily. Yes.”

“Wicked! I can’t tell Mum. And Dad’ll flip.”

“I think he’d have a heart attack.” Harry stifled a laugh.

“If I’m getting a wand…I’m going to be learning magic, then?” Dudley furrowed his brows at the thought. “I can’t go to school with you.”

“I happen to be a professor.” Said professor pinched the bridge of his nose again. “And I know an adept tutor. You will need to be taught to avoid hurting yourself or others with bouts of magic. It can be violent if you try to keep it in. It seems having Harry around to help release magic without suspicion worked in your favor.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Dudley said softly, “I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone. Not really.”

“I know, Dudley.” Harry grinned.

“Let’s go. I’m sure your parents will be home soon.” Severus began to walk toward the back of the house leaving Dudley bouncing his attention between Harry and the man.

“It was…good to see you.” He said awkwardly, holding out his hand for Harry to shake. “Happy birthday.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Harry shook his hand then ushered him to the back garden.

“I’m confused—”

“Just hold on and close your eyes.” Harry waved as Severus allowed Dudley to grip onto his arm.

“If I come back to my house on fire…” He leveled Maddie with a glare, “I will not be happy.”

Maddie saluted him with a nod, waiting until the door closed behind him before she spun around to run further into the house. Severus didn’t give Dudley enough time to ask any more questions before they began to spin and stretch, the world around them disappearing into darkness. Save for random flashes of colors making Dudley’s stomach twist and turn before depositing them into the park by Privet Drive.

After taking a few breaths in order to make sure he didn’t lose the contents of his stomach, Severus gave him a small nudge to get them walking. Upon approaching Number 4, he took a moment to look around. Not seeing a car, he paused as Dudley began to unlock the door.

“They do plan to come back tonight, yes?”

“I—I think so. I guess it depends on how quick Aunt Marge is…”

“Deflated.”

“Yeah.”

Taking in his surroundings again, Severus drew in a deep breath. “I will send Matilda in an hour. If you need anything, send a response back with her.”

“I can’t have owls hanging about—”

“She is not an owl.”

“Oh, thank God.” Dudley breathed out.

“Indeed.” He nodded, beginning to make his way back to the park. He was halfway down the driveway when Dudley called out to him.

“Will I—can I see him again? Harry?”

“If you are to come to my house for lessons, you will be seeing him.” Severus raised a single brow. “However, we can also arrange for you to visit outside of lessons. Although, I doubt your parents will be pleased with the idea.”

“I can just tell them I have practice. They don’t care to watch those.”

“Very well.” He nodded, making his way. “Watch for a raven.” Once he melted into the shadows of the park, he Apparated to Grimmauld Place.

It didn’t take long for the decrepit house-elf to invite him inside the darkened townhome. Just as he was going to head upstairs to get his mistress, the woman in question came rushing down in a fit of giggles.

Kreacher sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen muttering as he watched Maddie and Theo attempt to make several different types of midnight scones: chocolate, blueberry, and cinnamon. The kitchen was coated in a fine layer of flour and powdered sugar. There was a smear of blueberry compote on the counter that matched the smear on Maddie’s face. Theo had a smudge of chocolate on his cheek and was crunching on a handful of the chips. Harry stood back with a bucket of water on the floor next to him, watching along with Kreacher as the kitchen became more and more disastrous.

“You know, Kreacher, it would be very easy for you to make the scones.”

“Miss Snape has instructed Kreacher to—”

Fire came billowing out of the oven making his eyes go wide. Just as Maddie and Theo yelled out for him, Kreacher snapped his fingers and the fire disappeared. A pillar of smoke remained while the children laughed.

By the time Severus arrived back home the kitchen had been tidied enough. The chocolate scones had been tossed, reduced to bricks of charcoal, leaving the blueberry and half of the cinnamon scones edible.

“What is…what am I smelling?” His voice called through the sitting room to the kitchen.

“That, Mr. Snape, would be burnt chocolate.” Kreacher dredged with a scowl.

“We cleaned it!” Maddie and Theo called out, poking their heads around the door.

“And Harry?” He asked with a raised brow as the boy appeared behind them.

He held up the bucket of water with a grin, “You didn’t want the house on fire, sir.”

“I shouldn’t be this kind of tired at my age.” He muttered and fell into a chair.

“If that is all. Kreacher will be returning to his Mas-Mistress.”

Severus shot a glare at the house elf before Kreacher disappeared with a loud crack.

Chapter Text

Dudley came over a few more times. Aurora took him to Ollivanders and got this really wicked looking willow wand. It has the unicorn hair, like Sev guessed he would. He’s got a ways to go, but I suppose we do have two years on him. At least he didn’t have to deal with Lockhart last year. Or Quirrell in first year.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I really hope our professor this year for Defense isn’t a complete waste of time. Sev has been in a grumpy mood since dropping off Dudley the first time. I wonder if he did have to talk to Harry’s Aunt again. None of us have wanted to ask.

In other news, Fred wrote to me from Egypt! He’s been there for almost a month with his family. They’ve been able to explore so many things! I guess him, George, and their older brother Charlie got in trouble for trying to lock Percy in a pyramid. I’m not too sure how they would’ve done that but I can’t wait to hear more.

Theo reached out from his seat within the oversized chair and grabbed another book off the shelf. Maddie tried to focus on the chess game she was in with Harry, but with Theo huffing every few minutes and changing the book he was looking at, it was rather distracting. It was frustrating trying to figure out what he was looking for.

“Maaaaaadddddiiiiiieeeee.” Harry snapped his fingers.

“Sorry.” She looked back to the board, “Um, bishop to…h…e…this square.” She pointed and groaned when the wrong piece began to move. “I meant knight! Knight to that square—dang it!”

“You’re terrible at this.” Harry laughed.

“I hate this game.”

“Fine. I was just wanting to be able to beat Ron and Theo won’t play with me.”

“Because it’s boring beating you, Harry.” Theo muttered as he reached for a different book.

“I’ll never get better if you won’t play against me.” He flicked a lost pawn at Theo and huffed when it bounced off his book.

“Ask Draco. Or Blaise.”

“Neither of them are here.”

“Not my problem.”

“What crawled up your arse and died?” Maddie left the chess table and started poking through Theo’s pile of discarded books. “What are you looking for?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Exchanging a look with Harry, she sighed and leaned back. “I’m bored.”

“Hi, Bored, I’m Harry.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“When does Dudley’s lesson end?” Maddie groaned, taking the opportunity to drape herself across Theo when he went to reach for another book.

“What is wrong with you?” Theo held the book out of her reach, “Get off. You weigh a ton!” He shifted and pushed her off his lap causing her to land in a heap on the floor.

“Rude!” She wiggled into a sitting position, throwing a pout in Harry’s direction. “Help me.”

“This is better.” Harry laughed.

“Also rude!”

It wasn’t unusual for the boys to laugh at Maddie’s expense. She knew it was all in good fun, but with Theo being so distant and Dudley being a common occurrence and growing closer to Harry these past weeks, it seemed to irritate her more than before. Draco would take pity on her most of the time, but with him having to deal with Lucy, he was hardly ever seen.

Crossing her arms and legs, she pursed her lips and looked out the window. “Let’s go outside! We can toss a ball for practice!”

They managed to convince Theo to come out to the garden with them for fresh air and sunshine. Because they couldn’t risk being discovered, they were stuck tossing a small golden ball chaotically within the overgrown garden. This is where Dudley and Severus found them, distracting Theo enough to get knocked in the side of the head with the ball Harry had thrown.

“Sorry!” Harry ran up and started to rub Theo’s temple, earning an odd look from Theo while Maddie fell to the ground laughing.

“I got the feather to float!” Dudley cheered, his grin so wide his eyes were pinched closed.

“Brilliant!”

“Yes. Lovely.” Severus pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. “I have to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow, so this will be the last visit. Is there something you’d like to do before you meet the Weasleys?”

“Can we go see a film?” Dudley looked up at Severus with wide eyes. “Jurassic Park is in theaters.”

Taking a deep breath, he took in the excitement from not just Dudley at the suggestion but Maddie and Harry as well. Theo, however, rolled his eyes and fell into the thicket of clovers. The closest theater, he knew, was within walking distance and with everything these kids had been forced to endure already, he trusted their judgment…for the most part.

“Very well.”

The children followed him back into the house, save for Theo, and he handed Maddie enough money for tickets and snacks. After a moment of thought, he went to the mantle and pulled something from behind a frame. Pressing a button, there was a shrill beep then a light flashed. Maddie and Harry exchanged a bewildered look as Severus approached them.

“Do you know how a pager works?”

“Dad has one.” Dudley answered when Maddie and Harry shook their heads.

After a quick explanation about how you can send a message to the pager, he made sure they also had enough coins to contact him if needed. As Severus did not have a phone, he said the pager would have to do and he’d be able to find them from there. He emphasized how important it was to be vigilant with their surroundings and that if they are somewhere they could not find a phone, to stick out their wand hand to call the Knight Bus. At the mention of said bus, Dudley paled but didn’t voice his discomfort.

“I expect you all back here by eight at the latest. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” The three of them nodded, grins overcoming all of their faces.

“Very well. Go on, but please be careful.” Severus watched them take off out of the front door before turning to go speak with Theo who was still lounging in the backyard. It had been long enough. It was time to actually talk about what happened so it did not swallow him whole.

Upon leaving the theater, none of the children could seem to stop excitedly talking long enough to hear what the others were saying. Seeing the giant dinosaurs and the park they had been created in was astonishing to them all. Harry had pointed out several times, even during the film, that it didn’t really make sense why they would bring back the ones that could eat people, but Dudley kept telling him to stop thinking so hard on it. Maddie had agreed but was fascinated by the pterodactyls. Dudley had claimed the Pachycephalosaurus were even cooler and was rather upset they were not in the film, saying the way they simply just ram into things was wicked.

Pausing to grab some hot dogs and drinks, they began their trek back to Spinner’s End. The further they walked from the theater, the more secluded they were. Street lights began to spread out further and further, leaving quickly darkening areas between the bubbles of light. Harry and Maddie were in the middle of describing Quidditch to Dudley, when Maddie let out a sharp gasp.

“Puppy!”

“Puppy? That thing looks like it wants to kill you.” Dudley grabbed the back of her shirt to keep her from running to it.

“Nonsense, he just needs some food.” She held out her hotdog and whistled. “Here boy, wanna sausage?”

“You’re mental, Snape!” Harry reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Besides, I’m not sure it is a dog. Looks like a bear.”

“Hush, Potter. He’s just big boned.”

The dog was, in fact, quite large. Even with it on all fours, his head was at the same level as Maddie’s and covered in coarse black fur. Despite the height, he was lean, built like some kind of wolfhound or dane. Just as Maddie was able to pull her hand away from Harry, the dog seemed to grow even larger, his teeth bared in a silent growl as he took a slow step toward the children.

“Harry!” Dudley called from a couple feet behind them.

“You scared him!” Maddie whispered angrily, hoping not to spook the beast even further.

“Come on. We’re going to be late, and I’d rather not get eaten. We did a pretty good job at avoiding that so far.” Harry pulled on her jumper.

The sound of a car backfiring echoed down the darkened street making the dog snap before disappearing into the brush he had originally crept out of. The rest of the walk back to the house was uneventful. Although, both Harry and Dudley scolded Maddie as often as possible. She munched angrily on her snack and did her best to ignore them.

“You’re late.” Theo said as soon as they walked into the front door.

Frowning, Maddie looked to clock on the mantle. “It’s two minutes after eight!”

“Late is late.” Theo raised his eyes up from the book.

Before Maddie could say anything else, Severus walked through the door holding a tumbler of amber liquid. He caught Harry sticking out his tongue at Theo as he and Dudley took a seat on the couch. Severus looked between the four children with narrow eyes.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. Dudley, let’s get you home.”

Once Severus had left, Maddie threw a pillow at Theo, making his book hit him in the nose.

“Oi!”

“That was for trying to get us in trouble.”

“I wasn—“

“You were! Lying is a bad color on you. Anyway! You would’ve loved the film!”

Theo gave them his full attention as they described all the dinosaurs and every bit of action they had seen. This was still going on when Severus came back home, making the knot in his chest loosen a bit more.

Diagon Alley was the busiest Maddie had ever seen it. Though she guessed it’d make sense being it was only days before term started. She just hoped there wasn’t a similar disaster waiting for them like with what happened between Lucius and Mr. Weasley. Draco wrote that he had gotten all of his school things a few weeks earlier, so the likelihood would be slim.

Harry, Theo, and Maddie had already purchased their school things too, not wanting to worry about it. They knew the Weasleys would be chaotic enough. Not to mention having to manhandle their newest class book. Severus looked rather annoyed but Maddie was giddy about the Monster Book of Monsters. The worker at Flourish and Blotts had been distraught when they asked for three. As soon as the man handed over the monstrous biting books, Severus showed them how to calm them down. Too bad the worker had been too stressed to pay attention.

What was really exciting for Maddie was that Hermione was meeting them at Diagon Alley. She had spent her summer traveling with her dad, since last summer didn’t work out so well for them. They were all listening to Ron talk about Egypt for the sixth time since meeting with the Weasleys at the Leaky Cauldron when Mr. Weasley had pulled Harry to the side, leaving Theo and Maddie at the table. Percy was busy puffing out his chest, proudly showing off his Head Boy pin and not paying his family a lick of attention.

Theo had his nose in the paper, attempting to ignore his surroundings with the gossip column and reading the newest article on Sirius Black. Maddie was looking through George’s journal, the poor thing was bursting at the seams. Fred ruffled Ron’s hair when he started boasting again when an excited shout drew their attention.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who got some sun!” Hermione beamed, sliding into the bench seat between Maddie and Theo.

“Speak for yourself.” Maddie gestured between Theo and herself before dragging Hermione into a hug. “It’s so great to see you!”

“Hiya, Hermione” Harry came back to the table as Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger began talking. “Your dad mentioned you might stay at the Leaky, too?”

“Yes, he has to work the day the Express leaves.”

Theo hummed in acknowledgement when she wrapped him in a hug, but didn’t add to the conversation. Maddie made the comment how it would have been fun to go back to The Burrow. She tried to describe the house to Hermione, claiming the Weasleys’ house wasn’t just a wizard’s house, but so much more, which sparked another conversation. Mrs. Weasley popped over to the table with food, having been conversing with Tom, the landlord and barkeep. She excitedly greeted Hermione and patted the girl affectionately on the head before turning to fuss at Ginny.

Eventually they all filed through the backyard and into the very busy Alley. The rush for the Weasleys supplies went quicker than last year, even with needing to purchase four Monstrous Books. Maddie waved the others off with a promise to meet up in a bit once Mrs. Weasley dismissed the hoard of children. There was a set of twinned journals that caught her attention. The perfect gift for the two with upcoming birthdays.

Once the gifts were wrapped and tucked away safely, she made her way to Magical Menagerie where Ron had said he needed to get Scabbers checked out. Apparently while they were in Egypt, he had started limping quite badly. The sound of a bell chimed as she pulled open the door, but it was drowned out almost immediately as shouts bombarded her. The scene she had walked into was complete chaos. There was a large orange ball of fluff that came out of nowhere, hissing and clawing at something scampering away. Theo reached over and slammed the door shut, pushing Maddie out of the way in the process. Hermione was yelling at Ron while Ron was yelling at what she could see now was a cat. Harry had somehow ended up wedged into the corner by the counter fixing his glasses.

Having finally recaptured Scabbers, Ron began kicking at the cat as it continued to reach for the rat.

“Stop that, Ronald!” Hermione yelled, “Stop kicking him!”

“I’ll kick him all I want! He’s after Scabbers!”

Hermione snatched up the cat and cradled it in her arms while turning away from Ron slightly. “He’s a cat! Of course he’s going to go after a rat!”

“What…happened?” Maddie gaped at the chaos that must have unleashed. The poor witch at the counter was attempting to wrangle some rats that had gotten loose.

“What happened is that monster of a cat tried to eat Scabbers!” Ron yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Hermione, “Keep that thing away from us!” Without another word, or look back, Ron stormed out of the shop and disappeared into the crowd.

“Oh dear.” Harry muttered, placed a galleon on the counter and took the tonic Ron had originally been after, and ran after him.

Maddie turned from the window and saw Theo approaching Hermione with trepidation, his eyes locked onto the cat. When the animal turned its squished face to look at him, an audible purr echoed around the room.

“That’s odd.” The witch behind the counter muttered, finally having captured all the loose rats. “In all his years being here, Crookshanks has never purred. Just sat up as high as possible and away from people.”

“Crookshanks.” Hermione tested the name on her tongue, “I love it.” She looked up to see Theo watching her with a small smile.

“Get the cat, who cares about Weasley. You can borrow my owl if you need to.”

Hermione’s grin widened and rushed to the counter to pay. The shopkeeper gathered up a crate, some food, and even a book titled So You Adopted a Kneazle, Now What?

Maddie couldn’t hold it in any longer as she watched her friend pay for the animal. Her brows were pinched and lips turned in an upside down smile. “What–what’s wrong with his face?”

“Shut up, Mads.” Theo nudged her, “She likes it.”

“It looks like it ran into a locked catflap.” She stifled a snort of laughter behind her hand, attempting to school her face before Hermione turned back around.

“You’re not wrong…but shut up.”

It didn’t take long for Theo to seek solitude from the group. It was obvious that he was not used to the amount of noise that was associated with staying with the Weasleys. Harry admitted it took him a bit of time to acclimate to it as well, but at least he had Dudley and his friends growing up that helped with the adjustment.

George was the first one to notice. Catching when Theo and Hermione would go off to sit under one of the trees or disappear into the room Theo and Harry were staying in. Maddie caught the twins sneaking to peek through the cracked door while they tried to listen in. She startled them so bad, Fred started to fall down the stairs until George caught him. After that, Maddie tried to keep them as distracted as Harry and Ron seemed to be.

Although Maddie was almost positive the reason for the complete separation was because Crookshanks couldn’t see Scabbers without trying to go after him. Which is probably why Scabbers continued to limp.

The night before they were set to catch the train, Maddie sat on the bed between Theo and Harry with Hermione on one of the large chairs in the room as the Weasleys began to run around the Leaky in their typical brand of chaos.

“You’d think that after…how many years is it?”

“Well…Bill’s the oldest…” Hermione thought, “He’s—I believe he’s six years older than Percy…”

“So more than enough time for them to have a routine.” Theo huffed, leaning back into the pillows.

“Hush, at least we have entertainment.”

“And a headache.” Harry exchanged a look with Theo before following his lead and falling onto his back.

“I wonder how we’re getting to King’s Cross.” Maddie absentmindedly stroked the Monstrous Book. “Also, any bets on how long it takes for the new Defense professor to attack Harry?”

“Oi!” Harry lifted only his head off the bed, “I don’t want to be attacked again!”

“Doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

“Stop teasing precious Potter, Snape.” Theo threw an arm over his eyes. “Not when there’s a bet on you already.”

“It’s a stupid bet—”

Whatever else Maddie was going to say was cut off by the door being thrown open. Ginny dragged her trunk completely into the room before shutting the door and sliding down it to sit on the floor. Her hair was a frizzy mess and she was out of breath.

“Someone help me, please.” Her head thunked against the door.

“What happened to you?” Harry sat up fully, laughter tinting his words.

“Fred and George are trying to see how long it takes for Percy to realize they are the ones taking his stuff out of his trunk.” She blew out a strand of hair, “Also, they keep giving Ron wedgies because he won’t stop complaining about Crookshanks.”

“Maybe he should shut his face then.” Theo muttered.

“How eloquent, Theo.”

“Just saying what everyone is thinking.”

The next morning was not any less chaotic, despite the Ministry sending cars to take them all to King’s Cross. Mr. Weasley had to call for an additional car in order to fit the extra four children, but eventually they all were able to pile in with their trunks. Theo had reminded Mr. Weasley that it was possible to shrink the trunks, making it much easier than when he had been trying to finagle them inside the boots. With only minutes to spare, they were all able to rush onto the platform and jump onto the train.

“Never again.” Theo whispered as he and Maddie pulled away from the Weasleys. “I’ve had enough chaos to last me a lifetime.”

"I thought the chaos was simply Fred and George, but…" Hermione said beside them, staring at the family of redheads, "it's all of them…"

"At least it's the fun sort of chaos with the twins." Theo huffed.

"Careful, if they heard you, the praise would go to their heads."

The platform was crowded as usual for the start of term and more than once the three were jostled around. Hermione whispered to the basket holding her cat several times before they were able to board the train. They were able to find an unoccupied compartment and settled in for the train ride.

"Alright, Crookshanks." Hermione cooed, finally able to release the hissing beast.

The cat stretched dramatically on the bench before curling up in the patch of sunlight. “You’d think he’d want to run around after being stuck in this cramped thing.” Theo messed with the wired door of the crate, “Can’t we magic it bigger for him?”

“That would require an extension charm. And those are illegal.”

“Only if you’re caught.”

“Slytherin.”

“It intrigues you, don’t lie.”

Hermione held back a smile as she rolled her eyes and raked her fingers through the cat’s fur. Maddie leaned back in her seat, watching the two smiling down at the cat. They continued to joke with each as the train pulled into the countryside.

“Sooo…” Leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees, Maddie gestured between them. “Are we gonna talk about this?”

“Talk about what?” “There’s nothing to talk about.” Hermione and Theo responded quickly.

“Riiiiiight.”

Theo narrowed his eyes, “Ask what you want to ask, Snape.”

“Well, Nott, I’m asking about what’s going on between you two.”

“There’s nothing going on between us.” Hermione furrowed her brows.

“You know we aren’t…you know.” Theo waved his arms around.

“Do I know?” Maddie raised a single brow. “Why aren’t you, you know?”

“Because that’s my sister!” “Ugh, that’s my brother!”

Maddie grinned widely and sat back against the seat, very pleased with herself.

“Are you happy with yourself?” Theo crossed his arms while Hermione remained confused.

“Extremely.”

“How did you know?” Hermione asked.

The compartment door slid open to reveal a slightly annoyed Draco. He glanced between the three before sighing and continuing further down the car to another compartment. Hermione sucked in a breath as she watched him leave.

“His hair is different.” She muttered, still staring at the closed compartment door.

“He stopped using the gel.” Maddie huffed, narrowing her eyes at the other girl.

“Finally, Blaise and I have been hiding the jars since first year.” Crookshanks climbed into Theo’s lap and curled up against him.

She hummed before looking to Theo, “I should go find Harry and Ron. Would you…”

“We can keep him so that Ronnie doesn’t blow a fuse.” Maddie smiled.

“I’ll make sure he gets safely into the castle. I’ll even give him a bed fit for a prince.” Theo grinned.

“Did you just split custody of the kneazle?”

“Well, it only makes sense to leave him with his Uncle.” Hermione chuckled, “Though…”

“Not everyone can know.” Theo added seriously, his eyes fixed onto Maddie.

“Only one other person knows.” She raised her hands passively. “Us Snapes know how to keep a secret.”

Hermione huffed a laugh and said goodbye to Crookshanks before slipping out of the compartment as the train continued to hurtle north. The sky had darkened quickly, clouds gray and heavy as if just waiting for the right moment to open. With Hermione gone, the only sounds within the compartment were Crookshankes purring and her flipping through her journal finding the next open page. After a while, once the lanterns within the train had started to flicker on, George and Fred arrived with Ginny and a handful of sweets. They plopped down next to them and greeted the cat as if he were another person.

Chapter Text

Apparently, Ron was a prick and kicked Ginny out of the compartment so he could talk to Harry alone. George and Fred snagged her when she was at the trolley. My guess is that Harry just wanted to talk about Sirius Black, which could have been done in front of any one of us. It’s what the current topic was anyway. Ginny had asked about the article plastered everywhere, which prompted outlandish tales from her brothers. Theo and I added in our own comments, jokingly mind you. We didn’t want to act as devil’s advocates too much and draw attention to ourselves. After all, it did seem like Cissy was trying to keep her involvement with Black under wraps.

Draco still hasn’t shown up from wherever he stomped off to. I really hope everything at the Manor was fine over the summer. His and Cissy’s letters didn’t give anything away. They didn’t ever mention the Manor or Lucy during their many visits to the house. Lyra had asked about me and Theo, hoping we were getting along fine with our lessons without her there. I think she was teasing Sev because Cissy was giggling when she relayed the message.

Fred passed on a rumor that our new Defense professor was on the train with us. A bit odd, but I’m still cautiously optimistic it’ll be a good professor. One of these years, hopefully, we’ll get a decent professor who can stay and isn’t affected by whatever ‘curse’ was placed on the position.

That’s weird…the train is slowing down.

The gray skies had turned black, rain pelting against the fogging windows. Theo stood to look out, but was unable to see anything beyond slight movement in the distance. The lanterns along the train flickered a few more times before they were dropped into complete darkness. A shiver ran through Maddie’s spine as Fred pushed open the compartment door to try to look around. It sounded as if every compartment around them was doing the same, whispers combined with chattering teeth and grunts of frustration as students began to fumble around the dark.

“Mads? Theo?” Draco’s voice came through the open door before Maddie felt someone trip over her legs.

“Damn it.” Blaise’s voice came from the floor.

“Sorry!” Maddie reached out then pulled her hand back quickly when her finger squished into the boy’s eye.

“Well, now I really can’t see.” He grabbed onto her arm just as an angry hiss filled the compartment.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Draco asked, his shoulder slamming into Maddie’s.

“Crookshanks.” Theo answered from near the window. “You sat on him.”

“Shhh, something’s coming.” Fred slid the compartment closed and took his seat back next to George.

The temperature around them dropped drastically, cold wrapping around Maddie’s bones with a death grip. She was positive that if she could see, her breath would be coming out in heavy clouds. Draco convulsed as a nail of ice seemed to run through him causing him to reach out to grab Maddie’s hand out of instinct.

A couple of compartments down, a blue glow lit up the corridor enough for the children to see the outlines of several hooded figures headed their way as they looked out of the compartment door. George’s eyes widened as his heart thudded against his chest.

Each door that was passed, a single figure stopped in front of as the others continued to the next door. Sucking in a quick breath, George pushed back into the compartment, his back pressing against Fred’s arm as he held his sister closer.

It didn’t take long for a hooded figure to approach their door, eclipsing the faint blue glow that was behind it. It ducked into their compartment, taking a shuddering breath as if trying to inhale more than the little warmth left. From under its cloak, a decayed hand reached out. The blueish-gray of its rotting flesh barely hung onto the bones visible beneath as if having been submerged in water for centuries. It took another slow, rattling breath pulling the last bit of light and warmth away from the deepest parts of their bodies. Without warning, Maddie felt her body seize. Her eyes rolled back into her head and it felt as if she had been dropped to the bottom of a freezing lake.

She could see nothing, but a cruel laugh filled her ears. Fading in and out as if underwater before a woman’s scream ripped up from the depths. The feeling of utter despair filled her heart, weighing her down and pulling her back under the frozen surface of the water gripping her. Her chest burned as she tried to gasp for air. Another painful scream ripped her heart apart just before a bright flash of sickly green light took over the darkness for a split moment, like lightning . Then, a bright silver animal circled her sight before being plunged back into deadly darkness.

“Mads! Maddie, they’re gone.” Red hair, freckles, hazel eyes. Fred was holding firmly onto Madeline. She was still shaking but had stopped screaming. As awareness came back to her, George and Fred exchanged looks.

“You alright?”

Madeline coughed to clear her raw throat, before nodding. “Yeah, wha-what happened? It got so cold.”

“Dementors.” Theo said shakily and wiped the frost from the cabin door window. “I’m gonna jump on a limb and say they’re searching for Black.”

Theo and Draco were just coming back to themselves. They hadn’t passed out, but seemed to have drifted very far away. Everyone else looked shaken, not just from the Dementors, but also from Madeline’s severe reaction to them. She’d been pretty honest about her life at the orphanages, but even she couldn’t guess what could have caused her to react so strongly.

“It felt like I was drowning.” She shuddered. “Do they always do that?”

“I think that’s just the panic attack, Mads.” George sits down across from Fred, who just realized he was still on the floor holding Madeline.

“Sorry.” He says, standing up and offering a hand. “It just felt cold and gloomy to me.” The others either nodded or made sounds of agreement.

Madeline took the offered hand and brushed off her skirt. “Thanks.”

Before anyone else could say more, their compartment door slid open again revealing a tall, and rather tired looking man. The lights of the train had turned back on, but it did little to help minimize the dark circles under his eyes. Despite the scars marring the side of his face, Maddie had to admit he looked young and handsome.

“Is everyone alright in here?” His warm eyes flicked between each of the students before settling on Maddie still holding Fred’s hand.

“I think Maddie had the worst of it.” Ginny piped up.

He nodded, his eyes pulling from Maddie, settling on Theo and Draco briefly before pulling out a large bar of chocolate and breaking it apart. “Here.” He handed Maddie two squares first before handing Theo and Draco each two as well. “Eat. This will help.” He handed the rest of the students one square and disappeared into the hall.

It was several moments of heavy silence before everyone took their seats again. Ginny was tucked securely between George and Fred, while Draco and Theo did the same to Maddie. The girls were shivering and shared a look between each other that conveyed the sort of feelings they’d experienced. Maddie could tell instantly that Ginny had thought of being down in the Chamber again so she sent the girl a weak smile while nibbling on the chocolate.

The man came back again to check on them, introducing himself as Professor Lupin. He’d made sure the rest of the Dementors had left the train before checking on the driver. They’d be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes.

“At least it seems we’ve got a competent one this year.” George muttered after Lupin had left. “Chocolate raises your endorphins. Making you feel happy enough to chase away the depression left by Dementors.”

“You’re such a nerd, Georgie.” Fred snorted, handing Ginny a chocolate frog he’d found in their stash of sweets. “Who wants Helga? Ron’s got her already.”

“Me, please.” Maddie held out her hand with a sheepish look on her face. “Got Sal last year and Rowena the year before. I want to collect all the Founders and Headmasters.”

“Dumbledore will be easy to find.” Fred handed her the card, “Ron’s got like twelve of them.”

“Found him first year, too.” Maddie turned the card over to read Helga’s summary. “Not very impressive without his connection to Nicholas Flamel.”

“Dumbledore knows Flamel?” Draco paused in his chewing of the chocolate.

“Yeah, I guess that’s how he got the Philosopher’s Stone into the castle first year.” She shrugged, tucking the card into her pocket. “Harry said Flamel destroyed the Stone, though. So we don’t have to worry about the ghostly, back-of-the-head Tom at least.”

“And diary Tom was taken care of.” Ginny grumbled.

Draco and Theo shared a concerned look but didn’t say anything. The topic of the different Toms was dropped as the train began to slow again, the lanterns on the Hogsmeade platform showing they had arrived.

Filing off the train, Maddie tried to look around for Harry or Hermione but couldn’t seem to pick out her friends anywhere. What did catch her attention were the dozens of adults spaced evenly along the platform. Wands were held tightly in their hands and scowls seemed to be permanent fixtures on their faces, despite the children walking past. Walking past one, she tried to read the crest on their robes, but it was too dark.

“Who are they?” Maddie asked.

“Aurors.” Blaise eyed an older man with a thick scar starting just above his eye and rounding to the back of his head. “Wizard police.” He whispered when he saw her brows furrow.

The Aurors refused to answer any questions as they gestured for the children to keep walking, their eyes locked onto the distance. Maddie chanced a look and saw a cloud of darkness that seemed to be alive. It was only when she focused a bit hard did she realize that the cloud was actually dozens of Dementors. A chill racked down her spine remembering the train.

“Come on.” Draco grabbed Maddie’s arm while Theo rushed past them to the carriage. Crookshanks was tucked tightly into his arms and looked like he didn’t want to go anywhere else at the moment. Just before the carriage door closed, Neville and Blaise jumped in with a weary look back.

“Sorry to jump in.” He mumbled, pulling Trevor from his hat to tuck him in his scarf. “Harry looked peaky when Ron slammed the carriage door shut. I didn’t want to bother them.”

“Was Hermione with them?” Maddie asked.

“Yeah. She didn’t look too good either. Rather pale. But I’m sure Harry had the worst of it. Pretty sure he fainted.”

The others all stilled as they took in Neville’s words. Draco’s grip on Maddie’s hand tightened by a fraction.

“The Dementors got him pretty bad then. How are you holding up?” Blaise asked, nudging him with his elbow.

“I’m okay…” Neville focused on wrapping Trevor up further. “It looks like they will be hanging around…”

“Until they get Black back behind bars, I’d wager.”

Maddie, Draco, and Theo remained silent, simply taking in the conversation of the other two. It seemed to surprise Theo that Neville and Blaise appeared close, but he covered his confusion quickly by focusing on the cat in his lap.

“Professor Lupin was really great, though.” Neville’s voice cut through their drifting thoughts. “He cast this spell that chased the Dementor off. It was this glowing, ghostly wolf. Really cool.”

“What incantation did he use?”

“That’s just it!” Neville perked up, finally tucking the wrapped up Trevor back into his hat. “He cast it silently! Woke up from a dead sleep, had little context, saw the Dementor, and immediately cast the spell.”

“George said the chocolate was a good idea, too.” Maddie tilted her head, trying to hide her snicker when Neville’s hat didn’t sit quite right on his head.

“He must have given everyone chocolate.”

“Either he was expecting something like this to happen—”

“Or our new professor has a wicked sweet tooth.” Theo finished Draco’s musing.

The carriage jolted as they rounded the corner and stopped in front of the gates to Hogwarts. Several carriages had already emptied and began their trek to the stables. The group of five exited their carriage just in time to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione exiting theirs. Crookshanks shifted in Theo’s hold, leaping from his arms and straight into Hermione’s.

“Well, that’s one way to catch their attention.” Blaise chuckled.

Maddie watched something shift in Draco’s eyes before the blonde took off toward Harry with determination.

“Is it true, Potter?” His voice carried, although the haughty tone was tinged faintly with concern. “You really fainted? Tell me Longbottom is exaggerating.”

Harry paused on his way up the steps, his shoulders dropping with a sigh. Before he could make a quick comeback, Ron stepped forward with a scowl.

“Shove off, Malfoy.”

“Someone’s touchy.” Draco smirked, his eyes cutting to Hermione’s annoyed expression quickly, “Just trying to make sure the Hogwarts Golden Boy is feeling up for the feast.”

Hermione rolled her eyes before setting Crookshanks down, then she strutted into the Great Hall without another look back. Draco pursed his lips watching Harry and Ron follow her, schooling his expression only when he saw Theo watching him.

They’d begun following them up the steps when a sharp voice caught their attention. “Potter, Granger, Snape! I want to see you three.”

“I didn’t do it, Professor.” Harry and Maddie said quickly.

“Do what?” McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the group of children that had stopped at her yell.

“Whatever it is you're upset about?” Maddie replied sheepishly, stumbling when the older woman’s stern gaze turned fully on her.

“As it happens, I’m not upset about anything that might have happened because of you. Follow me.”

“Good luck.” Draco whispered, as the rest of their friends parted ways.

Maddie stifled a groan, trudging behind Harry and Hermione into McGonagall’s office. She paused to spin around once inside. For such a stoic and no nonsense professor, her office was warm and inviting. There was a fireplace, like in Severus’ office, but it seemed to be the centerpiece rather than a general furnishing. A fire roared to life, illuminating the room and causing all the gold accents to sparkle. Hanging above the mantel, surrounded by accolades and smaller portraits, was a large portrait of Godric Gryffindor. It was in the same style as Salazar’s in the Slytherin common room, only gilded in gold lions and warm red tones.

McGonagall took a seat in the comfiest high back chair Maddie had ever seen. “Good evening, Godric.” She said casually, receiving a hum and nod in reply.

The Founder cast a gaze around the three children, taking a keen interest in the lone Slytherin among them. Maddie pursed her lips and met his gaze as if refusing to balk at the unspoken challenge. He raised a brow and huffed in amusement, but settled into his chair without a word. The door opened quickly, revealing a slightly out of breath Severus. He appeared to be in the process of putting on his mask, but was struggling against the fury fighting its way forward.

“I was just about to send for you, Severus.” McGonagall said coolly.

“Dementors on the train?” He seethed, his eyes locked onto McGonagall. “There would be absolutely no way for Black to be on the train.”

“I am perfectly aware of that, Severus.” She sighed, gesturing for everyone to take a seat. “Remus already took care of them, according to his letter.”

“At least we’ll have some competence from the Defense teacher this year.” Severus clenched his jaw, coming to stand behind the chair Maddie had chosen.

“So he is the new Defense professor?” Hermione asked with interest. “What was that spell he cast? It chased the Dementor away. Glowed brilliantly. He cast it silently, so I couldn’t hear the incantation.”

“That would be the Patronus Charm, Ms. Granger.” McGonagall answered, steepling her fingers together. She pressed the girl with a hard look. “Too advanced for third years to be learning, I should add.”

Hermione had the decency to look sheepish as her eyes dropped to her lap. Harry rolled his eyes, knowing it to be an act and that his friend would be squirreled away in the library researching the spell. McGonagall seemed satisfied with her silence at least, and turned to Severus.

“I assume you encountered Poppy and informed her not to join you.” She sighed at his blank stare. “Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape were greatly affected. Should they be on bedrest? Is there anything we need to watch them for?”

“They will be tired, but chocolate and a good night’s sleep is all they need.” Maddie swore she could hear the wood creaking with how tightly Severus had gripped the back of her chair.

Nodding, she passed Maddie and Harry another large chunk of chocolate before dismissing them. Hermione, however, was instructed to stay behind. Severus rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder and squeezed gently before turning to Maddie. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes before releasing a sigh of relief.

“Come see me after the feast.” He said, turning his attention to McGonagall once again.

Once the door was closed tightly behind Maddie, Severus moved to stand next to McGonagall’s desk and waited for her to carry on with why Hermione had been called. If Hermione didn’t know any better, she’d think her Head of House was about to roll her eyes at his actions. Instead, she cleared her throat and pulled an envelope and parcel from inside her desk.

“I’ve called you here to discuss your class schedule, Ms. Granger.” She spoke evenly. “You selected every elective available on the form last term.”

“I didn’t want to limit myself.”

“So you’ve mentioned.” The woman’s lips formed a thin line.

“Have you taken time to think of what that will entail?” Severus’ dark eyes roved over the girl.

“I’m aware that it will give me much more homework than I am use to, require longer time to practice and read—”

“Time that you must barter for.” He watched as the girl lifted her chin. “Are you prepared to pay the price?”

“Ms. Granger.” McGonagall cut off the girl before she could reply. “This sort of…bartering takes a toll on the body and mind. Much more than simply adding a class or two to your schedule.”

“I understand.” She nodded, making the portrait scoff. She looked up to find the man watching her intently.

“Ms. Granger,” Severus began before looking at McGonagall. When the woman nodded he continued, “Can you tell me why you find it necessary to take Muggle Studies as well as Divination and Arithmancy?”

“I want to learn about Muggles the way those raised with magic will—”

“Are you planning on correcting the professor on any inaccuracies being taught?” McGonagall raised a brow at the pinched expression Hermione displayed. “I think you will find the class inadequate, Ms. Granger.”

“Even so.” She fought to cross her arms over her chest, settling for clasping her hands in her lap. “As for Divination and Arithmancy, one should have a basic understanding of the different lessons being taught.”

“I can give you a very quick and accurate summary of Divination.” Severus raised a brow but held off saying more at McGonagall’s glare.

“I would like to see for myself if this…Sight I’ve read about has any basis. I realize not everyone has the inclination.”

“I think you’ll find the pattern recognition and probabilities of Arithmancy more in line with your mentality.”

“With all due respect, Professors, are you telling me I have to drop three classes even after I was given permission by Professor Dumbledore to take them all?”

Both professors clenched their jaws and didn’t respond immediately. Eventually, McGonagall released a deep breath and slid the parcel across the desk. “There are strict rules for you to follow while using this.

“One: You can not be seen by your other self. Two: You are not to try to go further than six hours back at a time.”

“Third: You will take time to rest and eat. Especially on the days you must travel back multiple times.” Severus interrupted, his jaw clenching tightly.

“And, I hope I do not need to expand on this further, but you are not to use this as a way of cheating or helping others on their assignments.”

“I would never—”

“This, Ms. Granger, is a Time Turner. There are very specific instructions here on how to use it. ” McGonagall cut in sharply as the girl attempted to protest the thought of her cheating. She held up an intricate golden pendant, an hourglass suspended between three alternating dials. “Lastly, you are not to tell anyone you are using this.”

“What if they figure it out?” Hermione asked Severus, knowing her Slytherin friends were far more perceptive than others.

“Hope they don’t.” He answered.

“I promise I will follow your rules.” She nodded solemnly, waiting to take the parcel.

McGonagal had several more instructions on how to use the device. “You must be extremely careful when using this and do not break the glass.”

Godric had left his portrait by the time they made their way down to the feast. McGonagall broke off to greet the first years. The Houses had shifted again, resulting in the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables directly in the middle. Severus raised a brow as he passed the group of third years. Draco and Ron seemed happy berating each other while Harry and Maddie fought back their laughter. Hermoine was quickly enveloped in her House with smiles and questions she refused to answer.

Maddie did catch his attention, only to point excitedly to the Head Table. Not only was Remus seated there, but a proudly smiling Lyra. Severus didn’t bother suppressing the groan as he took his usual seat. Thankfully, Lyra had placed herself between him and Remus. McGonagall’s empty chair sat on his other side.

“Good evening again, Severus.” Remus greeted with a smirk.

“Rosier. Lupin.”

“So cold.” Lyra feigned a pout. “Can’t even use our first names? I thought we were closer than that.”

“It must be exhausting to be wrong so often.” Severus took a sip, keeping his eyes locked on Lyra.

“I’m going to tell Cissy.” Lyra scowled, her face morphing into an actual pout while Remus choked on a laugh.

Severus’s eyes narrowed, “You’re going to tell on me? Are you six?”

“If I have to resort to childish tactics to get my way, then so be it.”

“Lyra—” Remus cleared his throat in an attempt to control his laughter. “Behave yourself, woman.”

“You’re insufferable.” Severus turned pointedly away from them as the first years filed into the hall.

“It’s like staring at a ghost.” Lyra whispered, more to herself, after the first few students were sorted. Her eyes had barely strayed from Harry when he’d turned to face the Sorting Ceremony.

Before Severus or Remus could comment on her observation, McGonagall took her seat and Dumbledore stood. His silver beard fell down the front of his purple robes, almost shimmering in the warm light of the candles. His bright blue eyes twinkled as much as ever behind his half moon glasses, despite the notable increase of deep set wrinkles around them. Severus knew that the man was often revered for his many accomplishments in his long life. He was said to be one of the greatest in the last century, making most feel almost obligated to trust the man. And, for those with a distant view, Severus could fully understand why. However, he did not have the benefit of distance.

“Welcome!” Dumbledore smiled. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I have many announcements, but let us first get the most serious out of the way…” He paused and looked around. His smile did not agree with the serious tone he had started to use. The combination sent a shard of ice down Severus’ back he hadn’t felt in a long time. “As I’m sure you are all aware by now, our school is playing host to some Dementors of Azkaban. They have been sent here on behalf of the Ministry and will remain until they are deemed unnecessary.”

He paused there, an almost feral smile curling the corners of his mouth from where Severus was sitting. He chanced a subtle glance to Lyra and Remus and could tell instantly they felt as uneasy as he.

“They will be stationed at every entrance of the grounds, so it should go without saying that no one is to leave school without expressed permission. Dementors will not be fooled by tricks or disguises. Even invisibility cloaks will do no good.” Dumbledore looked toward the Gryffindor table.

Maddie could almost hear the click of Severus’ jaw as he clenched it tightly. With the shift of Dumbledore’s gaze she noticed even Lyra, and to her surprise Professor Lupin, appeared uncomfortable. Exchanging looks with Draco and Theo, Maddie turned slightly to look at Harry. He was sitting as still as a stone, his eyes locked onto their Headmaster without blinking.

“Dementors do not care for excuses or pleas of forgiveness. They need hardly more than suspicion to follow their instinct. With that in mind, I warn you not to give them any reason to harm you.” His eyes crinkled further as his smile widened.

“On a different note, let us give welcome to several new professors. First, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin.” He led the Hall in a round of applause as the man raised a hand.

“Next, I regret to announce that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of the Magical Creatures teacher, has opted to accept retirement. In his stead, help me welcome our very own Rubeus Hagrid. He has agreed to take the position in addition to his gamekeeping duties.” Dumbledore clapped a few times as the Hall erupted in excitement.

“Who else would assign a book that could attack us?” Blaise laughed, clapping along with the rest of the hall.

“Finally, we have an additional supply teacher for the year, Professor Lyra Rosier.” Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to dull as he gestured toward the woman.

She had allowed her hair to be down for the feast, the almost white ends a stark contrast to the black roots atop her head. Though, the roots matched her robes perfectly. The silver buckles keeping her top robe closed appeared to actually be skulls with glistening onyx within the eyes sockets of each one. Dark makeup outlined her pale blue eyes and was painted on her lips. Severus looked almost tan next to her pale skin.

“She looks dead.” Crabbe sneered.

“Watch your tone, Crabbe.” Draco turned on the boy. “She’d likely have you in a grave faster than you’d even be able to think of how to spell the word.”

“She was brutal with her Transfiguration lessons.” Maddie sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Makes McGonagall look like a joke.” Theo nodded, his eyes still locked on their Headmaster.

“Let’s eat!” Dumbledore called, waving his hands as the tables became filled with food and drink.

Chapter Text

Sev ended up fussing over me as soon as I entered his office. I told him probably five times that I was okay. I don’t think it helped when Sal stepped into the small portrait frame and started checking on me as well. Apparently, Godric is a snitching gossip so Salazar had to hear all about the conversation in McGonagall’s office from his dramatic point of view.

Lyra popped in to check on me and wish us good night. Had to promise Sev she’d keep an eye on Harry and I all throughout the day to make sure we didn’t have any lasting effects. She’ll have free time when not covering classes or study halls.

The Slytherin upper years are already fawning over her looks. Honestly, it’s like they’ve never seen a pretty woman before. Adrian laughed when I grumbled a little too loudly. He said she had the ‘Untouchable Gothic Queen Vibe’ that drew in all the drooling sods. Just wait until she’s covering for McGonagall or Lupin. Transfiguration must have been her best subject in school and she’s just as wicked with her Defense lessons.

In any case, Divination first thing in the morning should be interesting. Let’s see if I last the week before switching to Ancient Runes with Theo.

“How are we meant to get up there?” Harry asked, looking up to a circular trap door.

Sybill Trelawney, Divination Professor was etched into a brass plaque, golden studs were hammered into each corner.

“Why don’t you ask that knight of yours, Ronnikins?” Maddie smirked watching as the boy was still out of breath from chasing the portrait up the stairs.

He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn’t say anything. A few moments later, Neville squeaked in surprise when the trap door opened and a rope ladder coated in silver paint descended.

“After you, Pottah.” Draco’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he gestured for Harry to go first.

“You’re a pain.” Harry shook his head but began to climb regardless.

The rest of the class followed quickly, finding themselves in the most peculiar classroom to date since being at Hogwarts. If Maddie were honest with herself, she thought it looked more like the attic of someone well past their prime. All around were strangely shaped cushions positioned around sporadically spaced round tables. The few windows around the tower had been covered with pink or purple shawls. Candles or lanterns were lit within darkly tinted glass throughout the space, giving off a dim glow. The further Maddie shuffled into the room, the warmer she became. With no circulating air, the multitudes of incense Trelawny had lit were making it difficult to breathe. Along the circular walls opposite of the crammed tables were rows and rows of open shelves housing the most unique arrangement of artifacts. At a quick glance, Maddie could make out large dust covered feathers, poorly painted tea cups, stubs of used candles and foggy crystal balls.

Daphne stopped at Maddie's elbow, taking her time to observe everything while Ron asked where the professor actually was. As if purposefully waiting for someone to ask, a soft voice seemed to float in on the unsettled dust.

“Welcome. How nice it is to see you in the physical world at last.”

Maddie did a poor job at hiding her scoff. Looking around, she noticed Hermione for the first time right when the girl rolled her own eyes.

Draco pulled on Maddie and Daphne’s arms as someone emerged from the shadows opposite of them. As she moved into the light of the fire that had roared to life, Maddie frowned. The woman was extremely thin, but her glasses made her eyes look like a giant insect. Her shoulders held the same kind of shawls as the windows. Each of her movements were accented with the jingle of beads and chains that hung around her frail looking neck.

“Sit, children.” She gestured around her. It seemed that she exaggerated her movement simply to hear the noise. “My name is Professor Trelawney. You likely have not seen me before. I find descending to the main part of the castle disrupts the clarity of my Inner Eye.”

Draco snorted as he sat on a poof at the table next to Maddie’s. Crabbe and Goyle were quick to take the other seats while Daphne and Blaise joined Maddie at her own table. Hermione plopped onto the cushion directly in front of Maddie’s table with Harry and Ron on either side. Looking around, she noticed Neville was not far away trying to position himself on his own poof with fellow Gryffindors Finnigan and Thomas. The Gryffindor Patil twin was there, seated next to the blonde girl that seemed attached to Patil’s hip. Maddie curled her lip listening to Trelwaney telling the girl that something terrible was going to happen in October.

“Is she serious?” Maddie whispered to Blaise.

“I think she thinks she is.” He leaned away as the woman swept by Neville.

“You boy.” She stopped and pointed to Neville. “Is your grandmother well?”

“I–I think so.” Neville looked around.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She continued on as if she hadn’t just terrified Neville, discussing the different areas they would be discussing throughout the year. Something about tea leaves then crystal balls and Maddie was almost positive the women said something about palmistry.

“If that lune could see, she’d be able to tell that his Gran is going to outlive all of us out of pure spite.” Blaise leaned onto the table with crossed arms.

“I already regret this.”

“Oh, you dear,” Trelawney pointed to Patil, “Beware of the red-headed man.” She continued talking in her low, misty voice as she walked away from Maddie making it difficult for her to hear what the woman was saying. She noticed Patil glaring at an oblivious Ron as he scrunched his nose trying to listen.

Soon, she instructed everyone to pair up and grab a tea cup. She followed it up quickly by telling Neville to grab a blue cup as she was fond of the pink ones. Of course, that made Neville so nervous almost as soon as he held the first pink cup, it came tumbling out of his hands. He didn’t have to be reminded to grab a blue one next then stalked to his table after getting it filled.

Taking the first sip, Maddie did everything in her power not to spit out the tea. It tasted like warmed salt water mixed with rotten mandrake leaves. She saw Draco sniff the cup first before he curled his lip and set it down without even a sip.

“This is disgusting.” Daphne gagged.

“Right, now once you’ve gotten down to the last bits, swirl it around three times with your left hand. Then turn it upside down on your saucer. Once all the tea is drained, hand the cup to your partner to read. Use pages five and six in Unfogging the Future to interpret the images.”

Deciding to just get it over with, Maddie chugged the tea and practically slammed her cup onto her saucer as Draco moved over to be her partner. Blaise and Daphne shifted in their seats to face each other.

“You got a bird…I think…” Daphne paused, twisting Blaise’s cup around, “flying over a house? And I believe that’s a cross shape inside.” She set down the cup to look over the book for the fourth time. “So you’ve got good news and change coming, but be on the lookout for trials not making the change easy.”

“Cool. Yours sucks too.” Blaise scoffed. “A cat wrapped around a snake and a kite flying. There’s going to be a deceitful friend turned enemy, but all your wishes will come true.” He followed up the fortune with a dramatic waggle of his fingers in the air.

“Theirs sounds fun.” Draco grumbled. “You’ve got the grim or a really lumpy mountain, Maddie. So death or a long journey.”

“Eh, I die every year. That’s not new.” She shrugged with a grin plastered on her face. She twirled Draco’s cup in its saucer. “Where have you decided to take me on this long journey?”

“I’ve got a timeshare in Hell. How does that sound?”

“Bloody toasty. Remind me to grab the lotion.”

“What do my leaves say, oh Sightful One.” He sneered playfully, earning a dull glare from Maddie.

“I do not—ugh, whatever. A snake…maybe, this kinda looks like a club. And that’s a happy little sun.” She scoffed. “Either you’ll defeat an enemy or the enemy will attack you, but you’ll be happier at the end of it.”

“I can think of someone…” Draco muttered.

“The falcon—oh, so you have a deadly enemy.” Ron chuckled, his voice carrying as he peered into the cup Harry had given him.

Hermione pursed her lips, “Everyone knows that, Ronald.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this angry.” Daphne whispered looking at Hermione.

“You haven’t seen her try to explain anything to Weasley.” Draco muttered back.

Ron chose to ignore Hermione’s angry whisper and continued reading Harry’s tea leaves. “Oh this is a…an acorn. So, you’ll get a windfall of money. That’s great, maybe we can split it.”

Maddie stepped on Draco’s foot to keep him from making a comment and continued to listen to what Ron was forecasting for Harry.

“There’s a thin—is that a hippo? No! It’s a bowler hat! What’s that mean?” He asked and started to look through the book, “Oh, not a hippo, a cross and sun. Oh! So, you’re going to suffer…but you’ll be happy about it?”

“He’ll know it’s you in an instant.”

“Arwynn, I know. But I can handle whatever sort of torture they’ll throw at me.” His long, dark hair was pulled back into a low bun. Gray eyes pleaded with me. Whether for another option, or to just go along with it, I wasn’t sure.

“You’ll suffer so much. I don’t think—”

“I’ll happily do it for them. For Harry.”

“We can find someone else.” I had to close my eyes, get some semblance of balance. He was too expressive. “What about—”

“He can’t handle torture. Even he’s admitted that. I’m far better at Occlumency.” He gave a sly grin, “Besides, I’ve got practice with the Cruciatus Curse. You’ve heard of my mother after all.”

“That doesn’t help your case.”

“You Americans and your bleeding hearts.”

“You Gryffindors are just as bad.” Her eyes blinked open to find she was staring directly at Blaise. He, Draco, and Daphne were all looking at her with concern.

Draco’s hand continued to press into her back between her shoulder blades while Trewlaney began to gasp. Despite the dramatics of their professor, Draco’s full attention was on Maddie as she tried to focus.

“As bad as what?” He asked Maddie, trying to draw out what she saw.

“Bleeding hearts…”

“Who has a bleeding heart?” Draco urged, making sure to keep his voice low. “Maddie, who?”

“A man…there was a man…I—I don’t think it’s…the past, maybe?” She squeezed her eyes closed.

“Did you recognize him?” Blaise leaned forward, placing a steady hand on Maddie’s knee.

“No.” She shook her head and took a breath. “He’s—torture. He could withstand torture. But not someone else. She didn’t want that, though. There had to be another way.”

“She who? Another way?”

“I don’t—I’ve heard her before…” She gulped in a breath and pressed a hand to her forehead. “It’s gone.”

“I don’t think it looks like the Grim at all.” Hermione’s voice pulled the Slytherins out of their bubble.

“You’ll forgive me for saying so, dear,” Trelawney grabbed Hermione's hand, “but you have very little aura around you. It’s no wonder you will have very little receptivity to the resonances of the future.”

Hermione yanked her hand away from the woman and set a stone cold look on her face. “You’ll forgive me, then, when I say, I know you’re trying to capitalize on our vague knowledge of the subject. It’s very obvious that Harry is having to worry about death in his future. Voldemort has clearly already tried to come after him three times. Also, I think it’s rather unbecoming of a professor to make someone so nervous that they break a cup.” She raised her brows waiting for Trelawney to answer, but when she was met with silence, a small smirk played across her face as she lifted her chin.

“It looks like a Grim if you do this,” Finnigan said, tilting his head from side to side with narrowed eyes while looking at Harry’s cup.

“If we’ve all finished discussing if I’m going to die or not—” Harry called out, his hand gripping Hermione’s under the table where only those behind him would be able to see.

“Yes—I think we will leave the lesson here for today.” Professor Trelawney said in her airy voice. “Pack away your things, your homework for the week is to start a dream journal.”

Hermione huffed softly, slinging her bag over her shoulder and disappearing from sight without a second look back to the classroom.

“Did anyone have money on Granger losing her shit this early in the year?” Blaise asked when they had made it into the comfort of the main castle.

“No, she’s usually got more composure for teachers. But I’m doubling down on my bet for Maddie.” Draco received a scowl and a punch from Maddie for his comment.

“I think you’re all full of shite.” She stomped ahead of him before whipping back around. Her waves bounced around her face, a deep set frown on her lips. “Also, I don’t have dreams. How am I supposed to write a dream journal?”

“You don’t dream?” Blaise spun around to give Daphne a puzzled look. “Is she dead to the world when she sleeps?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. She falls asleep after us and wakes up before us.” She paused as a group of first years scurried by as they started their walk across the grounds. “This crazy bird even woke up before Tracey’s alarm would go off.”

“It’s an honest to Godric shame she left.”

“Yeah, but I understand her parents being worried with everything going on.”

“I hope she has a good time at Beauxbatons.”

“I hope she speaks French.” Draco chuckled, “They don’t teach in English.”

“Her mum’s French.” Daphne assured him. “She only came to Hogwarts because her mum met her dad here.”

“Hello third years, welcome back to Greenhouse Three.” Professor Sprout greeted cheerily, although there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. “For those of you esc—returning from Divintation…who is dying?”

“Seems like it’s going to be Potter this year.” Blaise spoke up.

“Ah, yes, lovely. I was expecting our Ms. Snape since the name is notable. Mr. Potter would do. Seems like a good guess to gamble on.”

“She didn’t get a chance to make it to my table.” Maddie grinned.

“Such a shame.” Professor Sprout tutted with a sympathetic pout. She then clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. “I hope you all took the time to review the text over summer break. We’re going to be revisiting last term’s lessons for today before jumping straight into the soil next week!”

Herbology went smoothly and the fresh air helped to clear out the overpowering incense clinging to their robes. Lunch was exhausting for Maddie, who had to listen to Ron bicker with Hermione about Divination. Though, all of the Slytherins within range had to agree with Hermione. Pretending to see death omens seemed a little much to portray they were good at Divination.

Thankfully, the rain had agreed to stay away during lunch giving a comfortable walk down to Hagrid’s hut for Care of the Magical Creatures. Draco and Theo followed closely behind Maddie as she tried to control her pace down the steep hill. Just ahead of them it was obvious that Hermione and Ron were arguing, forcing Harry to walk between them to keep the peace.

“How long do you think it’ll take for her to be fed up with his shite?” Blaise asked, slinging an arm over Draco and Theo’s shoulders.

“It’s already too long. It’s bloody annoying listening to the two of them.” Draco shrugged off Blaise’s arm and stormed forward.

Maddie watched as he playfully nudged Harry’s shoulder. Walking past, he made a show of looking Hermione over before scoffing and catching up to Crabbe and Goyle.

“Yes…they are the annoying ones.” Theo rolled his eyes.

“They are all ridiculous.” Maddie shook her head.

They managed to catch up to Draco just as Hagrid called all of their attention. He was wearing a moleskin coat with ferrets hanging around his neck. Fang sat on his haunches drooling excitedly. As soon as the dog caught sight of Draco and Maddie, however, he tried to go to them. Hagrid caught his collar though and kept him close.

“Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!”

Hagrid began leading the group of students around his hut. There was a moment where Draco looked over his shoulder and gave Maddie a worried look, just before Hagrid veered the other direction toward a low stone paddock.

“What’s with the look?” Theo whispered as the class began to gather around them.

“Every time we’ve been in the forest it’s been…bad.” Maddie shivered at the thought of the dead unicorn and Acromantula. “The last time, Hagrid told us to go talk to ‘spiders’ if we wanted answers about the Basilisk.”

Theo remembered Draco mentioning giant spiders in the woods, but before he could ask more Hagrid spun around to face the class.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it -- make sure yeh can see -- now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books --"

The few who knew the trick did so while the rest of the class looked on in baffled silence.

“That’s how you open the bloody things?” Finnigan asked, setting his belted-closed book on the wall.

“Not—not everyone has bin able ter open yer books?” Hagrid looked around as most of the students shook their heads. He took Neville’s book and ripped the Spellotape from it. Before it could snap at him, he dragged a finger through the spine. “You stroke the spine like tha’ and it’ll fall righ’ open.”

“I bet the shopkeep at Flourish would’ve paid to know that.” Crabbe grumbled as his book finally fell open.

“I—I thought they were funny.” Hagrid handed Neville his book back and moved on to help another student. His shoulders sagged as several students grumbled or sighed at their books.

Before Crabbe could utter another comment, Greg accidentally stepped on his foot when his book nearly flew out of his hands.

“Lucius is not going to be happy when he hears about Hagrid teaching.” Draco whispered, watching most of the Gryffindors having to undo belts, ties, or tape from their books.

“Don’t tell him then, Malfoy.” Ron sneered.

“You’re real witty with that one there, Weaslebee.”

“Shut up, Malfoy.” Harry quipped, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Righ’ then.” said Hagrid, clapping together his hands and looking around the class. To Maddie it seemed as if he were trying to get his mind back on track. "So— so yeh've got yer books an' -- an' —now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

A few moments later, Lavender Brown —Maddie had figured out her name during Divination —squealed in excitement as Hagrid brought a herd of creatures around a coupling of trees.

“What the bloody hell are those?” Blaise asked in awe.

Maddie shrugged, but found herself moving forward regardless. The animals were far more bizarre than any she had ever seen before. There were at least a dozen of them, all sporting different colors and markings. As they came closer, she could begin to make out more details, like the fact they had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses —similar to the centaurs she’s met. That wasn’t what caught her as odd, though. It was the fact that their heads, front legs and wings resembled giant eagles. What really sent a shiver of discomfort down her spine, however, were the large steel-colored beaks and brilliantly colored eyes. Despite the coloring of the creature’s feathers…fur…they each possessed a pair of cruel, orange eyes.

Sharp, deadly looking talons attached to their front legs scraped the ground. Almost as if getting uneasy with the fact they each had thick leather collars around their necks attached to heavy chains resting in Hagrid’s hands.

"Gee up, there!" He shook the chains, trying to urge the creatures toward the class. As soon as the creatures began to move, Maddie all but ran behind Blaise not wanting to get anywhere near them. It seemed like the rest of the class had a very similar thought process. As if one, everyone took several steps back from the fence.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid called happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

Peeking around Blaise’s shoulder, and through the space between Theo and Draco, she tried to understand what the man was talking about. However, all she could seem to focus on was the half that was an angry giant eagle being chained to the ground. None of them seemed happy to be carrolled into a pen , much less being a sideshow for a group of thirteen year olds.

"So," started Hagrid, beaming around the group, "any of yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer?"

“No thanks.” Maddie muttered.

“Yeah…that’s going to be a no for me too.” Blaise nodded, taking another step back to put them both at the very back of the class.

Harry, however, decided to leave Hermione’s side and walk cautiously up to the fence. It was hard to tell, but it seemed as if that put a giant smile on Hagrid’s face giving him the encouragement to continue talking.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Ahead, Crabbe was whispering in undertones to Goyle before he pointed toward Harry. Maddie rolled her eyes watching as Draco shook his head while taking a step back and moving to Goyle’s other side. Hagrid continued talking, but Maddie wasn’t able to pay attention at all because the reddish Hippogriff just behind the one Hagrid was petting had started walking closer to the side of the pen she was on. Another shiver of unease spilled down her spine as she physically moved Blaise to remain between her and the creature.

“—’cause those talons hurt.” Hagrid gave a slight chuckle before asking, “Right—who wants ter go first then?”

When the entirety of the class took another step back, Hagrid’s shoulders seemed to fall until Harry volunteered. Despite the fact every single one of the creatures seemed to be upset, Harry must have felt obligated to help Hagrid out in his first class. Even with Lavender and the Gryffindor Patil squealing about his tea leaves. In fact, if Maddie didn’t know any better, she’d say it was because of their reminder he seemed more determined to make a show out of going toward the hippogriff.

"Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then -- let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

Undoing one of the chains, Hagrid pulled forward one of the larger Hippogriffs. Its gray feathers ruffled as the man shuffled it forward, angry orange eyes piercing into Harry’s as it took its time walking forward. It seemed Buckbeak was just as frustrated with the whole ordeal as Harry was uncertain. With the attention on Buckbeak, the rest of the pack shuffled away toward the back of the pen . From the corner of her eye as she focused on Harry, Maddie saw Draco’s shoulders tense. Everyone around them seemed to be holding their breath as Harry reluctantly moved forward.

“Easy now,” Hagrid whispered, “Yeh’ve got to keep eye contact, try not ter blink…Hippogriffs don’ trust yeh if yeh blink too much…”

“Seriously?” Blaise whispered, his arm reaching back to pull Maddie closer to him, “What kind of thing doesn’t like blinking?”

Maddie kept her eyes on an unmoving Harry, but just off to the side behind everyone but her and Blaise, she saw Hermione taking several more steps back out of nervousness. Ron didn’t seem to notice her absence while tapping his foot impatiently. Harry bowed slowly, trying to keep eye contact, but it seemed it didn’t really matter. The creature turned its head sharply, its fierce orange eye locked onto even the smallest movement as it clawed the ground.

Without any warning, the Hippogriff rushed forward making everyone in the clearing gasp. Harry backed up quickly, but didn’t come out of his bow while Hermione’s hand reached out to clutch onto Draco’s wrist without hesitation. Hagrid was saying something, trying to comfort either the beast or Harry she wasn’t sure because all she could focus on was Draco’s full attention on Hermione’s hand holding him.

Before she could think on it further, however, Hagrid began to clap. It pulled her attention to the fact that Buckbeak was bowing to Harry. Harry stiffened when Hagrid said it was safe to touch the creature, but he moved forward anyway with a cautiously raised hand and began to gently pat its head.

Most of the class began to applaud, even Lavender and Patil. Maddie really needed to get their names straight. Hermione’s hand hadn’t released Draco, who still had his attention fixed to the point of contact. Maddie couldn’t hold back the snort of laughter at his bewilderment.

“I know.” Blaise whispered back to her, making sure he spoke low enough that Draco wouldn’t hear him. “I was expecting another showy way to blow her off.”

“It’s like she’s the angler fish and he can’t help but be drawn into the light.”

“I like that analogy.” He rolled in his lips as Hermione moved closer to him. “His ears are so pink.”

Hagrid had just picked up Harry and placed him atop Buckbeak. Harry’s face had gone pale and he attempted not to pull at the feathers too tightly. With a smack on the rump, Buckbeak took off into the air. At the startled noise leaving Harry, Maddie sucked in a sharp breath and attempted to focus on Draco in front of her instead of Harry peeling into the sky.

Draco’s ears and the back of his neck became even more pink as she had turned to bury her head into his shoulder. He stood stock still with Hermione pressed close to him in her worry. Ron and Neville had climbed on the wall to try and track Harry in the air, while the rest of the class split their attention doing the same thing and attempting to focus on Hagrid’s excited explanation of Hippogriff behavior. Even Theo’s focus was on where Harry had disappeared.

“I bet they start dating in fifth year.” Blaise muttered confidently.

“Not with Lucy in the picture.” Maddie mumbled, a frown forming as she watched Draco’s free hand start to reach for Hermione before curling into a fist and diving into his pocket.

Hermione uncurled herself from Draco’s shoulder, but still held onto his hand while Hagrid spoke on and fed the remaining Hippogriffs. Finnigan, Thomas, and Ron began hollering excitedly when Harry and Buckbeak came back into view. Hermione practically tore herself from Draco’s side, while his arm hung in the air for several moments before dropping back to his side. She moved to stand next to Ron in order to get a better view of Harry as Hagrid helped him off Buckbeak’s back.

“Good work, Harry!” Hagrid clapped excitedly before turning to the rest of the class. “Okay, who else wants to go?”

Slowly, everyone began hopping the wall and paired off to greet the Hippogriffs. Harry hung back, on the outside of the wall, watching everyone. Maddie and Blaise came to stand on either side of him with wary expressions, refusing to join in.

“Not joining in on the fun?”

“You’re insane.”

“I don’t have a death wish.”

Harry huffed, watching Hermione timidly bow to one of the brown Hippogriffs. Meanwhile, Draco paused in his advancement toward Buckbeak and looked back to Maddie. He raised his brows slightly in question. Maddie pinched her brows and shook her head subtly. With a sigh, Draco turned back toward Buckbeak and squared his shoulders. Goyle moved out of the way and waited while Draco slowly bowed to the creature.

Buckbeak returned the bow within moments and allowed Draco to step close and pet his feathers and beak. After a few pats, Draco stepped back to allow Greg to try. Following Draco’s lead, Greg bowed and after a few moments Buckbeak returned it. While Greg was petting the Hippogriff however, Crabbe said something. The creature heard and, true to Hagrid’s warning, got very much offended. In retaliation, Buckbeak reared up and began to slash toward the boy. Thinking much quicker than Maddie believed possible for him, Crabbe ducked out of the way leaving Hermione’s back exposed to the vicious talons.

Maddie called out to try to get Hermione’s attention with Harry, but it was Draco that kept Hermione from being slashed. Stepping between Buckbeak and Hermione, he had thrown his arms up, so instead of the claws tearing into Hermione’s back, they sliced into his left arm knocking him back. Slamming into Hermione, she stumbled forward before turning around to berate someone, only to find Draco laying on the ground in a quickly growing pool of blood.

There was a high pitched scream from somewhere toward the back of the paddock while Hagrid came rushing forward. Hermione’s hands were covering her face, her eyes locked onto his arm while everyone else crowded around.

“He’s dying!” Someone yelled. “It’s killed him!”

Maddie looked around to find Lavender gripping at Patil’s arm, her mouth agape.

“He’s not dyin’.” Hagrid grumbled. “Malfoy, can yeh talk to me?”

“I’m fine,” he tried to stand, but it was clear that the amount of blood he had already lost was starting to affect his balance. “Just a—” He fell back and Hermione helped stabilize him.

“He’s got to go to the Hospital Wing.” She said to Hagrid.

“Yeah, I’ll take him.” Hagrid said, “Class dismissed for the day. Go on yeh lot.”

Harry held the gate open as Hagrid helped Draco up and began to take him toward the castle.

As the rest of the class followed at a walk, mutters began. Among the whispers were questions whether Draco would actually die, if Hagrid was going to be fired, and what Dumbledore might do. At the last one, Theo scoffed but didn’t say a word as he wrapped an arm around his stomach.

Once within the courtyard, students began to peel off in different directions. Maddie tried to catch Hermione, but the girl seemed to have disappeared. With a pout she turned back to Blaise and Harry as Theo also seemed to disappear.

“I don’t understand.” Harry plopped down onto the stone bench. He watched Ron and Finnigan toss a Quaffle back and forth keeping it away from Thomas while laughing. “I didn’t think he liked Crabbe that much…”

“He…” Maddie frowned, shooting Blaise a look before looking back at Harry. “You didn’t see Hermione there?”

“Hermione?” Looking toward Blaise he frowned, “No, all I saw was Crabbe. Then Malfoy.”

Looking back toward Blaise, Maddie’s mouth fell open. “Do we need to take you for a pair of glasses again?”

“What? No. I can see—” He paused and looked at the small space between him and Blaise on the bench and straightened. “I’ve gotta go.” He shoved off the bench and shoved Ron as he moved into the castle.

“Did he forget I was here?” Blaise asked.

“Seems so.” Maddie snorted and began rubbing at her arm absent-mindedly. “I hope Draco’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. You’ve seen the crap Potter’s had to go to Pomfrey for. Not to mention you.”

“Tosser.”

He winked, “So, who do you think has better eyes? Me, Potter, or Draco?”

Maddie tilted her head to the side and thought for several moments before answering. “Honestly? Harry’s are such a pretty green. Draco’s are just…gray. But yours are like seafoam-y blue and look so nice with your skin tone.”

“Brilliant.” He grinned and strutted off like an eccentric peacock.

“Don’t let it go to your head, Zabini!” She called after him before deciding it was time to look for Theo.