Reunited
SHE WOULD TAKE ME DOWN with her anyways. I was only waiting for it to happen. Her leaving me. No one ever stayed. People come and go and she went sooner than I expected. Never trust anyone.
"Cora!" A voice reaches out to me. I look around only to catch two boys and a girl staggering up the hill I was on. "Wait up!"
Harry, Ron and Hermione ran up to me, catching their breaths every second.
"Did—you—get—hagrids note—too?" Harry let out desolately. My shoulders slump as I was again reminded about the hippogriff.
"Yes, that's where I'm heading right now. Lucius can be a cruel man sometimes," I intoned, not having the courage to look into Harry's green eyes. "Let's go, we need to go comfort Hagrid. It's the least we could do."
Wandering around the school hallways seemingly minding my own business after greeting Hermione ten minutes ago making her way to charms. But it gets weird as I make my way across her striding from the opposite direction.
"Hermione, weren't you just at Charms?- "
"Ugh! Professor Trelawney is crazy! There is no such thing as stupid grims and big black dogs coming to get you. It's all nonsense!" Hermione yells frustratingly.
"Oh alright then..?" I could sense she was stressed. As if she had done twenty things at once. That would be cool. Ten of your clones walking around- okay.
While I sensed the situation she was in, Hermione was in pure distress. I knew when I saw something glowing on her chest a chain leading down to it.
"Hermione. Hermione!" I get a hold of her attention. "Take the time turner off." I state softly.
"What- I don't know what you're on about." She chuckles nervously.
"At Least take a break. Go-go read a book or something. It's not good for you..all this stress. Especially when your friends with two cluelessly stupid boys."
She opens her mouth to argue but thinks best not to. "I- okay. Fine." She looks around before she takes her time turner off and stuffs it into her bag. Hermione looks up to give me a smile before she walks away towards Merlin.
I wonder what she meant about some sort of Grim and Big black dog. That's for another day of thinking.
I sit by the window sill and take out the diary from my bag. With the pictures of my mother drawn in there it calms me. I flick through the pages but this time a small sheet falls out. I retrieve it from the floor to examine it. One side there was written M.E.B in the middle. It was impossible this was here the whole time—someone must have slipped it in while it was in my bag. Anyhow, I flip the small sheet revealing a familiar five words.
Blood is thicker than water.
I smiled unsurely. My hands clutch on the necklace for some sort of support. Due to the fact I was unable to feel scared—I felt intrigued. Finally, something that makes life more interesting. I cast a quick Revelio spell and as I suspected—no trace of who or what.
Tis' was only a sheet of paper but I sensed a pulse of bonding with the thing on the other side. It was dark magic, I felt on the receiving end. A familiar feeling.
It was the match of the year. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Everyone in the stadium was tense and Lee Jordan didn't make it any better.
"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I have never seen such tactics!" Madame Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two thousand and one. He was vicious for this—something his father brought him up to follow, no doubt.
"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" I scrunch my nose from Lee Jordan howling into the microphone out of Professor Mcgonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY CHEATING B-" but luckily he wasn't out of mine. Professor Mcgonagall made no effort to tell him off. She was actually shaking her fist in Malfoys direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too, was shouting furiously.
Alicia took Gryffindors penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoys foul on Harry were being spurred on to greater heights.
Lee Jordan couldn't stop himself from spurting foul words and so I reluctantly took over.
"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for a goal—Montague scores." I let out an annoyed sigh, noticing the whole stadium except the section of the Slytherins, related. "Seventy—twenty to Gryffindor." Harry had now marked Draco with their knees hitting each other side by side. He wasn't going to let Draco anywhere near the snitch.
I switch my focus on Angelina as her role in the game had increased dramatically.
"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor—"
"COME ON ANGELINA, COME ON!" Lee yells beside me, close enough for the microphone to input his voice.
Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy, even the Slytherin keeper, was streaking up the pitch towards Angelina—they were all going to block her— Harry wheeled about, bent so low he was lying flat and kicked it forwards.
I felt Lee's hand grabbing my shoulder as tense as I was feeling. Like a bullet, Harry shot through towards the Slytherins. They scattered as the firebolt zoomed towards them; Angelina's way was clear.
"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES!" Lee exclaims in extreme delight.
"Gryffindor lead by eighty points to twenty!" I conclude in the celebration of the stadium. I bring my arms up towards Lee, attacked by his hug. I didn't have much trouble breathing up until this point. We part as the game hasn't finished with Harry still catching up to the Golden snitch. It was only a second before Harry had the snitch in his grasp. Lee celebrates while I make my way down to the pitch where the team was celebrating.
As I come down I notice Wood in tears. Yes, tears . He was strangling Harry in a hug like his life depended on it—according to Wood, it did. By the time I arrived at the celebrators, Wood had let go of Harry and replaced him with the trophy.
"Harry!" I call out to him.
"Cora? Cora! We won!" Harry yelled in a sentimental manner as he had turned to me. When I reached him, I caught him in a tight embrace. He wouldn't let go and it was enough to make me smile.
"I'm so proud of you harry." I admit to him as we pull away. He replies with a shy smile when I conclude our interaction with a scruff of my hand messing his hair up even more. Two boys attack me from behind in a wet hug.
"Eurgh get off me you sweaty arse holes!" I exclaim in a playful manner.
"No can do sparrow—these are the best kind of hugs." They let go in the next second allowing me to take a look at them.
"I'll let you stare at Fred a little longer Cor, give him a kiss while I'm gone will ya?" George smirks while he strolls away before Fred could beat him with his own broom.
"Sod off you crank." Fred croaks out, his Face redder.
"Congratulations on your win, carrot-top," I subtly smirk, my eyes trailing around the circle of groups— everyone doing their own thing. Yet it felt like all eyes were on us. He scoffs before replying smugly.
"Why not a small kiss as a gift. I'm not really asking for much am I?"
"Hm...I'd feel that would be too much coming from me.."
"I see. Maybe someone else would be more willing to, maybe Oliver—" I grab his collar to pull him down and land a small kiss on his cheek to silence him.
"Have I ever told you how good you look in your Quidditch uniform?" I mutter briefly into his ear.
"About damn time!" Someone yells as others whistle and clap. It seems I underestimated how much people were waiting on us even though we were not together. I laugh, keeping my eyes on him as he joins in. All my thoughts were of him.
Only him.
Although it was cold, I was not surprised to see the trio of third years in search of something outside the castle with the big black dog. I place my wand in the back pocket of my jeans while I scramble up to follow them discreetly. The long walk ended, arriving at the Whomping Willow. It was right to tell them what I have figured out during the months but it looked as if they were already running towards the answer.
The magnificent tree twisted and turned as it sensed the three souls but it didn't just stop there. As Ron ran into the tiny hole, following the dog into the root of the tree, the other two were left to fend for themselves. All I can say it was not a pretty sight—not for them at least.
Though I thought the coast was clear, another brooding figure had made their way to the entrance of the tree. I was not the only one interested in their schemes. It seems Professor Remus had made use of the map missing from his hands that Harry claimed he had lost. He paused in thought— as if he missed something important. He turned to my direction, staring right at me.
I had gotten up from behind the bush, staring right back at him while I made way towards the Professor. We didn't need to speak with our mouths. Our eyes said everything as the DADA professor signed to go in with one nod and a mutter of Lumos.
Death could not have looked any sweeter. The room was filled with it. Memories with melancholy and more so—despair.
This was not a home for at least hundreds of years, it was clear from the rotting bones, but merely a safe house.
Yelling could be heard from the top of the stairs yet I felt hesitant to be faced with it. The creaking of the stairs was not noticed as I reached the top. Behind Lupin.
"WE'RE UP HERE," the screams of Hermione were clear; she was in distress and fear of something only her eyes could see, not her heart. "SIRIUS BLACK! QUICK!"
The door of the room burst open revealing a terrified Ron—a distressed Hermione—and lethal, anger filled, Harry. Lupin came hurling into the room immediately yelling an Expelliarmus towards the trio. I could feel that the betrayal hit them like a bullet. It was a familiar taste.
"Where is he?" Remus' voice was muffled as I still hadn't entered the room. I still couldn't face him.
"Professor Lupin what going—" he was interrupted by the surprising embrace of the two brothers. I noticed the rat still in Ron's arms through the crack of the door. I opened it more as the back of 'The Mass Murderer' was towards me. I Accio the rat using the advantage of the boy's shock.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione was too rage full to even acknowledge me almost strangling the rat in my grasp.
"You - - you and him?
"Hermione calm down," the man pleads to the girl pointing at him.
"I haven't told anyone—I've been covering up for you!"
"Hermione, listen to me— I can explain!" Lupin breathes out.
Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear but a fresh wave of fury.
"I trusted you!" He shouted at Lupin with all his fury. "And all the time you've been his friend!"
It was hard to keep concentration on the conversation with the bastard of a rat scratching on your palms. Merlin once I get my hands on the real him-
"—He wants you dead too! He's a werewolf!"
There was a silence and I've decided to finally fill it.
"I appreciate you all trying to sort out your problems, but we must acknowledge the elephant in the room—before I strangle the bitch," I state the last part with gritted teeth.
"Language." The two men standing in front of me had stated obliviously, not noticing the vermin in my bloodied hands but I had only kept my eyes on lupin. My hands continue to bleed, letting myself stain my wand with red, I cast a freezing charm on the rat before I hid it behind me from the mother meeting.
"Remus what is my daughter doing here—" he whispers as if he thinks I can't hear him. I refuse to correct the man, busying myself by cleaning my hands with a summoned cloth.
"—severely underestimated Cora." Remus concludes as he turns back to Hermione to redeem himself. Sirius—my father turns to glance at me with regret, pity.
I hate it. He was the last person I wanted pity from. I truly hate it. I hate him.
He was still barely clad in his Azkaban prison clothes. The man looked as though he's been striving in the pits of hell and hoped he came back just to realize it is a place within him not a place he is within.
"Get away from me you werewolf!" Ron gasped. I drop my cloth for dramatic effect as I cringe. The same time, Sirius had twisted his neck to stare at the ginger boy's stupidity.
"How long have you known?" Remus asks, turning to Hermione hesitantly.
"Ages.." Hermione whispered "Since I did Professor Snape's essay.."
"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He set that essay hoping someone would realise what my symptoms meant. What about you Cora—did his essay change your views of me?" Everyone had waited for my response. As if I had just figured out the man was a werewolf. Gee what a shocker.
"I live with the man. I've known it since I was five." I let out bluntly. Remus was not surprised in the least.
"You what?" The absent father had burst out. Lupin grabbed his best friend's shoulder to stabilise him before asking Hermione a question. "Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always at the full moon? Or did you realise that my boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both," Hermione said quietly.
Lupin forced a laugh.
Though I was in the same room as them, I couldn't hear what they had to say next because of the frustratingly, blood-sucking Rat who could not stop scratching my arm. The freezing charm had nearly run out.
"—AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" He was pointing at my father who had crossed the four poster bed on my left and sunk onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand.
"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look—"
He separated Harry, Ron and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner. Harry caught him, stunned.
"There," he stuck his wand into his own belt. "You're armed we're not. Now will you listen?"
"If you haven't been helping him," he said with a furious glance at black. "How did you know he was here?"
"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauders Map,"
"The map? You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.
"Of course I know how to work it—I helped write it."
I couldn't reciprocate Harry's shock but only the blood seeping into my side.
"—no one was with us!" Said Harry.
"And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labelled Sirius Black ... I saw him collide with you, I watched as he pulled the two of you into the whomping willow," Remus explained calmly.
"One of us!" Said Ron angrily.
"No Ron. Two of you."
He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.
"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" He said evenly. The boy still hadn't realised the rat was not in his safe grasp, but choking, in mine.
"What?" Said Ron. "What's scabbers got to do with it?"
"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?" But before Ron could take a look— I had revealed the struggling vermin in my bloodied hands.
"He's here." I jeered unpleasantly. Ron looked confused as to why he hadn't noticed the rat gone from his grasp.
"You're bleeding." The professor replied obviously.
"More of a reason to kill this bloody traitor—" Sirius sneered.
"What-what's my rat got to do with anything?" The boy tremors.
"That's not a rat," croaked sirius.
"What d'you mean—of course he's a rat—"
"No he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."
"An Animagus," said the older Black.
"By the name of Peter Pettigrew ," I finish the sentence in disgust.